Advocacy
Advocacy is characterized by The Community Tool Box http://ctb.ku.edu/tools/... as:

• Advocacy is active promotion of a cause or principle
• Advocacy involves actions that lead to a selected goal
• Advocacy is one of many possible strategies, or ways to approach a problem as it can be used as part of a community initiative, nested in with other components
• Advocacy does not necessarily involve confrontation or conflict

Advocacy usually involves working with government, business, schools, or some other large institutions to take positive action (e.g. putting a policy in place) to correct an unfair or harmful situation (the problem you identified clearly in Step 1). The situation may be resolved through persuasion, by compromise, or through political or legal action. This is often called “system advocacy” and is different than an individual who is lobbying for gains to their situation, known as “self-advocacy”. However, the strategies and tactics to be successful could be quite similar. Systems advocacy means changing norms by taking on the power structure, which may be represented by governmental agencies, the provincial or local government, big business, or churches, schools or other institutions with power and influence.  Some examples may help clarify just what advocacy is:

• You join a group that helps build trails in the community -- that's wonderful, but it's not advocacy (it's a service).
• You organize and agitate to get your workplace to subsidize the costs for employees to join a fitness or recreation centre --that's advocacy.
• You spend your Saturdays coaching little league--that's not advocacy (it's a service).
• You hear that land used for informal trails across government property is going to be closed down and used for new developments. You band together with many others to get the City to preserve this access, or find a new one. Some of you even think about blocking the bulldozers, if necessary. That's advocacy.
  

The American Public Health Association www.apha.org , in their Media Advocacy Manual describes the value of advocacy.  “Advocacy is used to promote an issue in order to influence policy-makers and encourage social change. Advocacy in public health plays a role in educating the public, swaying public opinion or influencing policy-makers.  Media coverage is one of the best ways to gain the attention of decision-makers, from local elected officials to members of Congress. All monitor the media. Every congressional office has a staff person who monitors the news in the district or state and clips articles that mention the representative or senator by name. These articles are circulated to staff each week. Decisions to support legislative initiatives are frequently influenced by the media coverage.”

Advocacy - Persuasive communication and targeted actions in support of a cause or issue that seek to change policies, positions, and programs. www.rho.org/html/glossary.html
When undertaking advocacy, select one or more strategies from the following three approaches:

• a) Media
• b) Interpersonal
• c) Events.

Several ingredients make for effective advocacy, including:

• The rightness of the cause
• The power of the advocates (i.e., more of them is much better than less)
• The thoroughness with which the advocates researched the issues, the opposition, and the climate of opinion about the issue in the community
• Their skill in using the advocacy tools available (including the media)
• Above all, the selection of effective strategies and tactics.

Source: The Community Tool Box: ctb.ku.edu/tools/en/sub_section_main_1196.htm

Examples of strategies for advocacy, as found in THCU’s “Developing Health Promotion Policies” within each category might include the following:

Media Advocacy

When working within the Media category specifically for policy change, a specialized field of work emerges known as Media Advocacy1. This is a particularly powerful strategy as it also engages the public as well as decision-makers. 1 Media advocacy involves the strategic use of media (usually the news media) to shape public opinion, mobilize community activists, and influence decision makers to create a change in policy.

Recommended Resources
The American Public Health Association Media Advocacy Manual describes the value of advocacy. 
www.apha.org/news/Media_Advocacy_Manual.pdf

THCU’s Media Advocacy Manual provides an in-depth look at the skills and strategies associated with working with the media to influence policy decisions.
www.thcu.ca/infoandresources/...pdf

The following table illustrates the difference between typical persuasion campaigns and media advocacy approaches.

Education/Persuasion Campaigns	Media Advocacy
Informs/Persuades the person with the problem.	Mobilizes community activists and influences decision makers
Focuses on individual responsibility	Focuses on social accountability
Focuses on behaviour change in the individual	Focuses on changing the environment, through policy changes.
Uses a variet of types of health communication approaches. Focus is not on new media.	Focuses on news media (through paid advertising is sometimes used)

Recommended Resource

The American Public Health Association www.apha.org, in their Media Advocacy Manual www.apha.org/news/Media_Advocacy_Manual.pdf provides suggestions and tips on the following types of media strategies:

• News Release / Letter to the Editor                                                   
• Op-Ed article
• Editorial Board Meeting
• Media Interview
• Media Event.
  

