Through private conversations with professional lobbyists and advocates from non-profit organizations, legislative staff members can learn new ways to work more effectively with issue-oriented groups and their representatives.

We will facilitate discussions with a panel of professional lobbyists and advocates. Discussions will focus on ways to establish effective exchange of relevant information, trust-building, and negotiation. Professional lobbyists will explain how their businesses work, how they juggle issues, and the importance to them of relationships with credible legislative staff. Advocates from non-profit organizations will explain the limits of their lobbying capabilities and the importance of constituent involvement to their own efforts.

To help participants understand the advocate perspective, selections from Real Clout, The Real Clout Workbook, and Lobbying on a Shoestring will be used during the sessions.

Participants will learn how to create a relationship with lobbyists and advocates that places a value on information and mutual respect. They will learn to identify potential collaborative efforts that will further their own priorities as lawmakers, and how to act on these opportunities in an equitable, ethical manner.

Ultimately, by understanding the constraints and benefits of working with lobbyists and non-profit advocates, legislative staff members will be able to identify ways to increase their own influential relationships and knowledge of relevant issues.