Navigating policy implementation within government affairs can be a challenge, especially with something as important as a presidential election on the horizon. Whether you’re a seasoned professional or new to the field, learning some new actionable strategies to hone your skills in the government affairs landscape is a great way to stay informed and get ahead. On May 30, Leadership Connect hosted industry leaders to facilitate a conversation regarding best practices to successfully implement policy in government affairs.
Our expert panel:
Here’s a quick recap of some of the conversation highlights to get you excited to learn more!
- Stay ahead of the curve and follow legislation from inception to implementation.
- Get out there and get to talking! Conversations with the right people are the key to success.
- Show, don’t tell! We live in a visual world, so use it to your advantage and show staffers why they should support certain legislation.
- Be nice – it’ll get you further than you think.
Ready to learn more? Keep reading to check out the top takeaways. Missed the conversation? Watch the rebroadcast here.
Get in on the ground floor
When asked how they react to legislation once it’s passed, all our panelists had the same response – be proactive instead of reactive. In other words, don’t wait until after legislation is implemented to learn about it. The panelists encouraged our audience to start their homework early and lean on their members to see what’s coming down the pike. Conversations and networking are the best way to prepare for new legislation in your issue area. It all boils down to this: better relationships with members and staffers leads to more frequent communication which means more intel.
Pro Tip #1: Stay on top of legislation and bill information with Policy Connect. Our tool helps you quickly search and identify bills that affect you and instantly pinpoint sponsors and co-sponsors. This is a great way to increase your knowledge of Congressional landscape and find advocates all in one tool.
Educate, learn, and converse… then educate some more
The panelists discussed their approaches to forging relationships between their members and Congress. They said to leverage these relationships through educating members with face-to-face interactions, frequent meetings, and any other means of communication (bonus points if you can do so while beating the dreaded Zoom fatigue!).
Pro Tip #2: Get out and get networking at industry events! At Leadership Connect, we host community happy hours where you can meet with other gov affairs professionals with common interests. You’ll make connections and start conversations that can help you successfully connect with the right people in Congress to get your preferred legislation passed. You can also learn about other industry events through our other attendees!
After you do your part to educate, it’s time for you to learn from your members. Members have relationships with staffers that they’ve fostered, so they can offer you a wealth of knowledge and get you up to speed on all they’ve learned about each staffer. Let them educate you on what matters most to Congress to kickstart your research and to make sure you’re targeting the proper Congressional members based on your overall objectives.
The exchange of information with the education and learning cycles relies heavily on frequent communication. The panelists encouraged listeners to report back to their members after meetings to share thoughts and notes and encourage members to do the same to ensure that information flows freely and that you’re all on the same page.
Pro Tip #3: Take the panelists’ advice and easily exchange notes with Leadership Connect’s Collab! Share meeting notes and eliminate extra software to seamlessly keep everyone abreast of what you’re doing and learning in a streamlined and organized fashion.
Storytime!
The best way to get your message across is with the elementary school classic, show and tell. Invite Congressional members to events so they can get critical face time with your clients. Showing staffers why legislation is important to you through personal stories gives them an inside look on the real-life consequences of their legislation.
Pro Tip #4: Never underestimate the power of a personal touch! Don’t know how? Use Leadership Connect’s relationship maps to see who members of Congress may know or if you have a common connection that could be a great conversation starter. You can also study your key targets’ profiles on Leadership Connect to familiarize yourself with their education, hometowns, family, or other personal notes that can make your conversation stand out!
When in doubt, just remember these key phrases:
- Think twice and be nice.
- Do your homework: know who you’re talking to and adjust accordingly.
- Make their job easy and be the expert for them.
- Under promise overdeliver.
- Maintain relationships through turnover and administration change: you never know who you’ll cross paths with again!
- Use technology to your advantage to get easier access and connect quicker.
