Making a phone call to your elected official or representative is quick, easy, and can be done at a moment’s notice, making it an attractive method for legislative contact.
For these same reasons, it is critical that the phone call be effective. You don’t need to be an expert on the issue in order to be persuasive; you just need to give your personal perspective.
Follow these ten steps for an effective call to your elected official or representative:
- Plan.
Before you make the
call, plan what you
are going to say.
Your phone call will
be very brief, so
keep your message
simple and to the
point. Take a moment
to think about
it–you might even
want to make some
notes–and you’ll
find that your call
goes more smoothly
than if you were to
call “off the cuff.”
Know your request
(for example, vote
for a specific bill)
in as few words as
possible.
- Message.
After identifying
(and possibly
writing down) your
request, think about
a key point or
personal story that
supports your
position.
- Call.
Make the call. If
your legislator is
in your home
district on specific
days or on weekends,
call them when they
are in your home
district. There is
more time and less
distraction, and
your position as a
constituent will be
enhanced if you are
talking on “home
turf.”
- Staff or
Message. You may
not be able to reach
your elected
official or
representative. Be
prepared to talk to
one of his or her
staff or to leave a
message instead.
Make sure you get
the staff person’s
full name, and treat
them with respect.
- Constituent.
Begin by stating
that you are a
constituent. Elected
officials and
representatives are
most responsive to
the people who can
keep them in office:
their constituents.
If you voted for the
legislator, mention
that as well.
- Persuade.
Get to the point.
Following your plan,
state the reason for
the call. Try to get
the elected official
or representative to
state their position
on the issue, and
try to persuade them
using the points you
developed.
- Thank. If
the elected official
or representative
agrees to support
your issue, thank
them. Regardless of
their position,
thank them for their
time. Let them know
that you will be
tracking the issue.
- Recruit.
Recruit a
like-minded friend,
family member, or
colleague to make a
call as well.
Particularly with
phone calls,
quantity is
critical. elected
officials and
representatives pay
attention to issues
when they believe
that many of their
constituents care
about that issue.
- Report your
call. When you
are part of a
grassroots lobbying
effort, your
participation is
helpful only if the
people mobilizing
the effort know
about it. Let them
know that you made
the call, and report
anything of import
that the elected
official or
representative said.
- Call more than once. Quantity is as important, if not more important, than quality in grassroots advocacy. A high number of calls indicates that many people in their voting district care about an issue. As you monitor the issue, call back to ask for specific support or action as appropriate to the process.