Advocacy Skills

___Accentuate the positive
___Emphasize your organization's accomplishments to the community
___Plan for small wins
___Present the issues in the way you want others to see them
___Develop your own public identity
___Check your facts
___Keep it simple
___Be passionate and persistent
___Be prepared to compromise
___Be opportunistic and creative
___Stay your course
___Look for the good in others
___Keep your eyes on the prize
___Makes issues local and relevant
___Get broad based support from the start
___Work within the experiences of your group members
___Try to work outside the experiences of your opponents
___Make your opponents play by their own rules
___Tie your advocacy group's efforts to related events
___Enjoy yourself!

Tools
The “Community Tool Box provides these Survival Skills for Advocacy” ctb.ku.edu/tools/en/sub_section_main_1196.htm provides the list below. Each skill identified here is explored in more detail within the CTB at: ctb.ku.edu/tools/en/sub_section_main_1198.htm

Persuasion
The Heart Health Resource Centre in their resource “Working toward Heart Health Public Policy at the Local Level” describes a persuasive argument as one that:

• Has relevance to the decision-maker.
• Positions an issue in terms of the public interest.
• States the benefits of/needs for the proposed solutions to the issue.
• Uses local data, scientific evidence and other information to support the position.
• Counters opposing arguments in a tactical, not disparaging, way.
• Includes some kind of emotional appeal.

Source: The Heart Health Resource Centre www.hhrc.net

When preparing the persuasive message to influence a decision-maker, whether to be included in media messages, shared during an interpersonal exchange (such as a briefing), or at a larger event, demonstrate that:

• progress is possible
• collective action cannot be avoided
• participation is beneficial to all parties
• proven tools and methods are readily available
• short-term successes will be readily apparent
• the credibility and influence of various sources are well established.

In all advocacy messaging geared to influencing policy change, use any opportunity to share your SOCO – Specific Over-riding Communication Objective. Determine carefully what this core message is and look for opportunities to integrate it everywhere. This SOCO will be tied to why you are pursuing the policy option you are – to address the problem you have identified. No matter your venue, event, channel or vehicle get the message included about your policy pursuits.

Robert Cialdini, author of “The Psychology of Persuasion” offers six tactics for enhancing the likelihood of success when trying to persuade others to your way of thinking:

• Reciprocation
• Commitment and Consistency
• Social Proof
• Liking
• Authority
• Scarcity

Recommended Resources
Robert Cialdini. Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (Revised Edition)”. New York: William Morrow and Co. 1993.

Robert Wood Johnson.  “Promoting Active Living Communities: A Guide to Marketing and Communication.” It is available at: www.activelivingbydesign.org/fileadmin/template/documents/rwjf_toolkit.pdf.

Diffusion
The skills associated with this approach to advocacy builds on the concept of influencers to decision-makers. It is based on the “Diffusion of Innovations Theory” of Everett Rogers and describes how new ideas spread within networks.
Diffusion is the process by which an innovation is communicated through certain channels over time among the members of a social system. Each member of the social system faces his/her own decision about that innovation that typically follows a 5-step process:

• Knowledge – person becomes aware of an innovation and has some idea of how it functions
• Persuasion – person forms a favorable or unfavorable attitude toward the innovation
• Decision – person engages in activities that lead to a choice to adopt or reject the innovation
• Implementation – person puts an innovation into use
• Confirmation – person evaluates the results of an innovation-decision already made.

When presented with this innovative idea, perhaps in the form of a policy option, there are several attributes of the innovation that can enhance the likelihood that the idea will be adopted.

These are:

• Relative Advantage

Innovations are likely to be adopted more quickly if they offer advantages such as:

• Economic profitability
• Low initial cost
• Decrease in discomfort
• Savings in time or effort
• Social prestige.
  

Compatibility
Innovations are likely to be adopted more quickly f they are compatible with values and beliefs, with perceived need, with previously introduces / adopted ideas.

Complexity
Innovations are likely to be adopted more slowly if they are difficult to understand or implement and use.

Trialability
Innovations are likely to be adopted more quickly if they allow experimentation on a limited basis before final commitment, an “installment plan” or phased approach.

Observability
Innovations are likely to be adopted more quickly if they produce visible results.

