Advocacy Telling Your Story

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AdvocacyTelling Your Story
Amy Shope Manzi-Grassroots Advocacy Consultant
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What is Advocacy

• The application of pressure on the people and
  institutions that have the power to give you what
  you want

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AHA Advocacy

• Identify public policy opportunities to advance
  Association Health Impact goal and strategic
  priorities
• Act as a credible, nonpartisan source on which
  public officials can rely for vital information
  about heart disease and stroke
• Advocate aggressively for policies that advance
  our public policy agenda

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Why Grassroots?

• To influence lawmakers
• Demonstrate constituent support for AHA policy
  goals
• Engage volunteers in the organization
• To put a face on our issues
• Show AHAs strength in numbers

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Youre the Cure Advocates

• Take action on alerts
• Make calls
• Visit with lawmakers
• Provide testimony
• Attend events
• Recruit friends
• Be a media advocate

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Your Story

• Passionate and Compelling
• Stickiness
• Different versions
• Practice makes perfect

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Story Structure

• Have a clear objective
• Choose your details
• If then OR Since then
• Be sure to finish with an ask!

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Sharing Your Story

• Emails
• Personalize!
• Written notes
• Legible (or typed)
• Brief
• Delivery method
• Phone calls
• Name and address
• Clear request
• Why you care

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In-person meetings

• Be Prompt
• Stay on Message
• Be Polite
• Dont argue
• Its okay to say I dont know
• Hook, Line and Sinker
• (Christopher Kush, The One-Hour Activist)

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Media Advocacy

• LTE
• Op-ed
• News Conference
• Earned media events
• Rallies, Photo Ops, etc.
• Editorial Board interviews
• Interviews with reporters

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Spokesperson Tips

• Preparing for your interview
• Understand the background of the interview
• What is the story about?
• Who else is being interviewed?
• What information will you be asked to provide?
• What is the deadline?
• Review your key messages
• Anticipate questions and practice answers
• Practice with AHA staff

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Spokesperson tips

• Key Messages
• True. Dont make things up.
• Simple. Key messages are not mission statements.
  Use language that would be appropriate for a
  friend or neighbor who is not a health-care
  professional.
• Memorable. Any normal person should be able to
  remember them.
• Persuasive. Your message should be able to
  influence the audience. Use your personal story.

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Spokesperson Tips

• Staying on Message
• Building a Bridge
• Whats most important to know is
• Let me also add
• That is not my area of expertise, but what I can
  tell you is
• Another thing to remember is
• It is also important to point out
• What we are really concerned with

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Interview Dos

• Keep it short and simple
• Expect strange questions
• Ignore the reporters attitude and be pleasant
• Avoid No Comment Instead say I cant really
  talk about that but what I can tell you is
• Build bridges

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Interview Dos

• Use stories to make your points
• Everything you say is on the record
• Clarify questions you dont understand
• Use positive language
• If you dont know the answer, say so

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Interview Donts

• Repeat negative language. Keep language
  positive.
• Say No Comment or reveal confidential
  information
• Say anything negative about your competition
• Argue with the reporter.
• Lose your temper. Keep your emotions under
  control.
• Speak off the record there is no such thing.

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Interview Dos and Donts

• If you dont want to see it, hear it or read
  about it, dont say it.

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Interviewing with Newspapers

• The more information, the better. Offer to
  provide facts and figures in writing.
• Offer to respond to follow-up questions.
• Offer photos or graphics to enhance the story.
• Smile while you are talking.

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Interviewing with Newspapers

• During a phone interview you risk being
  misquoted. Speak slowly and clearly.
• Turn off your cell phone, computer, blackberry
  they are distracting and can pull your focus
  away.
• It is OK to say you dont know, just refer the
  reporter back to the AHA staff or offer to look
  into the question and get back to them by their
  deadline.

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Interviewing with Radio

• Talk to the reporter, not the microphone
• Talk in pictures describe events, places,
  people, situations
• Know the audience

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Interviewing with Radio

• Speak clearly and slowly.
• When doing a phone interview, stand up and smile!
• Direct listeners to a Web site and phone number
  for more information, multiple times.

