Followup materials from the 2011 Lobbying & Communications Bootcamp presented by Common Good Vermont and KSE Partners.

Kevin Ellis, Todd Bailey and Elliott Bent of KSE Partners presented this Blueprint for Legislative Campaigns in November 2011 at the Vermont Statehouse. These questions meant to guide you as you develop legislative strategy and  identify your goals.

To view the complete recording of the 11/15/2011 presentation, click here.

THE BLUEPRINT

I. Research:

1. Who are you? Your mission, your goals, your organization’s abilities.
2. What’s the goal? You need to stay focused on this.
3. What’s the landscape? What’s the lay of the land?
4. Who are your allies? Do you have a champion?
5. Who are your opponents?
6. Do you have experts who are willing to saliently make your point?
7. Is your position unique?
8. Who has the power to get this done for you?
9. What is the process? Legislative, administrative etc.
10. Who else is working in this sphere?
11. Are there statistics to back up your claims?
12. Who are the stakeholders?
13. Is there similar legislation and policies? Who sponsored it? Who was against, who was for?
14. Make a power map.
15. How do you deal with the media?
16. What media will be interested? Have they covered similar stories?
    1. Three TV Stations
    2. Burlington Free Press
    3. Times Argus/Rutland Herald
    4. VPR/Mark Johnson Show
    5. Digital – VTDigger, VT Tiger, Green Mountain Daily.

II. Message Development:

1. What do you want to be when you grow up?
2. 30-second elevator speech.
3. The two-minute statement.
4. Create a position statement: This should be able to be summarized in a sentence, a paragraph and a page. The simpler the better!
5. How do we control the narrative? What needs to be avoided? What needs to be emphasized? Start with arguments that have broad appeal and use more narrow supplementary arguments where needed.
6. Develop a full list of arguments and counter arguments (understand your opponents).
7. Train your leadership to be conversant on the issue so that they can talk to the media and legislators. Prepare testimony for committee.

III. Materials Preparation

1. Using messaging notes, create a “core document” the document should be 1-2 pages. It will inform all other materials and also can be used to inform audiences.
2. Op-ed (based on core doc) – the op-ed should be 500 words maximum and should cover your most important points.
3. Sample letters for your grassroots base to mail – these letters should be 200 words maximum. Each letter should address a single argument.
4. Press release.
5. Timeline.
6. Logos.
7. Website.
8. Facebook page.
9. Twitter feed.
10. Press list.
11. Email list.

IV. Execution:

A. Legislature

• Meet with supporters.
• Plan testimony.
• Statehouse presence – someone monitoring every nook and cranny of the statehouse.
• Have an event. (Bring all your people to the Statehouse).
• Collaterals: Hats | Shwag | Press release

B. Governor

Open line of communication to the Governor’s office/Administration including secretaries and other staff concerned with the issue.

C. Media

• Who at each outlet are you dealing with?
• Keep them informed every step of the way so that when a newsworthy event comes around, they’re ready to cover it.
• Time the op-ed for maximum effectiveness.
• Letters should be ongoing.

D. Public

Presence in towns and counties with coordinators. Public/Grassroots. The goal is to keep constant information coming to legislators.

F. Politics

We need to work within our existing system (even as we try to change it). Bringing value to legislators and the administration is important. This can be providing quality information, bringing Get Out The Vote efforts on their behalf or fundraising.

1. Expert testimony.
2. Are there timing considerations?
3. Who needs to know first?
4. Who will write, or submit an op-ed – the more prominent the better.
5. What channels will be effective?
6. Stay calm.
7. Approach opponents with respect.
8. Make it easy for everyone involved. Make it easy for lawmakers to support you. Give them respect and strong arguments to use. Make it easy for the press to know about your cause and write about it.

KSE Partners delivers government affairs and communications strategies for national, regional and local clients.