Involving Others
Step 3 in the Policy Roadmap addressed engaging stakeholders in the policy development process. In this stage, when determining the tactics and strategies of how to influence decision-makers, those stakeholders can be engaged in a variety of ways. Skills associated with engaging partners such as those used in working with coalitions and networks will be useful at this stage.  Don’t focus only on involving those who already support your efforts. There may be opportunities in the tactics taken to involve “opponents”, as determined in your Force Field Analysis in Step 2. The Community Tool Box ctb.ku.edu/tools/en/sub_section_main_1205.htm offers this advice regarding when (and when not to) involve opponents:
Three good indicators are:

• When the lines of communication are still relatively open--and especially when you believe your opponent is willing to talk with you  
• When you see common values and opportunities--even if your opponent doesn't see them yet
• When, from your opponent's point of view, the cost of getting involved with you is not too great

Not every situation calls for collaboration. Sometimes involving your opponents would be very difficult, if not also damaging to your efforts. For example, when:

• There is a history of distrust, or actual deception, between you and your opponent.
• Your respective positions on this particular issue are strongly held, deeply entrenched, and completely opposed to each other.
• Your opponents are unwilling to talk with you.
• The time and energy costs in collaborating with your opponent on this issue would be just too great.
  

How can you involve opponents?
Suppose you decide that it might not be such a bad idea to involve your opponents in your cause. It's good that you're open to the idea. But since you may be on unfamiliar territory, just how should you go about doing this? What do you do first? The Community Tool Box suggests you consider using the following steps as a guide:

1. Decide that you want to involve your opponents. This is the first and possibly most   
    important step; you need to make that basic decision before you can proceed further.

2. Narrow your targets. Whom would you like to involve? Probably not all opponents,
    rather only certain ones. But which ones? Try these criteria:

• Those who have the power to help you get what you want
• Those who have cooperated with you in the past
• Those who agree with at least some of what you stand for
• Those who could sway other opponents
• Those who seem approachable, and who you feel comfortable approaching

Some careful thinking ahead here is worth your while.

Counter-arguments
THCU suggests that those planning for policy change anticipate the arguments that opponents might raise related to your issue. Re-visit Step 1 where you analyzed the problem for possible clues to this. The decision-maker is more likely to offer resistance to your proposed option if they perceive:

• 1. The proposed change is too costly.
• 2. Increased legislation/regulations restrict individual freedoms to an inordinate degree.
• 3. There is an alternative means of addressing the issue.
• 4. There is No Alternative (TINA) to the status quo.

Once the decision has been made to work with possible opponents, The Community Toolbox recommends

• Think in advance about your opponent's interests and values. You won't agree on everything; but look for areas where you have interests and values in common. You'll probably find some.
• Go in with the expectation that you are going to get something done, that you can in fact do some business together. But:
• Start slowly. Don't expect too much at the beginning.
• Be cordial and polite. Treat the other person as you would like to be treated.
• Begin with some small talk, to build rapport, and to set the tone for the more serious work ahead.
• Engage in some informal conversation about the issue. Do some sounding out. This will give you a clearer idea of what strategies are likely to work.
• Make some specific propositions. Don't be hesitant about saying what your interests are and what you want.
• Show how your proposals will meet the other person's interests. Those others will think, or say, "What's in it for me?" You should have a good answer. So look for proposals where you both can win.
• Listen very attentively to what the other person has to say--and how it gets said.
• Be willing to compromise.
• Have some back-up ideas in mind, in case your original proposals are rejected.
• Make sure a variety of options have been explored before choosing any alternatives.
  

Assertive Listening

The Brain Injury Resource Centre www.headinjury.com/assertskills.html in Seattle, Washington offers the following hints regarding a key advocacy skill directly related to engaging others as well as the messaging strategies associated with persuasion.
Assertive listening is one of the most important advocacy skills to discuss. The goals of assertive listening are:
(1) to let the other know that you want to understand his or her point of view;
(2) to understand accurately what another is saying; and
(3) to let the other know that he or she has been understood. Remember that understanding is different from agreement. You can understand what another is saying but still disagree with him or her.

You can let others know you are interested in hearing and understanding their points of view in several ways. You can tell them you are interested. Here are some examples of how you could phrase such a statement:
            I’d like to hear your views on . . .
            I’d like to understand your views on . . .

• Could you tell me about them?
• I’m confused about your stand on . . .
• Would you tell me more abut how you see the situation?
• I think we are approaching this from two different perspectives.
• What does the situation look like from your perspective?
• I’d like to hear your thoughts on . . .

Looking directly at the other shows you are giving him, or her, your attention. Leaning forward slightly communicates interest, while a relaxed, open posture communicates receptiveness to what the other party is saying.

