Once you’ve
gathered your facts and figures, quotes and personal stories,
expert opinions, and research reports and studies, there’s
a lot you can do with this information. You can
- Frame the debate. For example, if you found that other localities
have adopted effective solutions to the problem, you can
make a powerful case for doing the same in your community.
Instead
of focusing only on the problem, you can frame the issue
as why our community isn’t doing as much as other communities
have done to address the problem.
- Put together an action plan. Summarize the facts, compile
your policy recommendations, and put forward a proposal for
positive
change.
- Write a report. Cite other resources when you can. And use
your best quotes from interviews. You don’t want your
voice to be heard too much; a variety of voices shows that
you did your
homework, shows that a problem is of broad public importance,
shows public support for corrective action, and gets the attention
of the media and public officials. If it’s a long report,
prepare a summary that journalists, public officials, and policy
makers and their staff can read quickly. For more on writing
policy reports, order a copy of The Big Idea: a step-by-step
guide to creating effective policy reports (2002) from
the Center for an Urban Future at https://secure12.cfxhosting.com/nycfutureorg/content/bigidea/index.cfm.
- Create visuals. Whether a video, photographs, or charts,
visuals capture people’s imagination. Besides, different
people digest information in different ways. If they can see
it or hear
it, they’ll usually remember it. Particularly with numbers,
charts, graphs, or tables make the information more accessible.
- Write some case studies. There’s nothing more powerful
than knowing how a problem affects real people’s lives.
A compelling story can captivate—and capture your audience.
- Use it to organize. What information did you find that will
get people excited about your issue? Make them outraged about
the situation? Urge them to action?
- Educate the public. You want as many people as possible
to know what you know so that they are on your side and will
talk
to other people about the problem. Public awareness will
benefit your organizing and coalition building, and it will
help you
persuade your elected officials.
- Develop fact sheets and talking points. You don’t
want to overwhelm people with all the information you have
at one
time. But you can get key people up to speed with a one-page
to two-page fact sheet and a few bulleted points about the
main messages.
- Draft a news release or hold a news conference. Did you
uncover something particularly compelling or controversial
that might
grab the media’s attention? Make sure you pick your
most persuasive spokespersons to quote in the release and
speak at
the news conference. (more on this in the Media section).
- Take it to a hearing. What did you find that might be persuasive
to your public officials? Relevant to something being discussed
at a public meeting or voted upon? Likely to get news coverage
during the public comment portion of a meeting while the media
are there covering another agenda item?
- Start a newsletter. As you begin to gather information,
you might include bits and pieces in a newsletter to get people’s
attention. Then, in subsequent newsletters, keep them engaged
as you uncover more information and the story unfolds.
- Put it in a proposal. What have you learned that might interest
a foundation in some part of your strategy? Maybe it will
fund the publication of your action plan or report, provide
media
training, or support public education.
