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"

You learn from a former Member of Congress and find out what tools help persuade staff.

 

More Information
Agenda	When	Where	Related Training	Policies

 

The leadership competencies for this course include:

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

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This sponsored course is tailored for your group's specific needs.

The program fee for sponsored courses includes program development, faculty, and course materials, presented in the DC area at your location, for up to 20 attendees. *  We will contact you after we receive your registration to finalize details.

See the FAQs About Sponsored Courses for more information.  

Government agencies: please see the GSA Schedule for our GSA contract pricing.

TheCapitol.Net, Inc.
Contract GS02F0192X  

Bring this course to your location. 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. Not enough people for a sponsored or custom course? See these Capital Learning Audio CoursesTM Capitol Learning Audio Courses Lobbying and Advocacy, A Three Course Series How Federal Agencies Can Work Effectively with Congress and Its Staff Strategies and Tactics That Will Help You Impact Congressional Action

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

Sample 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 current 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 are described, also addressing how you need to adjust your communication at the end of one Congress and the beginning of another. The instructor provides 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 provides 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. She then discusses 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 includes how members set up their offices, what they expect from staff, and how staff influence members.     The Work of Personal and Committee Staff A panel of congressional staff members discusses the positions and responsibilities of committee and personal staff, the organization of congressional offices and the work environment on the Hill. They 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 also provide their insights into the dynamics of Congress. This is a sample agenda: the actual topics may differ slightly.   This course and any of its topics are available as custom, on-site training anywhere in the United States.  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: 202-678-1600.
Time and Dates	9:00 am - 1:00 pm This Sponsored Course Requires Four Hours
Location	This course can be presented at your location in Washington, DC, or at a location in Washington, DC, that we provide.  * For a map with a brief list of hotels near the Capitol, click here. When we arrange space, we use 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. 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	See https://www.thecapitol.net/PublicPrograms/CoursePolicies_Sponsored.html 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 sponsored courses including suggested attire.
Program Fee and Registration	$8,750 - for up to 20 attendees * The program fee includes program development, faculty, and course materials and presentation at your DC-area location for up to 20 attendees (sponsor provides classroom space, AV, and any breaks and lunch). For an additional fee, we can also provide classroom space in the DC area for up to 20 attendees, AV, breaks and lunch. We will contact you after we receive your registration to finalize details.  Registration and payment at least 3 weeks before the Workshop is required so the program can be customized for your specific needs. For more information see FAQs About Our Sponsored Courses. * = = This Workshop can be also presented outside the DC area. Contact us for details.         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 202-688-2424.    Mail the completed form to us at TheCapitol.Net, Inc., PO Box 25706, Alexandria, VA  22313-5706
Available as custom, on-site training?	Yes.  This program can be tailored for on-site agency, association and corporate training.  Please call 202-678-1600 for information. Government agencies: please see the GSA Schedule for our GSA contract pricing. TheCapitol.Net, Inc. Contract GS02F0192X
Need more information?	Phone: 202-678-1600 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
TCNSWCS.com
TCNSWC.com
 

This Sponsored Course Requires Four Hours
9:00 am to 1:00 pm

   
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.