Recommended Resources
The Community Tool Box ctb.ku.edu/tools/en/sub_section_main_1205.htm offers suggested “talking points” to get things started in talking with your opponent.

Roger Fisher and William Ury, “Getting to Yes” for more detail on the 12 talking points with the opposition

Policy Tactics

When deciding what type of an approach to take to influence decision-makers, THCU offers the following options grounded in the degree of public profile desired. These ideas deal primarily with a politically based policy. The tactics of letter-writing campaigns, telephone call campaigns, meetings, and presentations can be found in “THCU’s Developing Health Promotion Policies” on p. 40-42.

• These are examples of tactics. Tactics are what you do to carry out your strategy. We'll present a broad list here, all of which may be used to bring about changes in systems. As you will see, some fit with a gentle strategic approach. Others are more hard-nosed, and some are positively "in your face." Source for these types of tactics is the Community Tool Box: ctb.ku.edu/tools/en/sub_section_main_1056.htm

Some broad headings of types of tactics:

• Educating
• Reminding
• Pressuring
• Complaining
• Negotiating
  

Educating
Some examples of education:

• Set up meetings with influencers, decision-makers and/or your “opponents”
• Send carefully crafted mailings to your opponents or to key supporters
• State your point of view at public hearings held by agencies such as the zoning board or the school board
• Use the media to educate both the public and those who run the system
• Enlist the media's help in framing the issue (for example, get the public to think of the children who cannot participate in sports as people like themselves with financial challenges and busy lifestyles, rather than as lazy by convincing the local paper to run a feature on what it’s like to be a busy, stressed teenager these days).

Reminding
Sometimes, just serving as a watchdog will get results. For example, many police departments are just too busy to bother with cyclists who do not wear bicycle helmets. Your group can a) remind them of the law and b) offer to help by providing trained kids who can raise funds to provide helmets for others in the community.

Pressuring
Some tactics that provide pressure of different degrees:

• Conduct a petition drive to demonstrate support for your point of view.
• Hold public hearings, in collaboration with allies.
• Get pressure from the inside. Find a member of the agency you want to affect (i.e. a city counselor, a trustee for a university, a member of the school board) who shares your point of view, and work with this person to put pressure on the others.
• Encourage friendly people in provincial or federal agencies to put pressure on the locals.

Complaining
This may be the way to start your advocacy process – it may be all that is needed. For example, the stairways in your workplace are not very clean; you can bring this to their attention in a number of ways.

• Find the key administrator or person responsible. Set up a meeting.
• Start by complaining informally. State what the problem is and ask why they did whatever it did (or failed to do it). Maybe they didn't know about it, and will gladly correct the problem.
• If that doesn't work, and there is a formal mechanism for filing a complaint or making a suggestion, set it in motion. You may need to get others who have been affected by the decision (or indecision) to also complain.
• It is almost always smart to make your initial requests or inquiries very low key. Perhaps the person to whom you are making your complaint can turn out to be very helpful to you. Perhaps he or she shares your concerns, and would welcome any pressure you might like to bring on higher-ups. But if you start off in a hostile frame of mind, demanding an accounting, you'll immediately push the decision-maker out of shape and lose any possibility that he or she could be an ally.
• Remember, you can always get tough later, if you need to. It's harder to back off if you begin with a rough start.
  

Negotiating
If negotiation is the best way to help the people you represent, go for it! In some cases, it may make sense to use an impartial negotiator or mediator. When you encounter a decision-maker who seems to be willing to discuss options, start here.

Degree of Public Profile

When deciding what type of an approach to take to influence decision-makers, THCU offers the following options grounded in the degree of public profile desired. These ideas deal primarily with a politically based policy.

Selecting Your Spokespeople
Most of these tactics involve someone within your group addressing others. PolicyLink offers these tips on selecting that spokesperson:

• Identify the best people to deliver your message to the media, keeping in mind your target audience. Who will be most credible, influential, and
• persuasive? Provide your spokespersons with talking points so they are prepared and stay on message.
• Select spokespersons that highlight the diversity of your allies and range of constituencies affected by the issue.
• Put a face on the problem. Reporters are more likely to cover your issue if there’s a human-interest angle.
• Media experience is a plus but not necessary. And whether you are experienced or not, some media training, role playing, and practice interviews are always helpful in getting prepared.
• Even if you are not a designated spokesperson, be familiar with the issues and key message points. A reporter under a deadline may call you to verify information for a story when none of your spokespersons are available. If you are unprepared, you will miss an opportunity to present your point of view.
  

