Don't miss our upcoming webinars! Subscribe today! In this webinar: 1. Attendees will be reminded of the process for developing an effective advocacy strategy 2. People will be taken through a review of how to tell your personal story 3. Everyone will understand the key steps to holding a successful meeting during the current pandemic View the YouTube video: https://youtu.be/evXAtAyzTXM Follow CCSN on social media: Twitter - https://twitter.com/survivornetca Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/CanadianSurvivorNet Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/survivornet_ca/ Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/survivornetwork

1. How to Hold a Successful
Meeting with Your MP or
Provincial Representative
Thursday, November 19, 2020
1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
Presented by Ryan Clarke, LL.B.
founder of Advocacy Solutions
ryan@advocacysolutions.ca

2. Agenda
Welcome & introductions
Webinar outcomes
Review and context
Telling your personal story
Meeting (virtually)
Q&A

3. Webinar Outcomes
3
Attendees will be reminded of the process for
developing an effective advocacy strategy
People will be taken through a review of how to
tell your personal story
Everyone will understand the key steps to holding
a successful meeting during the current pandemic

4. 1. Identify your issues
2. Testand frame your issues
3. Developyour keymessage
4. Determineyour one ‘ask’
5. Choose your tools and
targets
4
Developing anEffective
AdvocacyPlan: 5-StepProcess

5. Step 1: Identify Your Issues
• Initial question – what are the problems,
concerns, challenges that you face individually
or as a group?
• Try to articulate the answer to this question
for as many issues as you can identify
• Not all issues lend themselves to advocacy
• TEST – can the objective be achieved through
advocacy and can a target be identified
5

6. Step 2: Test and Frame Your Issues
• For personal advocacy, identify the issues that matter
most to you and the person in your care
• For issue-based advocacy, find out what matters to
the people that you represent (will help to frame the
issues)
– members surveys, round table discussions,
informal conversations, focus group/public
opinion poll, etc.
• FRAMING – what aspect of the identified issues do
you want to focus on initially
• DECISION – which of the framed issues are you going
to advocate for first?
6

7. Step 3: Develop Your Key Messages
Identification…
• Requires that you can take an array of
information and distill it down to its
simplest form
• Requires that you separate fact from fiction
• When advocating on behalf of a group,
consensus on the issues is required
7

8. Step 3: Develop Your Key Messages
Framing…
• Develop 3 key messages that explain the
salient points of your issue in simple
language
• Each one should be 25 words or less
• Must always be clear, compelling,
concise and consistent (4 Cs)
• Practice presenting your 3 key messages
to someone who has no knowledge of
your issue
8

9. Step 4: Determine Your One ‘Ask’
The objective or goal of the strategy…
• ONE – because you are going to ask for what you
need, not a list of what you want
• Requires one to make choices and potentially
reach a consensus (just as it does when
developing your 3 key messages)
• Build your ‘ask’ into your ‘call to action’ key
message to help ensure you deliver it
• Sometimes opportunities will present themselves
that will make the ‘ask’ very timely
9

10. Step 5: Advocacy Tools
The means of delivering the messages…
As a process, three steps must be followed
regardless of the tool being utilized to get to
the ‘Advocate’ stage
®
STEP 1
EDUCATE
STEP 2
DEMONSTRATE
STEP 3
ADVOCATE
10

11. Why Meet With Elected Officials?
• In our publicly funded, privately
delivered health care system,
government is a central player; in
turn, local representatives are a key
conduit to bringing heath care issues
to the attention of federal/provincial
governments
• As your elected representatives, you
will need to have (and foster)
working relationships with these
individuals if you are going to
advocate to government
• Face-to-face meetings (even virtually)
are one of the most impactful forms
of advocacy, allowing you to share
your personal stories with someone
who is responsible for representing
your issues

12. Preparing For The Meeting
Develop your 3 key messages (i.e. what you want to say) about the issue
of concern to you
Decide what your one ‘ask’ will be (i.e. what are you going to ask your
elected representative to do for you)
Determine who will be attending the meeting with you
Write out the version of your personal story that your want to deliver
Request the meeting

13. What is a Personal Story?
• Your personal story is:
• A summary (whole or in part)
of what has happened to you
as it relates to the issue at
hand
• Your perspective on the issue
based on your experience,
feelings, and attitudes
• It is emotional
• The means by which your
issue comes to life
• It must demonstrate how
action/inaction/policy/etc. has
directly impacted your life and
that of the person for whom you
are a caregiver

14. Basic Personal Details
Your name, age, where you live
Your occupation (or former occupation)
Details about your family (i.e. married 19 years, 3
children, 6 grandchildren, etc.)
Use the words ”I” and ”my” to tell your personal story –
it’s all about you, after all

15. Facts About Your Personal Situation
• For example: your diagnosis, the timing and
circumstances surrounding your diagnosis (or
the diagnosis of your loved-one)
• Convey how you felt and/or continue to feel
• This is the moment you’ll be able to firmly
grab your elected representative’s attention

16. Getting Started
• You start writing by
starting to write
• Consider one or more
of the following
strategies to initiate
the process:
• Freewriting
• Listing
• Using photographs
• Asking questions

17. Rehearsal and Reading
• Read your story out
loud
• Time yourself
• No need to
memorize
• Stay focused

18. Read Your Story Out Loud
• The best way to prepare to tell your story to an elected
representative is to read your story out loud, alone or to a
friend or family member
• Practise reading alone first and then invite a friend or
family member to listen to your story
• Reading for an audience of even one friendly face can help
alleviate any nervousness you might have about telling your
story to a stranger
• Ask your friend or family member to let you know if you’re
reading too fast
• We tend to read too fast rather than too slow when we’re
nervous; practising will help regulate your pace and calm
your nerves

