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.
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Georgia Life Sciences has joined 43 state and regional life sciences organizations in signing a national Council of State Bioscience Associations (CSBA) letter calling on Congress to take immediate action on three bipartisan policy priorities that are essential to sustaining U.S. leadership in biomedical innovation and supporting patients nationwide. With Congress back in session and several critical programs at risk of expiring, the letter urges congressional leaders to advance the following provisions without delay: 1. Reauthorize the Rare Pediatric Disease Priority Review Voucher (PPRV) Program The PPRV program has been instrumental in incentivizing the development of therapies for children with rare and life-threatening conditions. Its lapse threatens to slow or halt research that families across the country are counting on. 2. Extend the SBIR/STTR Programs The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs provide crucial early-stage capital for emerging biotech and medtech companies—many of them in Georgia. Without reauthorization, hundreds of innovative small businesses face uncertainty, jeopardizing new therapies, diagnostics, and technologies in the pipeline, 3. Advance PBM Transparency Reforms Greater transparency and accountability within pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) practices are needed to ensure that savings reach patients and employers. Reforming PBM operations is essential to strengthening access and affordability across the healthcare system. A Unified Message from the Life Sciences Community The sign-on letter reflects broad, bipartisan alignment across the national life sciences ecosystem: researchers, entrepreneurs, investors, patient advocates, and state associations all share a common message— these programs underpin America’s global competitiveness and are vital to patients who rely on continued scientific progress. Georgia Life Sciences has shared the letter with members of Georgia’s congressional delegation and will continue engaging with policymakers to emphasize the importance of swift action.
Georgia Life Sciences is proud to stand with patient advocates, providers, and employers across the state in urging Congress to take meaningful action on pharmacy benefit manager (PBM) reform. We recently signed on to a joint letter to Georgia’s Congressional Delegation stressing the urgent need for transparency, fair practices, and policies that ensure savings flow directly to patients.
Georgia Life Sciences’ CEO, Maria Thacker Goethe shares her perspective on the value of Georgia’s research universities in this month’s issue of Georgia Trend. “Georgia research institutions have felt a very significant impact from the federal rollbacks, specifically in NIH and NSF funding. Thacker Goethe’s message about the impact of research cuts is simple: Disruption shatters the foundational trust researchers have in grant continuity….” To read the full article, click here .
