The rules of lobbying irstudying mail ru

The rules of lobbying irstudying@mail. ru

• Lobbying is an art form. But it is obvious that there are several rules of this activity despite the character of lobbying (political, economic, etc. ), despite the campaign, its duration, cost, etc. So here are some of these rules.

• Research the facts • The best lobbying is always based on accurate, upto-date information and on a well-argued issue, based on credible (надежный) evidence, and delivered to the right audiences in the right tone of voice at the right time. The research needs to cover not only the issue to be made, but also the facts about the decision-makers and the influences on them. Who has the power to put things right? Try to anticipate (предвидеть) the arguments that your opponents will make and deal with them at the outset (заранее). Information-gathering stage of the lobbying process is essential to maximize the chances of success.

Put the clear objective (цель) • This may sound like a statement of the obvious, but this step often is out of lobbyist attention. Effective lobbying depends on the message being simple, consistent and realistic. So all the options need to be considered right at the beginning of the process. Of course, tactics may have to change in the light of events, but the strategy should be set at the outset.

Put the issue in writing • Lobbying process almost always involve face-toface meetings. But sometimes a lobbyist is in need of sending his or her written version to a politician or official. It needs to be expressed with clarity, avoiding jargon, and, in the case of politicians, with brevity (ideally, not more than one side of A 4). Officials, by contrast, will need technical detail to help them to consider the exact nature of possible solutions to a problem.

Identify allies • You are more likely to succeed if you can work in partnership with others, who share similar goals. If you can persuade an important think tank to advance your argument and to air it in the media, you will have made a significant advance.

Adopt an appropriate tone of voice • Be respectful and courteous, but also straightforward and clear. You need to remember that, while you have the right to make your issue, politicians and officials have a duty to decide in the public interest. Equally, they need to remember that they are the servants of the public, not the masters, and that they have a duty to consider carefully representations from those affected by their decisions.

Make your friends before you need them • It is human nature that we are more responsive to requests for help from people that we already know and politicians and officials are only human. So try to get to know individuals who may be in crucial positions before they get there.

Choose your moment • On the one hand, the earlier that you seek to intervene in a process, the more likely your efforts are to be crowned with success. On the other hand, politicians are busy people with notoriously (общеизвестно) short attention spans (‘a week is a long time in politics’); they are unlikely to pay much attention unless the issue, or something related to it, is on their current agenda. In any event, your lobbying needs to be in time to influence events.

Remember what motivates politicians • (Often) idealism, (usually) ambition to achieve Ministerial status and (invariably) a desire to hold their seats. The politician will normally agree to meet because he anticipates (предполагать) that you will provide him with information that will enable him to do his job better and perhaps to shine (выделяться) as a result.

Tell the truth • When the outcome of a political decision is of crucial importance to you, it may be еempting (искушение) to bend (исказить) the truth to avoid uncomfortable facts and to put the best gloss (блеск) on the weaker elements of your issue. But you should not do it. Your uncomfortable relationship with the truth will be exposed and you will thereafter lose all credibility.

Ask for help • If a politician or an official has agreed to meet you, it will be because they believe you have something special and perhaps useful for them. They will listen to your exposition of the facts. Tell them about their functions in your issue. Tell them what kind of help you need from them.

Listen carefully • You can make a great deal about how your issue is being received by the comments that your interlocutors (собеседник) make and the questions that they ask. This will help you to conclude where your points are hitting and where your issue is perceived to be weak.

Watch carefully • It is not easy to tell afterwards what they think about your suggestions. A larger number are routinely polite and will express an interest in your issue that will convey (передавать) sympathy, but again conveys nothing of their opinion.

Respond promptly to requests for more information • Naturally, you should try to anticipate exactly what the person you are meeting will need to know, but, however efficient you are and however good your research, there will frequently be times when you will be asked to forward further particulars (детали). Do so speedily and your reputation will be enhanced (улучшится). Fail to do so and you will certainly lose significant ground.

Be selective • You will need to identify those who have a reason to be interested in your issue and focus your efforts on them. This is much more likely to mean 50 individuals, than 500. You need to identify the officials who have responsibility for your issue and, you will focus on members of relevant Committees, party members.

But not too selective • A very common mistake is to assume that your problem can be solved by one Government department, one political party, and so on. But it is a mistake. Most issues are inter-departmental; most decisions are collegiate – and your lobbying needs to reflect this.

Be persistent • Politicians always tell supplicants that your issue is now untimely (несвоевременно) because of upcoming elections; that a politician now cannot give you his or her attention because of upcoming checking, etc. Ignore them. They are trying to arrange the world for their convenience, but you have a right to be heard. Once you have put an issue on to the agenda, officials will certainly follow through and if you fail to do so as well, the results could be disastrous.

Pay attention on details • Sometimes when you are lobbying some big project you can lose attention to details. But this is a great mistake. You should pay attention to everything even to commas in written papers. It may all turn on whether the clause says ‘and’ or ‘or’.