The document provides guidance on advocating in person to decision-makers. It outlines developing an effective advocacy plan with key messages, tools, and a specific ask. It emphasizes telling a personal story to connect with the decision-maker and provides tips for preparing, attending, and following up on meetings. The goal is to distill complex issues into clear, compelling messages and obtain a commitment to address the issue.

1. Advocating in Person
Ryan Clarke
Advocacy Solutions
Thursday, October 18, 2018

2. Overview
• Quick Review: How to develop an effective
advocacy plan
• Telling your personal story
• Advocating in person

3. How to Develop an Effective
Advocacy Plan
• Key message development
• Development of your tools
• Development of your one ‘ask’

4. Key Message Development
Identification…
– Requires that you be able to 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

5. Key Message Development
Framing…
– Develop 3 key messages that explain the salient points of
your issues in simple language
– Each key message should be 25 words or less
– Must always be clear, compelling, concise and consistent
– Practice presenting your key messages to someone with no
knowledge of your issues

6. 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
advocacy stage:
®

7. Your One ‘Ask’
The objective or goal of the plan…
• 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)
• Sometimes opportunities will present themselves
that will make the ‘ask’ very timely

8. 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 this decision-maker 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

9. Telling Your Personal Story
• Review of how to tell your personal story in the
context of a face-to-face meeting with a decision-
maker
• It is means by which your issue comes to life and is
made real
• It is also the most powerful point
at which you can connect with
a decision-maker

10. Telling Your Story
• At some point during any meeting, you or someone you’re with must
take the opportunity to tell their personal story
• What is a personal story:
• A summary of what has happened to you as it relates to the issue at hand
• It is your perspective on the issue based on your experience, feelings and attitudes
• It is emotional
• It must demonstrate how gov’t action/inaction/policy/etc.
has directly impacted your life

11. Telling Your Story
• You’ve got two choices:
– Tell a summary of your entire story as it pertains to the issue
– Tell a portion of your story that focuses on one or two aspects of the
issue
• Must fit within the amount of time you have (i.e. 5 minutes)
• Must conclude with why things need to change and bridge to
the ‘ask’ that you have

12. Telling Your Story
• Essential elements:
– Name, age, where you live
– Occupation (former occupation) and family
– Timing and circumstances surrounding your diagnosis
– Challenges faced as a result of the disease, particularly around the
relevant issue
– What you believe gov’t needs to do to help you
and others
– At every point, how you felt

13. Getting The Meeting
• ‘No’ is not an option
• Make an initial telephone call
• Have a letter prepared to e-mail that briefly outlines
why you want to meet with that person
• After the letter 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 the person you need to see

14. Before The Meeting
• Provide any material that you want the decision-
maker to read ahead of time (keep it brief)
• Advise whom you will be bringing, and ask for
information on who will be attending for them
• If possible, gather knowledge about the participants
• Know how long the meeting is scheduled for
• Contact the person you are meeting with just prior to
confirm…and be on time

15. 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 the decision-maker, from several perspectives
• One combination – patient organization, physician,
patient/caregiver
• Make sure someone takes notes and observes the
dynamics in the room

16. At The Meeting
Good news…
– You’ve got your 3 messages, you’ve got the right
combination of people in front of the decision-maker you
need to see and you’re prepared
Bad news…
– You’ve got 1 minute…who are you, who you represent,
why are you there, what do you need this decision-maker
to do for you (and how), what can you offer in return

17. Presentations
• If you use PowerPoint,
make it brief (10-12 slides)
• Build it around your 3 messages
and repeat those key messages
throughout
• If you don’t use PowerPoint, consider bringing a one-
pager with the highlights so that everyone can follow
along and you have a leave-behind
• Remember – technology can fail!

18. Presentations
• Conclude with your ask
and how you propose it be done
(come with solutions)
• Check at the beginning of
the meeting how long the
decision-maker has and adjust
your presentation accordingly
(leaving enough time for discussion)
• Have someone assigned to watch the time
• Don’t go off, or get pulled off, on a tangent

19. In The Meeting
• Let the decision-maker with whom you are meeting,
speak
• If you are unclear about something, ask for
clarification
• Be patient – your 3 messages are
three of many that decision-maker
will hear that day
• Establish clear follow-ups,
with timelines

20. Sample Agenda
• Introductions and delivery of key messages/’ask’ –
usually by attendee from the patient organization (5
minutes)
• HCP (5 minutes)
• Patient organization (5 minutes)
• Patient/caregiver (5 minutes)
• Discussion (10 minutes)

21. After The Meeting
• Provide any further information that may have been
requested right away
• Call, write, text or e-mail to thank the decision-maker for
meeting with you
• Follow-up shortly thereafter to track progress and advise of
what you are doing to move your 3 messages forward

22. 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 i.e. ministerial mandate letters
• Bring your issue down to the riding/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

23. Advocating to Bureaucrats
• Ensure that your key messages are clear, compelling concise
and consistent – with one ‘ask’
• Find out everything you can about that person, including past
roles, career track, etc.
• Where possible, link your issue to gov’t programs and
initiatives i.e. disease strategy
• Have people who can speak to the technical or clinical aspects
of your issue
• Know where you are in the election cycle
• Keep them informed of your engagement with the politicians
• NEVER blindside a bureaucrat

24. Advocating in Person
What NOT to do…
– Threaten
– Make an appointment to go and talk to someone in government
when you only have an idea, but no context or message
– Meet with a decision-maker when you have no clue why you are
doing so ie. you have no ask
– Make a technical presentation to a policy-influencer who has no
background in the area

25. Advocacy Solutions®
Ryan Clarke, LL.B.
t. 416.919.9532
ryan@advocacysolutions.ca
www.advocacysolutions.ca

26. Canadian Cancer Survivor Network
Contact Info
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