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Interviewing with Television

• Ignore the camera and production staff. This is
  a conversation between you and the reporter.
• Talk to the reporter, not the camera.
• Minimize movement dont rock, sway, or use
  large hand motions.

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Interviewing with Television

• Speak in sound bites. Typically, only about 10 to
  15 seconds of your interview will be used.
• Assume the camera is always on.
• Smile.

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Social media

• What does it mean?
• Interaction
• Differs from traditional media (radio, tv,
  newspapers)
• New Media We, the public, inform each other
  along with the messages from companies. We can
  agree or disagree with their information.
• 39 get new online regularly vs. 20 watch
  nightly broadcast news (Pew Research)

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Examples of Social Media
Currently the No. 1 social networking site in the
world however, MySpace still No. 1 in US.
Similar to Facebook and MySpace but used for
professional purposes instead of recreational.
Create your own blog for free.
Micro blogging. Say it in 140 characters or less
Photo sharing
Video sharing
02/09 stat, courtesy Hitwise
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And many, many more!
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What can you do?

• Lurk!
• Transparency is important
• Post a Comment
• Spread the word
• Recruit others
• Interact with lawmakers
• Interact with the media

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Recruitment

• At Events
• Heart Walks, Go Red Luncheons
• Kiwanis, Rotaries, Health Fairs
• Friends and Family
• Host an event
• Talk about your volunteer work Mended Hearts or
  AHA/ASA

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The 60 Second Advocate
How To Guide
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The 60 Second Advocate

• Personal Story (0-25 seconds)
• Tell how youre personally connected to heart
  disease or stroke.
• Explain how it affected your health and how it
  impacted you emotionally.
• Highlight the most relevant and compelling facts.
• Your Link to Mended Hearts or AHA/ASA (25-50
  seconds)
• Talk about how you first became involved with
  Mended Hearts.
• How did your advocacy involvement start?
• How does advocating make you feel?
• What personal benefit do you get from being
  involved with Mended Hearts and Advocacy?
• Action Item (50-60 seconds)
• Tell the other person what you want him to do and
  how to do it. 
• Heart Disease and Stroke You're the Cure!
• This is your hook!  

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The 60 Second Advocate A True Example
Personal Story (0-25 seconds) Hi. My name is Lisa
Deck. In 1997, I was a typical 21- year-old
college student A week before graduation, I
developed a terrible headache. After two days of
staying in bed, I went to one hospital, where the
doctor quickly dismissed me as having a migraine,
probably brought on by the stress of final exams.
Over the next few days, my left side, including
my face, felt numb, tingly, and heavy just like
when your foot falls asleep. I finally went to
another ER, where it was determined that I had
suffered a stroke. I was shocked, but also in a
sort of denial I was young and still felt
invincible.  I was diagnosed with a rare brain
disease, CNSV, and have had two more stroke since
then. Ive been through years of treatments,
medications and many hospital stays. Your Link to
AHA/ASA (25-50 seconds) While I was fortunate to
still be able to speak and walk, if I had another
stroke, I could die. Instead of giving up, I
found a strength I didn't know I possessed. I
raised over 12,000 for stroke survivors and
began advocating for better stroke treatment.
Talking to legislators at Lobby Day and sharing
my story with others in my area, I found that I
could really make a difference. I feel so
fulfilled and happy when I advocate and speak
with others about my experience with
stroke. Action Item (50-60 seconds) I want you
to join me as a member of the Youre the Cure
network. As a member of the Youre the Cure
network, you can do something as simple as
sending an email, or as involved as speaking at a
hearing in Washington, DC. All of these things
makes me feel satisfied- as if I am really making
a difference in the lives of others. Would you
like to join me by filling out this form? Heart
disease and stroke Youre the cure.
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Advocate Recruitment Using The 60 Second Advocate

• Make a list of your friends, family, colleagues
  and neighbors.
• Utilize The 60 Second Advocate training.
• Ask each of them to join you as an advocate for
  Mended Hearts or in the Youre the Cure network

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Practice Scenarios

• 60 Second recruitment
• Meeting with legislators
• Media Interview