ICON - The magazine of the American Society of Interior Designers - (Page 72)

grassroots Preparing for the 2008 Legislative Sessions Working with Legislators to Protect Your Right to Practice Grassroots Activism: Developing a Relationship with Your Legislators A key element in protecting designers’ interests—and right to practice— is to develop relationships with legislators. And the best way to build relationships with your legislators is to meet them face to face, demonstrating your serious concern about the issue at hand and your commitment to participating in the political process. Meeting with legislators— not once but many times over the course of several years—will help develop strong ties that will aid in your legislative initiatives. As an interior designer, you bring to the table a wealth of knowledge regarding issues related to the built environment. Use this knowledge to become a valuable resource to your legislators and their staffs by providing useful, data-driven information. Meeting with an elected ofﬁcial for the ﬁrst time can be intimidating. Before the meeting, take the time to prepare so you can best utilize this opportunity to inﬂuence your legislator. After the initial meeting, continue to contact and schedule regular meetings. Soon you will have developed a working relationship with your legislator. Steps To Ensure An Effective Meeting Follow these 12 easy steps to ensure an effective meeting with your legislator. 1. Introduce yourself and tell the elected ofﬁcial (or his or her staff person) that you are a representative of ASID and/or your interior design coalition, where your chapter and coalition is located, and the size of its membership. If you are lobbying as an individual, be sure to mention you are a constituent. Also mention any family, social, business or political ties you have to the legislator. 2. Start the conversation with a compliment. If possible, thank the legislator for a good stand he or she recently took on an issue or mention if you voted for him or her. At a minimum, thank the person for taking the time to meet with you. 3. Take the initiative by stating clearly and concisely what issue you want to discuss, what your position is on the issue and what action you want the member to take. Justify your comments with facts about why he or she should take your position. 4. Stress how the issue will affect the legislator’s district or state. If possible, tell a personal story that highlights your experience with the issue and why you care about it. 5. Give the legislator a brief fact sheet (one or two pages maximum) that outlines your position. If you are discussing pending legislation, explain what the bill does and why he or she should support your viewpoint. 6. Mention any other organizations, important individuals, government ofﬁcials and legislators that support your position. 7. Be a good listener. After you make your pitch, allow the person to whom you are speaking the opportunity to respond. Be sure to bring the conversation back to the issue at hand, however, if the legislator digresses or tries to evade the issue. 8. Answer any questions to the best of your ability but admit it if you do not know the answer to a question. Provide the information promptly in a follow-up letter. 9. Ask a direct question to which the legislator can respond “yes,” such as, “Can we count on you to co-sponsor the bill?” Press politely for a commitment unless the legislator is clearly opposed to your position or to making a commitment. 10. Always thank the legislator for his or her time at the end of the meeting, even if he or she did not agree with your position. 72 ASID ICON | THE MAGAZINE OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF INTERIOR DESIGNERS

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of ICON - The magazine of the American Society of Interior Designers

ICON - The magazine of the American Society of Interior Designers Contents President’s Message Good to Know Innovations Breathing Life into a Building Designs for Senior Living On the Move Thinking Green Aging in Style Industry Inside ASID Grassroots ASID National Industry Partner Focus Showroom Advertisers Resource Guide Annual Articles Index

ICON - The magazine of the American Society of Interior Designers

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