A presentation given at Public Meetings SOS on December 7 2012 by Jessica Adamson from CFM Strategic Communications.

1. Effective
Communication
with
Elected
Officials
CFM
Strategic
Communications

2. Understanding
your
Elected
Officials
 “The
Legislature
is
a
microcosm
of
society”
–
Fmr.
Senator
Jeanette
Hamby
(R-­‐Hillsboro)
 Life
in
the
political
world
 Campaign
season
 Governing
 Personal
life
 Remember:
Elected
officials
ran
for
office
to
help
their
constituents
and
improve
their
communities.

3. Federal
Delegation
 Bigger
challenges/new
opportunities
 US
Senators
and
Congressmen
have
more
constituents,
more
travel,
and
more
demands
on
their
time
 Increased
opportunities
for
visibility
of
projects
when
a
federal
official
tours
or
becomes
a
project
champion
 A
tale
of
(at
least)
two
staff
teams
 DC
and
District
staff

4. Federal
Delegation
 Best
practices:
 Develop
relationships
with
district
and
DC
staff
 Submit
requests
for
tours/appointments
as
far
in
advance
as
possible
 Be
flexible
–
weekends/evenings/holidays
 Provide
1-­‐2
page
background
briefs
 Attend
town
hall
events,
be
visible
 Provide
regular
updates
on
projects
to
the
delegation
–
both
good
news
and
challenging
news
 Build
your
communications
around
their
interests/
committees

5. State
and
Local
Leaders
 The
life
of
a
Citizen
Legislator
 Annual
sessions
 Small
staff
 Balancing
legislative,
work,
family
and
campaign
duties/obligations
 Difficult
to
obtain
media
recognition
for
their
work
 Local
Leaders
 Many
are
volunteers
with
varying
expertise
 Usually
get
involved
because
of
a
local
issue

6. State
and
Local
Leaders
 Best
Practices
 Develop
relationships
with
state
legislators,
local
leaders
and
their
staff
 Invite
them
to
community
meetings,
tours,
project
briefings
 Sign
up
for
newsletter
(usually
email)
distribution
lists
 Attend
town
hall
events
and
constituent
coffees
 Brief
local
leaders
about
problems
before
they
become
public
 Build
your
communications
around
their
interests/
committees

7. Top
Tips
for
Communicating
with
all
Elected
Officials
 During
a
meeting,
make
your
key
points
first.
 Always
follow-­‐up
with
a
thank
you
note
and
more
information.
 Never
ambush
or
surprise
elected
officials
 Use
smart
communication
–
not
mass
communication
–
as
your
tool
of
choice
 Develop
long
term
relationships.
Politics
makes
strange
bedfellows.

8. Questions?
Contact
Information
Jessica
Adamson
CFM
Strategic
Communications
1100
SW
Sixth
Avenue,
Suite
1425
Portland,
OR
503.294.9120
jessicaa@cfmpdx.com
www.cfm-­‐online.com