As someone who has done advocacy work and advised on advocating to governments for many years, and who is the recipient of advocacy on a daily basis, I have some ideas on what works and what doesn’t.
Feel free to use these tips if you wish.
- Build relationships before you need them. Advocacy is more effective when you’ve already established trust and credibility with decision-makers. Engage with them on various issues, not just the one that you’re advocating for right now.
- Engage directly. In-person is most effective, and a video call or phone call is second-best (though decision-makers are often too busy). Email / letters are effective if you write them, but sign-on letters, copy-paste letters, and petitions (“click advocacy”) tend to be discounted.
- Try to be on the good side of the decision-maker. You can blast them instead, and that may be entertaining for other people, but it won’t be effective advocacy. It’s a good way to fail spectacularly. 🙂
- Be concise and clear. Decision-makers are busy. Get to the point quickly, use plain language, and avoid jargon.
- Identify your constituency. Tell the decision-maker who supports your position. Be accurate, and recognize that not everyone shares your perspective—you don’t speak for the entire population.
- Use reasoning. Base your arguments on sound logic, avoid fallacies, and frame it in a way that advances the goals and interests of the decision-maker.
- Back up your arguments with evidence. Relevant data, opinions of subject-matter experts, and real-world examples strengthen your case. Avoid misinformation and disinformation, which are very common in social media, talk radio and the letters to the editor.
- Speak normally, rather than shouting. If writing, use regular case (not ALL CAPITALS) and standard punctuation (not lots of exclamation points!!!!). Professional, calm communication is more persuasive.
- Address the pros and cons. Acknowledge opposing views, and address potential drawbacks to your position and explain why the benefits outweigh them. This builds your credibility.
- Offer solutions, not just problems. It’s easy to criticize, but advocacy is more persuasive when you propose practical, achievable solutions.
- Bonus tip: know who the decision-maker is. Different levels of government have authority over different things. More on this: https://davethompsonvictoria.ca/street-problems-where-to-advocate-for-improvements/.