Let your voice be heard!
Now that you are learning the legislative process you also will need to find your voice.
Effective advocacy forms a relationship and informs people of your value. Many people feel intimidated when they begin talking with legislators, however, remember that you are just talking to another person.
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Be Proactive
Having a plan helps when moments to advocate pop up. Most often advocacy happens spontaneously. Strategies to use include having your “5 Words” and your “30 Second Elevator Speech.”
Both of these will be based on your personal story.
The best advocacy comes from a personal spot. What led you to care about this topic?
Your 5 Words:
Think of your advocacy topic.
Picture the moments that led you here.
Think about the reasons you care about it.
Now, what are the 5 words that send the best message?
This can be a sentence. It can also be 5 distinct words.
For instance, “Kids need care. I’m here.” or “Providers deserve respectful, sustainable support.”
You may also choose to use separate words like “High quality,” “Caring,” “Safety”, “Love,” “Play.”
Your 30 Second Elevator Speech:
Your 5 words will help you stay focused on your message while advocating.
But your 30 second Elevator Speech will help you get the message across to the other person.
Imagine you are in an elevator with a person who can make a decision about your topic.
You only have this opportunity and once the doors open, that person will walk out.
What will you say? Take your story and tell it powerfully in 30 seconds.
These are two ways to prepare yourself for opportunities to advocate.