Try personal approach with politicians

I want to suggest a proven method for reaching out to elected representatives. The Gray Panthers have been learning a new organizing method through our partnership with the Rhode Island Organizing Project (RIOP). It is called relationship-based organizing, and its building block is a “one-to-one meeting” with a person with power to make change.

That type of meeting is a structured conversation usually lasting no more than a half hour. Since most legislators don’t have offices at the Statehouse, the best place to meet can be a coffee shop or other convenient public location. It is more than chitchat: it’s a meeting with an agenda. When you call your legislator and ask for the meeting, you might say, “I’d like to meet with you to talk about an issue that is important to me.”

During the meeting, you build a connection with your legislator by sharing a story concerning an important theme such as aging in community with dignity and independence. You start the conversation, saying, “Let me tell you a story that explains why this is so meaningful for me.”
Your story should be about yourself or someone you know, and should take no more than three minutes. Then you ask the legislator if they are aware of similar situations, and usually they will follow suit. The idea is that you take the first step and build trust. A productive discussion could follow.

If the conversation goes well, you may be tempted to lobby the legislator about a particular cause or bill. However, resist that temptation. The sole purpose of the meeting is to begin to build a relationship. Your payoff comes later. When you call, write, e-mail or lobby that legislator, you can remind him or her about your meeting. Because you’ve started to build a relationship, that person will be much more likely to really listen to you.

Now is the perfect time for a one-on-one meeting with your legislator. January and February are slow times at the General Assembly. Since 2012 is an election year, legislators are more inclined to reach out to their constituents. Don’t know who your state senator and representative are? Go online to https://sos.ri.gov/vic and at “view general information,” type in your address. That will provide a link to your state senator and representative. If you can’t access the Internet, call your city or town’s registrar of voters.    

Give it a try. Legislators are real people, and most will be willing to meet. If yours isn’t, then you may need a more accessible legislator. Maybe you should run for the job.     


William F. Flynn Jr. is executive director of the Senior Agenda Coalition. Contact him at senioragendari@yahoo.com or (401) 274-6900, extension 205.