Recommended Resources
The National Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity has created “Active Communication: A Guide to Reaching the Media” that provides tips on many media activities (e.g. press conference).
www.ncppa.org/MediaGuide.pdf

Visit the Ontario Public Health Association for information about meeting with elected officials and writing letters to the editor. 
www.opha.on.ca/resources/a-d.html#advocacy

To learn more about policy development, advocacy and media advisories visit PolicyLink at
www.policylink.org/AdvocatingForChange/Media/Planning.html#Spokespersons

The Space Coalition Lobbying Handbook provides information on sample advocacy letters, contacting elected officials, and meeting with elected officials.
www.girlguidestoronto.com/lobbybk.pdf

THCU’s workbook “Developing Health Promotion Policies” provides several worksheets on pages 47-52 designed to organize your strategies.

Tools
www.ncppa.org/MediaGuide.pdf
The Community Tool Box offers tips to “Understand Tactics of the Opposition”

Deflect - they could divert the issue to a lesser, side issue; or could "pass the buck"
to a lower official who has no real power.

• Delay - your opponent could make you think they are addressing the issue, when nothing is really being done. For example, forming a "study commission" that has no real power.
• Deny - your opponent may say your claims and your proposed solutions, or both, are invalid.
• Discount - your opponent may try to minimize the importance of the problem or question your legitimacy as an agent of change.
• Deceive - your opponent may deliberately try to make you and your group feel like they are taking meaningful action, when they in fact have not; they may never have had any real intention to consider your issues.
• Divide - your opponent may sow the seeds of dissent into your group's ranks, and use a "Divide and Conquer" strategy.
• Dulcify - your opponent may try to appease or pacify your group through offers of jobs, services, and other benefits.
• Discredit - your opponent may try to cast doubt on your group's motives and methods.

The Community Tool Box  ctb.ku.edu/tools

Putting the Strategies Together
From the various tactical ideas posed here as well as additional ones your group will generate as to how best to influence your decision-makers, PolicyLink recommends these steps to assist you in choosing which ones to move ahead with:

• Decide what actions you will take to influence your targets. Different actions may be appropriate, depending upon the stage of your organizing effort, the responsiveness of your target, the interests of your partners and allies, and your collective power to carry out different activities.
• Pick an action you believe has some chance of success. Think through the implications of your actions for both short-term and long-term goals.
• Choose a range of tactics so that everyone can participate in the effort and feel that his or her contribution is worthwhile. Some people may be willing to picket a legislator’s home or be arrested at a sit-in; others will prefer attending a town hall meeting or writing a letter. Ideally, your first major action is one in which all can participate; otherwise, you may lose members of your group.
• Consider: Will people accept the tactic? Will it dramatize and build the issue? Will it throw your target off balance? Will it personalize your target, generating sympathy and thereby backfiring? Will it feel worthwhile? Will it get you closer to meaningful discussions to reach your goal? Will it get you to the bargaining table?

Barometer depicted here provides some insight into how to match potential strategies to the various stakeholders on your issue.

The following template for a plan to build support in decision-makers for a policy change has been adapted from the Community Tool Box.

They further suggest that each strategy will:

• Help reach your goals?
• Use your allies?
• Minimize your opposition?
• Suit your style?

This step of Building Support among Decision-Makers for Policy in the overall roadmap is critical to success. Convincing the decision-maker(s) to support your policy option is what the process is all about. Once this support has been gained, you move on to other challenges associated with Writing the Policy (Step 6) but in many ways, that becomes more mechanical than strategic.

By the end of this step you will have matched the specific advocacy tactics to the decision-maker. Remember that change in the system may be slow. This step can take a lot of time – the decision-makers may even change before you are done and this can seem like a real step backwards, however it may just be the spark needed to escalate action. When progress seems slow and partners are waning in their motivation, the Community Tool Box suggests organizers of advocacy initiatives should:

• Keep their ear to the ground, so they can detect signs of boredom among members and supporters.
• Know when a lively demonstration, boycott or picket line can revive spirits.
• Know when one demonstration too many might burn out the demonstrators, the media and the public.
• Know when it might be time to add a new issue to the long-term campaign, to re -boot the group's enthusiasm.
• Know when to have fun and celebrate.

Once your strategies have been successful and the decision-maker(s) support your policy option, give the nod to move forward to create the specific policy in question, move on to Step 6.