6 Things Politicians Want to Know

Hi. So what are the six things that every politician wants to know? Imagine you meet with them and you have a very short period of time. You don't want to babble, but you want to let them know you have a clear idea of what your issue is and what you want to get done. So here are the six things. They want to know what your issue is. Number one, what's it about? The second thing is they want to know your arguments, the arguments that you have to support your issue. And if you're really clever, they also want to know what are the arguments against the thing that you're trying to get done. And then finally, they want to know what you want. So those first three things are the issue, the arguments, and the ask. That's number one, number two, and number three, because obviously on number three, the ask is really about saying to them, hey, I'd like you to vote for this bill, or I'd like you to sponsor some legislation or an idea that I've come up with. That's really what you're trying to get done here. And number four, five and six? Well, number four is what's your position? Are you for this thing you're trying to get done, or are you trying to stop something from happening? Number five is the story. What's the compelling story that you're going to use to influence the lawmaker to make him realize that this issue, the thing that you have, is so important and so powerful it needs to be done. And in our story model, course, we talk about how to create that and make that as powerful as you can. And finally, what are the underlying facts? You've mentioned your arguments earlier in number three, but now you have to support this with real facts. So you've got a quantitative story and a qualitative story. You've got the intellectual rigor that presents your issue on both sides. And then if you get your story right, you. You have real characters or victims or people who are harmed by legislation that doesn't exist or potentially could be hurt or harmed if something does pass. And that's why you want to get clear on that. So the six things that affect every piece of legislation, and particularly at the level where you have a grassroots coalition coming together and you are lucky enough where you get a meeting, whether it's with a lobbyist or a lawmaker, they're going to want to know these six things. And if you have these down and you can do them in 15 minutes or less, which should be pretty easy to do, then you're in good shape. So again, those six things are, number one, your issue, number two, the arguments, and number three, the ask. Number four is your actual position on this issue. Number five is the compelling story that's going to make all the difference in the world. And finally, number six are the supporting facts that will convince the lawmaker that what you are saying is believable. True. Right. Makes sense, and is something that he can get behind. So that's it. The six things that every politician wants to know. And you should know them, too. Even if you don't have a meeting, you should be able to tell what they are and be able to explain them, because they're the same things that you would tell a friend when you're trying to get somebody else involved or to believe in what you're doing.