STRENGTHENING THE ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY OF THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS PROJECT “BAYAN”

Advocacy Message Development

Kate HeadFebruary 27, 2006

STRENGTHENING THE ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY OF THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS PROJECT “BAYAN”

A Good Advocacy Message:

• It is your strongest case for your issue. It is the justification for your advocacy position.

• It summarizes your case for your issue and shows or suggests a solution.

• It is consistent with the identity and branding of the organization or coalition.

• It is consistent throughout the advocacy effort including interviews, materials and media.

• Let’s look at the Million Mom March example and ask these questions.

STRENGTHENING THE ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY OF THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS PROJECT “BAYAN”

A Good Advocacy Message:

• Is your strongest case for your issue.

• Summarizes your case for your issue and shows or suggests a solution.

• Is consistent with the identity and branding of the organization or coalition.

• Is consistent throughout the advocacy effort including interviews, materials and media.

STRENGTHENING THE ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY OF THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS PROJECT “BAYAN”

Step 1 Write down key messages in a way that people talk for and against an issue.

Step 2 Identify key words and phrases. Circle them as key words on your side and your opponents side.

Step 3 Identify your strongest sentence or couple of sentences as your message.

STRENGTHENING THE ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY OF THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS PROJECT “BAYAN”

Our MessageCircle Key Words or Phrases

Opponent’s Message

STRENGTHENING THE ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY OF THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS PROJECT “BAYAN”

Our Best Message

Key Words

STRENGTHENING THE ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY OF THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS PROJECT “BAYAN”

Substantiate Your Message

• Consider your message and think of three points that you can use to substantiate it to bring it alive.

• First-person stories show your message. Motivate someone to take a position or take action through a story or an unemployed youth.

• Show photos or graphics that explain the story. This is often done in human rights campaigns to document abuse and becomes a part of the message.

• Document before and after impacts. Everyone wants to see change whether they are good or bad. This can be done through photos or words.

• Data or numbers that explain or support the issue. Find the numbers to explain how many and what impacts. Worldwide, politicians are often surprised by how many disabled, ethnic minorities or people with ‘quiet problems’ like illnesses there are because these are hidden numbers.

• A graph or chart that exemplifies the issue.

STRENGTHENING THE ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY OF THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS PROJECT “BAYAN”

Our Best Message:

________________________________________

Think of three or more ways to substantiate/prove this to your audience. They can be examples or data that best support your case.

1.

2.

3.

STRENGTHENING THE ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY OF THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS PROJECT “BAYAN”

Who Delivers the Message to the Decision Maker?

•Show the decision maker wide political support by including a variety of people or organizations in your effort.

•Meetings can be politically calculated to include particular combination of people based on what will have the most impact on the decision maker.

•There should be rehearsal prior to the decision maker discussion to assure that the presentation goes well.

•Messages and substantiation should frame your advocacy effort.

STRENGTHENING THE ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY OF THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS PROJECT “BAYAN”

Our Best Message:

________________________________________

Will there need to be adjustments to our message for your meeting with the Minister or PLC Member?

Adjustments to the Message ?______________________________________

______________________________________________________________

STRENGTHENING THE ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY OF THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS PROJECT “BAYAN”

Exercise:

• Mock Meeting with your Decision Maker

• Deliver your message

• Show public support

• Provide materials at the meeting, ie studies, fact sheets other documents

STRENGTHENING THE ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY OF THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS PROJECT “BAYAN”

Tactics to Advocate with your Message

• Press Conferences on issue aspects, support of organizations or decision makers.

• Response to news related to Parliament decisions or actions.• Press events at facilities, locations or programs to show problem and

advocate for issue solution.• Press Stories to show the problem from the perspective of a personal view.

“How this law will change this situation.”• Meetings with Decision Makers.• Minister or leader take a position and can do joint event.• Meetings with key groups: For example, citizens, labor unions, unemployed

youth.• Response to government statistics on unemployment or other economic

numbers released regularly.• Placement on TV and radio talk shows to advocate for support.

STRENGTHENING THE ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY OF THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS PROJECT “BAYAN”

Now that we have focused on the details of our meetings…

Return and review the tactic section on decision makers to include more detail in your plans.

PLC Meeting = PLC Meeting with Economic Committee chair to ask for a hearing on the cost of youth unemployment. We suggest speakers including MAS, PICCR and Professor Abu Ali.