Strategies for Working with Congress
Effective Communication and Advocacy on Capitol Hill

Build important relationships with key players on Capitol Hill. Congressional staff aren't just your way through a member's door; they are the door. How do you get results from these vital, behind-the-scenes individuals?

This course helps you:

• Understand the dos and don'ts for developing relations with congressional offices

• Learn the differences between personal and committee staff

• Schedule, prepare for and effectively conduct congressional meetings

• Understand common mistakes that will alienate both staff and members

• Learn how to write a "one pager"

Students learn from a former Member of Congress and find out what tools help entice staff to your side.
 

More Information
Agenda	When	Where	Related Training	Policies	Related Resources

 

The leadership competencies for this course include:

• Customer Service
• External Awareness
• Strategic Thinking
• Written Communication
• Partnering
• Political Savvy

Bring this course to your site. This course and any combination of its topics are available as custom on-site training for your organization. We can tailor this course for your agency, association, business, or NGO. For more information about how this training can help your members and staff, please contact our client liaison.

This is an elective course for the Certificate in Communication and Advocacy.

Space is limited. 
 

Course materials include the Training Edition of Persuading Congress In Persuading Congress, Joseph Gibson, a longtime veteran of Capitol Hill, offers masterful counsel to anyone who wants to work well with Congress. In Washington, there are well over 10,000 registered lobbyists. Very few grasp and convey the keys to successful advocacy as well as Gibson does." -- Martin Gold, Covington & Burling, Washington, DC

