How to influence politicians

The word ‘lobbying’ has negative connotations. But, in reality, it’s an essential part of the democratic process.

You don’t have to invite politicians to expensive dinners in order to bend their ear. All you need is the ability to communicate effectively and persuasively. Here are some points to bear in mind:

  • Try to present a viable, innovative solution to the problem you are highlighting – politicians are always looking for policy ideas, especially credible ‘quick win’ solutions.

  • Be clear, simple and concise in your correspondence with politicians. The longer your letter, the less likely they are to read it properly.

  • Be specific when highlighting issues – it’s much better to stick to specific issues which can be addressed rather than broad problems which seem insurmountable.

  • Focus any particular piece of correspondence on one issue. This conveys a focused mind and is helpful if you want a meeting with the politician in question. He or she won’t want to feel you’ll be talking for hours about a whole gamut of subjects.

  • Do use the media to make your case – politicians see the news media as a barometer of public opinion.

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