Maintaining Relationships

Rikki D. AmosDirector, U.S. Public Affairs Practice

Public Affairs Council

What to Expect

• Who is the Public Affairs Council?

• What I’ll talk be talking about today

• Who are you?

• What do you want to talk about today?

• Why do we talk about relationships?

• What cuts across it all?

1. Follow Up with DC

• Express thanks

• Update the fly-in sponsor

• Close the loop

2. District Staff

• The anatomy of a district office

• Key contacts to make

• Where do you start and what do you share?

3. Simply Be Social

• Your social calendars likely overlap

• Use social opportunities to make a social and friendly connection

• Respect family time

• Make a positive reconnection

4. Legislator’s In-District Events

• Get in the know

• Newsletters and social media

• District office hours

• Townhalls and Forums

5. Legislator’s In-District Councils

• Advisory councils and business roundtables

• Lend your local and professional expertise

• Offer to create opportunities to dialog

• Be productive and constructive

6. Communicate Publicly, Locally

• The power of the hometown newspaper and media outlets

• The Times West Virginian vs. The Washington Post

• Letters to the editor

7. Business Events

• Back to what you do

• Business events

• Industry events

• Local and community health-related event or forum

8. Community Engagement

• Trends in connecting local issues to policy issues

• Local board service?

• Volunteer engagements?

9. Site Visits

• The ultimate in-district relationship builder

• Hands-on experience

• Relevance

• Managing the event

10. Social Media

• Engage directly with legislators in the ‘wild west’

• Event specific content

• Sharing issue-focused content

• Coordinated communications

Discussion

• What else have you thought about?

• What are your concerns?

• What else would you like me to cover?

Thank You!