Course Details

Agenda	Strategies for Working with Congress 9:00 am - 1:00 pm   Tools and Techniques for Communicating Effectively with Capitol Hill This session sets the context by defining the political environment in the 112th Congress, and discussing the congressional members and staff who work there.  Specific tools and techniques that you can use to communicate most effectively with members and staff will be described, specifically addressing how you need to adjust your communication at the end of one Congress, and the beginning of another. The instructor will provide practical suggestions for making the most of meetings with staff, including how to set-up a meeting, who should attend, and how to follow-up after the meeting.  Learn the importance of and how to write a "one pager".  The session will provide important "do's" and "don'ts" of interacting with the Hill and building good working relationships between Congress and outside interests.     Communicating with Congress and Staff: A Member's Perspective A former member of Congress provides insight into the many pressures and responsibilities that a member must balance in day-to-day decision-making and policy-making. He will then discuss how members rely on staff to deal with the busy Capitol Hill environment, and how outside interests can communicate effectively with staff and members in this environment. Discussion will include how members set up their offices, what they expect from staff, and whether staff influence members.     The Work of Personal and Committee Staff A panel of congressional staff members discuss the positions and responsibilities of committee and personal staff, the organization of congressional offices and the work environment on the Hill. They will focus on what staffers need or expect from outside interests, the most effective forms of communication, and how to build strong working relationships with staffers. The staffers will also provide their insights into the dynamics of Congress. This is a sample agenda: the actual topics may differ slightly.   For a printable course description, agenda with dates, and registration form, click here.  PDF This course is also available as a custom program.  Do you need a training course we don't offer or coverage of an additional topic in this course? If you have suggestions for courses or topics you would like to see us offer, please contact us or complete our online suggestion form.
Suggested Prerequisites	None. If you need help deciding which courses you should take based on your work experience or training, please contact us via email or phone: 703-739-3790.
Time and Dates	9:00 am - 1:00 pm F, October 26, 2012 F, February 22, 2013
Location	October 26, 2012:  Location in Washington, DC will be announced before course. Other dates:  Location in Washington, DC will be announced before course.  Our courses are held at these Washington, DC, locations.
Course Materials	Course materials include the Training Edition of Persuading Congress.
Certificate of Training and CEUs	A Certificate of Training is available for this course. To get a Certificate of Training, your registration fee must be paid in full, and you must attend the entire course. This is an elective course for the Certificate in Communication and Advocacy. This course is approved for .4 CEUs from George Mason University.
Related Training	Media Relations for Public Affairs Professionals Advanced Media Relations Workshop Drafting Federal Legislation and Amendments Writing for Government and Business: Critical Thinking and Writing Preparing and Delivering Congressional Testimony
Policies	For this course, cancellations and transfers must be submitted in writing to us.  Substitutions must be submitted in writing - include substitute's name, phone and email. Our transfer and cancellation fees are outlined below. Transfer and Cancellation Fee Time Before Course Substitutions Allowed Transfer Fee Cancellation Fee More than 4 weeks No charge None None 2 to 4 weeks No charge 10% of tuition 25% of tuition 3 days to 2 weeks No charge 20% of tuition 50% of tuition 1 to 2 days No charge 30% of tuition 75% of tuition day of program (no refunds to no-shows) No charge No refund No refund No refunds for no shows. We reserve the right to change this fee and time period.  Cancellation, Substitution and Transfer Policy  Weather Policy TCN reserves the right to cancel any course in the event of insufficient registrations. All statements and discussion at all of our courses, workshops and seminars, public and custom, are off the record and not for attribution, unless specified otherwise. The resulting confidentiality ensures a frank and free exchange of views.
FAQs	FAQs about our training including suggested attire.
Register	$395 Payment methods we accept include checks, EFT/ACH, and Intuit Payment Network (IPN).       For a printable course description, agenda with dates, and registration form, click here.  PDF Fax or Mail: Print out and complete the registration form (in Adobe PDF). The completed form should include your method of payment.    Fax the completed form to us at 703-739-1195.    Mail the completed form to us at TheCapitol.Net, Inc., PO Box 25706, Alexandria, VA  22313-5706
Related Resources	Congressional Deskbook Congressional Directory Congressional Documents Online Congressional Leadership and Committees (listing) Congress - Published Schedules Essential Hill and Political Washington Web Sites Essential PAC Web Sites How to Contact Congress Legislation and Legislatures, including national, state and local links Lobbying and Advocacy Lobbying and Advocacy links Pay and Perquisites of Members of Congress Persuading Congress Politics and Political News Selected Media Web Sites - from the Congressional Deskbook
Educational Tracks	Strategies for Working with Congress Communication and Advocacy
Available as custom, on-site training?	Yes.  This program can be tailored for on-site agency, association and corporate training.  Please call 703-739-3790 for information.
Need more information?	Phone: 703-739-3790 Email: registrar -at- TheCapitol.Net Complete our online information request.
Non-Partisan	TheCapitol.Net is a non-partisan firm, and the opinions of its faculty, authors, clients and the owners and operators of its vendors are their own and do not represent those of TheCapitol.Net.

 

URLs:  TheCapitol.Net/PublicPrograms/swcs.html
CongressionalStaff.com
WorkingWithCapitolHill.com
WorkingWithStaff.com
TCNSWCS.com
TCNSWC.com
 

Next Course
October 26, 2012
9:00 am to 1:00 pm
Location (below)
$395 

   
Approved for .4 CEUs from George Mason University.

All of our courses and workshops include extensive interaction with our faculty, making our courses and workshops both educational and mini-consulting sessions with substantive experts.

Rave Reviews

"Awesome class! Good info! The information provided will help with Hill meetings and briefing papers and knowing the congressional climate."
-- Course Attendee  

"This program has provided me with confidence to present my issue to the congress member or staffer with accuracy and within a short timeframe."
-- Course Attendee

"Information very useful and it will greatly improve my ability to establish and maintain relationships with staff."
-- Public Policy Fellow, American Psychological Association

"Good pointers on how to interact with Capitol Hill staff in a productive manner."
-- Course Attendee

"Reinforces experience [10 years working with Congress] & education I have. On target."
-- Course Attendee

"I work constantly w/ Congressional staffs & I obtained great tips."
-- Congressional Affairs staffer

"Good variety of speakers, beneficial to have broad perspective."
-- Course Attendee

"Great tips on how to engage and develop a positive relationship with members and their staff."
-- Course Attendee

See more testimonials about this course.