19. Time Yourself
• When you’re rehearsing your story, time yourself,
or have your friend or family member time you
• Stick to three minutes
• Don’t rush through your story to keep to your
time limit
• If you find you’re way over time, you’ll need to
make some revisions
• If you’re significantly under three minutes, you’ll
need to make some additions

20. No Need to Memorize
• Your delivery doesn’t need to be perfect
• In fact, we suggest that you read your story to your elected
representative during the meeting if you feel more comfortable
doing so
• Taking the time to carefully read your story, rather than just work it
into the conversation, signals to the elected representative that this
is something you’ve put time, effort, and careful thought into – and
that he or she should listen to you
• While reading your story may interrupt the conversational flow of
the meeting, that’s exactly the point – it’s part of what will make
your story memorable and convincing
• And because you’ve been reading your story out loud as practise,
you’ll know where to emphasize certain phrases or pause for effect
as you read your story to your elected representative

21. Stay Focused
• As you prepare to present your story to your elected
representative, stay focused on telling your story – and sticking to
your script – as you will want to do when you’re actually face-to-
face with your elected representative
• The elected representative may interrupt you or ask a question
during your story
• While you don’t want to be rude by not responding immediately,
it’s alright to respond by saying something like, “That’s a good
question. I’ll just finish reading you what I’ve written here, and then
I’ll answer it.”
• If you’ve enlisted a friend or family member to help you practise
telling your story, you might ask him or her to interrupt you so can
rehearse this scenario – then you’ll feel confident about how you
might handle a situation like this when you go into your meeting

22. 5-Minute Story Challenge
• Is everything I have in my story
really necessary?
• Have I repeated anything?
(Eliminate the repetition.)
• Is the story focused on the issue?
• What details are not related to
the issue? (Eliminate them.)
• What details do not help lead to
my one “ask”? (Eliminate them.)
• Do these descriptions,
sentiments, or ideas really
support the one “ask”?
• What’s the least interesting,
relevant, or engaging part of my
story as it stands? (Cut those
elements.)

23. Getting the Meeting
‘No’ is not an option
Make an initial telephone call
Have an email prepared that briefly outlines why you want to meet with your elected
representative
After the email goes, follow-up repeatedly until you get the meeting
You may be offered a meeting with someone else – you should generally take these
opportunities, but continue to pursue meeting with your actual elected representative

24. Before The Meeting
Contact Contact your elected representative with just prior to confirm…and be on time
Know Know how long the meeting is scheduled for (20—30 minutes) and agree on the
meeting platform i.e. Zoom
Gather If possible, gather knowledge about the participants
Advise Advise whom you will be with, and ask for information on who will be attending with
them
Provide Provide any material that you want your elected representative to read ahead of time
(keep it brief)

25. Who Should Attend
Generally 3-4 people at
the most
Everyone who attends
needs to have a role to
play
Purpose is to paint a
complete picture of the
issue for your elected
representative, from
several perspectives
One combination –
patient organization,
physician,
patient/caregiver
Make sure someone
takes notes and
observes the dynamics
in the room

26. In The Meeting
Recommended Meeting Outline:
• Ask whether your elected representative still
has 20/30 minutes available for the virtual
meeting
• Introduce yourself
• Explain why you are there – overall purpose/issue
• Deliver your key messages
• Deliver your one ‘ask’
• Share some background (core facts) about the
issue
• Share your personal story

27. In The Meeting
Recommended Meeting Outline:
• Discuss/conclude when/how your elected
representative will fulfill your one ‘ask’, further
engagement opportunities, next steps
• Social sharing - ask if they would be willing to send
out a Tweet / Facebook post about the meeting with
their followers; let them know that you will be
sending them draft posts to use/modify as they wish -
take a screen shot
• Say thank-you and book a follow-up meeting (if
applicable)
• Report back to your supporters

28. After The Meeting
Provide any further information that your elected representative may
have requested right away​
Email to thank your elected representative for meeting with you​, as
well as outlining agreed upon next steps (which should include your
one ‘ask’) and confirming your next meeting date (if applicable)
Follow-up shortly thereafter to track progress of your agreed upon
next steps and one ‘ask’

29. Some Thoughts on Meetings
During a Pandemic
• Conventional wisdom used to be that there is no substitute
for meeting in person – gauging body language, facial
expressions, small talk, etc.
• But along with that went the investment in meeting face-
to-face – time, distance, expense, convenience, scheduling,
physical challenges for some
• The pandemic has removed many of the biggest hurdles
typically associated with trying to organize meetings in a
physically shared space, without completely losing the ‘in
person’ component
• And the current necessity of staying apart physically has
made these virtual meetings completely acceptable (if not
preferable) for the foreseeable future

30. Advocating to Politicians
• Ensure that your key messages are clear, compelling concise and
consistent – with one ‘ask’
• Assume they know nothing about your issue
• Find out everything you can about that person and their potential link to
your issue
• Where possible, link your issue to their stated political objectives or public
policies
• Bring your issue down to the constituency/personal level
• Position your issue within the context of the election cycle
• Position your issue as a political ‘win’
• Selectively engage the opposition to leverage the gov’t
• Keep them informed of your engagement with the bureaucrats
• Be prepared to be assertive/aggressive if necessary

31. Canadian Cancer Survivor Network
Contact Info
1750 Courtwood Crescent, Suite 210
Ottawa, ON K2C 2B5
Telephone / Téléphone : 613-898-1871
E-mail: jmanthorne@survivornet.ca or info@survivornet.ca
Website: www.survivornet.ca
Twitter: @survivornetca
Facebook: www.facebook.com/CanadianSurvivorNet
Instagram: @survivornet_ca
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