Advocating in the Age of COVID: Best Practices
By: Cornerstone Government Affairs
As you manage how meetings have changed in the age of COVID-19, consider these best practices as you connect with policymakers in the age of COVID-19:
Before the Meeting
- Email materials that you will use during the meeting, such as one-pagers, one day in advance. Make sure you have the materials handy during the meeting so you can resend them if necessary.
- Know your technology. Especially with video, different platforms have different features. Do a test run with your team so everyone feels comfortable.
- Establish your speaking order. Interruptions are the bane of socially distanced meetings, especially by phone. Limit them by planning ahead and knowing who will speak when.
- Join the video/call a few minutes before the meeting is scheduled to begin to work out any technical issues.
- Seek explicit permission from the official or staffer with whom you are meeting if you want to record the call or video.
During the Meeting
- Begin by having everyone introduce themselves. It’s basic etiquette and also serves as a sound check.
- Be present. It’s easy to get distracted when you’re not meeting face to face. Distance yourself from pets, children and any phone or computer screens that aren’t necessary for the meeting.
- Mute yourself when you’re not speaking and remind others to do the same.
- Remember to state your name each time you begin to speak.
- Get to the point and keep the meeting short. There are no more handshakes, no more settling into seats around a table. If your typical in-person meeting lasted about 20 minutes, plan on 15 minutes for your typical phone/video meeting.
Special Tips for Phone Meetings
- Use a script! No one can see if you’re reading from a computer screen or piece of paper, so use that to your advantage. Script out “asks” and answers to difficult questions. Use a script to facilitate smooth transitions between speakers.
- Make sure you don’t sound scripted. Read your script aloud to yourself first. If it doesn’t sound natural, rewrite and keep practicing.
- You won’t have the benefit of body language or nonverbal cues on the phone. Try to maximize engagement by avoiding long monologues and building in occasional breaks to ask if the staffer has any questions. If you’re using a script, designate in writing where to take a pause.
Special Tips for Video Meetings
- Use basic tricks of the trade to present yourself in the best possible way visually:
- Raise your webcam to eye level
- Light your foreground, so your face is not silhouetted
- Don’t be Will Reeve; wear pants
- If using a virtual background, it should strike the appropriate tone
- If using a physical background (such as a home office), remove anything distracting or use the “blur” feature available on some platforms
- Keep it simple, and don’t use more technology than you need. You probably won’t use many features built into video conferencing platforms in most advocacy meetings with staffers or elected officials. Know what you want to say and who will say it, and stick to your plan.
Staffers may prefer to talk by phone rather than video. Don’t take it personally. Elected officials, on the other hand, may prefer video. Traditional retail politicking is more challenging these days; video is the next best thing. Either way, be gracious. These are new and trying times for everyone, and elected officials’ offices are juggling countless asks and constituent needs while adjusting to this new normal. Be sure to thank them for their time and attention.
The post Advocating in the Age of COVID: Best Practices appeared first on Georgia Bio.
As part of the Georgia Life Sciences Summit (August 25–26), applications are now open for the Startup Showcase , sponsored by Johnson & Johnson , highlighting early-stage innovation across MedTech and Therapeutics . The Showcase will feature some of Georgia’s most innovative life science startups, giving emerging companies the opportunity to present groundbreaking technologies, products, and solutions to a distinguished audience of industry leaders, investors, researchers, and partners. Selected startups will present during the August 26 luncheon program and participate in a live investor Q&A session with John Gutierrez (Ascenta Capital), Emma Heckenberg, Ph.D. (Solas BioVentures), Patrick Jordan (NovaQuest Capital Management), and Emily Dinu (Numinous Capital) Members of the Johnson & Johnson external innovation team will also be onsite for the program and select companies will be scheduled for a 1:1 meeting to discuss strategic alignment and potential collaboration opportunities. If you or companies in your network are building in MedTech or Therapeutics, this is a strong opportunity to gain visibility, receive feedback on commercialization and growth strategy, and connect with key stakeholders. All applicants receive a complimentary Summit registration, and one selected company will also be invited to participate in the NewYorkBIO / New York Stock Exchange Life Sciences Showcase on December 10. If this is relevant to your work, it would be a strong opportunity to consider applying. If not, it may be worth sharing with companies in your network who are building in this space.
