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- up a meeting with the staffer, or you can talk directly to your Congressperson. To meet with the Member, you'll need to talk to both the ELA and the Scheduler, who will schedule the time. You may have to be persistent to get a meeting with the Member, but it is your right as a citizen!
Before your meeting, prepare a one page outline of your desires with supporting points which you will leave with the staffer or Congressperson. This will help you organize your own thoughts plus provide a clear statement which can be reviewed in the future. (Staffers often write brief position papers for their Congressperson's review. By doing some of their work, your ideas will move more quickly!)
Arrive a little early and dress appropriately but don't worry if you don't have a fancy suit or dress. These people work for you! Remember that you are a voter no matter what you wear, but try to dress in a way that will make the person you're meeting with feel comfortable. Be relaxed and look your best.
When your meeting starts, don't just plough into a monologue of facts and figures. Try to find out what the person you're meeting with does in the office and how well he or she knows the issue. This will give you a better point to start from. Throughout the meeting, listen carefully and take notes. Ask questions to clarify the person's position and to identify points of misunderstanding. This will help you structure your future strategies.
Your own presentation should be compact and well organized. Use visual aids such as Forest Voice Primer, and the pictures in Clearcutting: A Crime Against Na¬ture. They will help keep the person's attention and provide undeniable evidence to back up your arguments. Use local examples where possible and cite recent events and articles. Invite the Congressperson and staff to see the damage first hand by taking a hike with you or flying over de-forest with LightHawk (which offers free air tours to members of Congress and their staff).
Try to show the connections between clearcutting, environmental destruction, economic waste, and solid waste problems. Use the enclosed Information Sheet and Comprehensive Platform to illustrate your points and to describe Save America's Forests' proposal for a compre¬hensive solution. By suggesting alternatives, you're doing more than just complaining (which can have a negative tone), you are helping your Congressperson structure their own ideas and strategies. Before you finish, present your one-page outline as the definitive statement of your re¬quest.
Lobbying meetings should focus on what you want to accomplish. One goal of the meeting is to educate the person about the problem, but always keep your goal in mind-you are looking for a commitment to specific action
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