PERSONAL CONTACT:

Meeting your legislator personally is the most effective way to communicate.  You are one of your legislator’s constituents; therefore, your opinions are important to him or her.  Developing a one-to-one relationship early makes writing and calling a far more valuable and effective means of communicating when there are critical issues to address.

SHORT & FRIENDLY:

Unless you already know your legislator, make your first contact short.  Twenty minutes is sufficient for the first meeting.  Put your legislator at ease by being friendly and sincere, not threatening.  Have your business card ready to give to the legislator and staff.

OFFER YOURSELF AND YOUR ORGANIZATION AS A RESOURCE:

Legislators confront many issues each year and they cannot be experts on all subjects.  When you visit, you will likely know more than they do about the arts, heritage, culture and arts education and the intricacies of the subjects you discuss.  Whatever your expertise, you should offer it as a resource to your legislators and their staff.  Chances are that they will confront an issue at some point for which your expertise is helpful to them in making an informed decision.

BE PREPARED:

You should be prepared to discuss current topics that may be of interest to your legislator.  The legislator may seek your advice on an issue or choose to talk about a topic with which he or she is personally involved.  You may also discuss current arts related topics from the newspaper.  If you are not familiar with an issue, that’s okay.  You can offer to look into it and get back in touch.  Just make sure you follow through.

KEEP TRACK OF YOUR TIME:

Do not run over the allotted amount of time.  You can always meet again or follow up any last minute points in a letter, e-mail or a phone call to the staff consultant.

LEAVE BEHIND A ONE-PAGER AND BROCHURE:

As you end the visit, give your legislator a brochure and a one-page fact sheet about your organization and information about the issues that are important to you.

FOLLOW-UP COMMUNICATION:

It is courteous to write a letter of thanks to your legislator or the staff member after your visit.  If additional points regarding your issue were discussed at your meeting, include them in your letter.  Let your legislator know you appreciate his or her service and especially the time given to you personally.

  GETTING TO KNOW YOUR LEGISLATOR