Workforce & Education Impact: Building Georgia's Future Life Sciences Workforce - One Teacher at a Time June 16, 2026 - As Georgia Life Sciences concludes the 2025-2026 cycle of the Biotech Teacher Training Initiative (BTTI), the results reinforce the critical role educators play in building the state's future life sciences workforce. Since July of 2025, BTTI engaged 98 educators representing 40 schools across 23 school systems, reaching an estimated 5,375 students through hands-on biotechnology instruction, career-connected learning, and industry-relevant classroom experiences. The Georgia Life Sciences Equipment Depot further expanded the program's impact by supporting 238 teachers with access to laboratory equipment and materials that make authentic life sciences learning possible. Georgia Life Sciences is also pleased to report that funding for BTTI was maintained in the Georgia House version of the FY 2027 budget approved earlier this year. The upcoming 2026-2027 program cycle will mark an important evolution for BTTI. Building on feedback from industry partners and workforce trends across the life sciences sector, Georgia Life Sciences will expand the program's scope to better reflect the skills and competencies employers increasingly need. In addition to foundational biotechnology concepts, future programming will be organized around key industry domains, including Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC), Research & Development (R&D), MedTech, Artificial Intelligence, Automation, and Advanced Manufacturing. This expanded approach will provide educators with greater insight into the breadth of career opportunities available across Georgia's life sciences ecosystem while helping students develop awareness of the technologies and disciplines shaping the industry's future. The impact extends far beyond individual workshops, creating lasting connections between Georgia classrooms and the state's growing life sciences ecosystem while helping build the talent pipeline that will power Georgia's future innovation economy. "Before BTTI, I was hesitant to do biotech labs because they seemed too complex and expensive," shared Josephine Jeganathan of Stockbridge High School. "The program showed me how simplified it can be and provided the equipment and materials needed to successfully implement the Central Dogma Lab with all my classes." Teachers are also seeing increased student engagement through hands-on learning experiences. Tonie Curry of North Clayton High School used a chromatography lab to connect environmental science concepts to water pollution and sustainability. "Students were highly interested in seeing how substances separated and made strong connections to water pollution and environmental sustainability," Curry noted. "The hands-on nature of the lab encouraged curiosity and deeper understanding." For many educators, one of the most valuable aspects of the program is the connection between classroom learning and real-world careers. As Marshai Waiters of Marietta Middle School reflected: "Exposure is key. There are so many avenues to work in STEM, and they are all accessible with opportunity and knowledge. The insights gained from industry speakers will inform my teaching and create new opportunities for student exposure." When teachers are trained, equipped, and connected to industry, students gain more than a science lesson—they gain a window into Georgia's life sciences future.
In recent comments to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC), PULSE highlighted critical reforms to ensure that U.S. competition policies support – and do not impede – the pro-competitive mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and other collaborations that drive American life sciences innovation. PULSE submitted comments in response to two joint DOJ/FTC Requests related to Guidance on Collaborations Among Competitors and Improvements to the Premerger Notification and Report Form (HSR Form). Read below for key takeaways from PULSE’s comment letters: 1. Life Sciences Innovation Depends on Collaboration “At its core, life sciences innovation is overwhelmingly collaborative. The cutting-edge medicines and cures developed by America’s life sciences industry are rarely the result of just one sole actor. Instead, they more often emerge from a calibrated sequence of partnerships… that collectively usher a biomedical breakthrough from early-stage discovery to FDA approval and delivery to patients.” – PULSE, Comments on Guidance on Collaborations Among Competitors 2. Policies that Ignore the Fundamental Role of Life Sciences M&A Risk Chilling Innovation for Patients “Against the significant challenges and pressures inherent to life sciences innovation, such policies that needlessly delay pro-competitive transactions have significant ripple effects: eroded investment incentives, disruptions in the path to launch and, ultimately, slowed or stalled development of new treatments and cures for patients.” – PULSE, Comments on Improvements to the HSR Form 3. Clear, Predictable Standards Can Support Competition and Innovation in America’s Life Sciences Ecosystem “Preserving clear and workable pathways for collaboration is therefore essential to sustain the broader ecosystem that delivers innovation and sustains America’s status as the world leader in life sciences innovation.” – PULSE, Comments on Guidance on Collaborations Among Competitors Leading business and industry organizations echoed and reinforced these priorities. Their comments highlight the unique market dynamics of life sciences innovation and the importance of collaboration and M&A – particularly with respect to early-stage R&D. “Because drug development typically takes over a decade, and the vast majority of drugs in development never make it to market, the antitrust risks associated with R&D collaborations in this space may be less than with other R&D collaborations.” – ABA Antitrust Law Section, Comments on Guidance on Collaborations Among Competitors “In the biopharmaceutical sector, for instance, R&D ventures in the pre-clinical or Phase I stages should be presumed lawful. At these early stages, about 90% of drugs never make it to market, so these collaborations are far too distant from commercialization to pose a meaningful threat to competition.” – U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Comments on Guidance for Collaborations Among Competitors “Healthy M&A activity also aids company formation and capital raising earlier in a business’s life cycle, as entrepreneurs and early-stage investors often depend on M&A for an exit opportunity. Conversely, discouraging business combinations by imposing burdensome one-size-fits-all standards on all transactions, like those imposed by the 2024 amendments, would disincentivize early-stage innovation and slow down economic growth.” – National Association of Manufacturers, Comments on Improvements to the HSR Form The bottom line: A balanced approach to antitrust enforcement policy should support life sciences M&A and other collaborations, ensuring new medicines continue to reach patients, while preserving a diverse and collaborative ecosystem. PULSE urges the agencies to adopt clear, workable and predictable standards that companies can apply with confidence. That includes preserving enforcement safety zones for low-risk, pro-competitive collaborations, as well as ensuring the HSR Form facilitates a timely, focused and fit-for-purpose screening process for life sciences M&A deals. Click below to read PULSE’s full comments: PULSE Comments on Guidelines on Collaborations Among Competitors PULSE Comments on Improvements to the HSR Form Source: PULSE Urges FTC, DOJ to Support Pro-Competitive Life Sciences Collaborations and M&A - Partnership for the U.S. Life Science Ecosystem (PULSE)
