How can the average citizen really influence government policymaking?
SV: Effective advocacy really boils down to four key steps: knowing what you want, knowing who you’re talking to, knowing how to talk to them, and knowing how to follow up. In terms of knowing what you want, it’s critical to ask for something specific as opposed to simply “educating” elected officials on an issue. They need to know how they can best help on animal welfare issues. Knowing about your audience means that (a) you should always communicate with someone relevant to you (i.e., your own elected official) and (b) you should know something about their own interests, policy interests, and background. On animal welfare issues, for example, it’s good to know if they have a companion animal in their lives; it’s also good to know what bills they’ve introduced, not just on animal issues, but across the spectrum. For the third point, knowing how to talk to them, the main point here is to tell a compelling and personal story. And finally, following up is what really separates the effect
