COMMUNICATING FACE-TO-FACE

Meeting a Member of Congress or a local elected official is probably the best way to present your views. Given a lawmaker's busy schedule, meetings are sometimes difficult to arrange. Yet, a personal visit with your legislator or their staff can have an impact.

While it may be difficult to arrange a one-on-one meeting with a representative or senator, you can almost always meet with their staff by visiting a district office or a member's Washington office. You can improve your chances of meeting a member face-to-face by arranging a meeting with a group of constituents.

Tips On Visiting Your Legislator

• Plan carefully before you visit. Be clear on the purpose of your visit and what you would like to achieve. Know ahead of time which legislator of staff person you need to meet with to achieve your purpose.
  
  

• Schedule an appointment by contacting the legislator's Appointment Secretary/Scheduler. Explain your purpose and whom you represent. It's easier for a legislator's staff to arrange a meeting if they know what you wish to discuss and your relationship to the area or interests represented by the legislator.
  
  

• Prepare ahead of time. Be sure to prepare a one-page summary of key points about the issue and your position on the issue to leave with the lawmaker after the meeting is concluded.
  
  

• Arrive on time, and be patient when meeting with an elected official. The legislator's schedule is hectic, and it's not uncommon for an elected official to be late or to have a meeting interrupted. Be flexible and when the opportunity presents itself, continue your meeting with the legislator's staff if necessary.
  
  

• Be concise. Limit your discussion to one issue. Be able to state your views in five minutes or less; you may have only 15-20 minutes with the lawmaker.
  
  

• Remember, you're the expert on how the issue affects you, your company, and your locale. It's important to share your perspective as a constituent.
  
  

• Listen closely to the lawmaker's positions as well. The meeting should be an exchange of ideas, not a lecture. Each time a law passes there are winners and losers-and you're not going to win if you don't participate.
  
  

• Follow-up with a thank you letter and reemphasize the key points. Also, send any data or information that you may have promised to provide. You should also follow-up with a note of thanks to those staff people who arranged/participated in the meeting.

Another way to meet your local, state or federal representatives is to invite them to address an audience of constituents, preferably to answer questions, which requires less preparation than a speech. Members are especially fond of visiting companies within their district to get a feel for how a local business operates. Workers' cafeterias or conference rooms are a great place for lawmakers to meet with large numbers of constituents. Also, invite them out to see forestry field operations as well. Call their office and ask for the appointments secretary. If you're trying to schedule a visit to coincide with a special event, make an offer months in advance. If you aim for a traditional congressional recess, you have a good chance of meeting your representative face-to-face in his or her home district.

see Conducting Tours or Special Events

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