How to create stories to move the hearts, minds, and votes of lawmakers

Congressmen and senators typically have upwards of 12 meetings per day about legislative issues. While elected county official are much more likely than your average constituent to snag one of these meetings, their message will fall flat without proper preparation

Brad Fitch, president, and CEO of the Congressional Management Foundation, taught county officials how to use storytelling to get lawmakers on their side and effectively get their message across. He argued that bringing a story to a meeting is much more persuasive that bring in a spreadsheet full of facts and figures

“The more people feel immersed in a story the more likely they are to change their beliefs,” Fitch explained on Monday afternoon.

More than anything, your message to your lawmaker should be short and sweet. In the 1980’s the average American attention span was 22 seconds, Fitch explained. But today the average attention span is 2.8 seconds, due to the prevalence of technology and social media. Compare that to a goldfish which has an attention span of 9 seconds.

When preparing to bring an initiative to Capitol Hill, it’s important to know exactly how you’ll tell your story from start to finish, and begin with the story’s end in mind.

At the beginning of a story, you should set the stage and establish the context, then immediately hook the lawmaker in by showing what’s at stake. Next, it’s helpful to identify and struggle, play up the underdog and show the lawmaker how they can be helpful.

Since lawmakers have short attention spans too, midway through your story you must re-engage them with a “surprise” or interesting twist.  Finally, conclude with a “we can win” moment, to show how their help would be beneficial to them as well as your county.