Developing Your Developing Your Advocacy PlanAdvocacy Plan

What Does It Take to Be an What Does It Take to Be an Effective Tobacco Control Effective Tobacco Control Advocate? Advocate?

ObjectivesObjectives

Understand why physicians are Understand why physicians are natural advocates for policy changenatural advocates for policy change

Identify the competencies needed Identify the competencies needed to be an effective advocateto be an effective advocate

Grasp basic change strategies (it’s Grasp basic change strategies (it’s not always logical) not always logical)

Map out an advocacy planMap out an advocacy plan

Why Do Advocacy Why Do Advocacy Work?Work?

““The message for us The message for us today is that to today is that to improve the health improve the health of children we need of children we need to be respectable to be respectable rebels. We need to rebels. We need to be rebels to push be rebels to push society to do what is society to do what is right for children.”right for children.”

Haggerty RJ, Jacobi A. Haggerty RJ, Jacobi A. Respectable rebel. Respectable rebel. PediatricsPediatrics. . 1997;99-462-4661997;99-462-466

Physicians as Natural Physicians as Natural AdvocatesAdvocates You have real stories from real You have real stories from real

peoplepeople You have credibility in your You have credibility in your

communitiescommunities You have diagnosticYou have diagnostic

and problem solvingand problem solving

skillsskills

Changing Public Policy

Political WillWill

Social Strategy

ScientificKnowledge

Julius B. Richmond Model: Changing Public Policy

What’s needed to be What’s needed to be an effective advocate?an effective advocate?

PassionPassion Proficiency (knowledge, expertise, Proficiency (knowledge, expertise,

skills)skills) PartnersPartners Political powerPolitical power PersistencePersistence

PassionPassion

Harnessing your Harnessing your passion to make passion to make changechange

Generating a Generating a collective collective VoiceVoice

ProficiencyProficiency

Understanding of the problem – root Understanding of the problem – root causes, scope, causes, scope, datadata

Expertise in Expertise in tobacco control sciencetobacco control science – – evidence base for cessation techniques evidence base for cessation techniques and control of second-hand smokeand control of second-hand smoke

StrategyStrategy expertise expertise Knowledge of the Knowledge of the processprocess – who makes – who makes

the decisions and what are the rules?the decisions and what are the rules? Use of the Use of the mediamedia to raise your voice to raise your voice

PartnersPartners

Think broadly about key partnersThink broadly about key partners Business leadersBusiness leaders Faith based organizationsFaith based organizations Medical organizations Medical organizations Parent organizationsParent organizations Youth organizationsYouth organizations Environmental groupsEnvironmental groups Community organizations interested Community organizations interested

in health of communityin health of community

Political PowerPolitical Power

Raising your voiceRaising your voice Building a Building a

constituencyconstituency Cultivating Cultivating

relationships with relationships with decision makersdecision makers

Media strategyMedia strategy

PersistencePersistence

Sustaining your effortsSustaining your efforts Overcoming setbacksOvercoming setbacks Celebrate the small winsCelebrate the small wins

TipsTips

Democracy is not a spectator’s Democracy is not a spectator’s sport – participation is requiredsport – participation is required

Advocacy is not conducted in a Advocacy is not conducted in a vacuumvacuum

Numbers count!Numbers count! Relationships with decision Relationships with decision

makers count too!makers count too!

Advocacy Do’s and Advocacy Do’s and Don’tsDon’ts

Do’sDo’sSpeak outSpeak out

Be authoritativeBe authoritative

PartnerPartner

Be creativeBe creative

Be practicalBe practical

Be patient (pretty)Be patient (pretty)

Never, ever stopNever, ever stop

Don’tsDon’tsBe partisanBe partisan

Antagonize alliesAntagonize allies

Act angryAct angry

Be too impatientBe too impatient

Grandstand for selfGrandstand for self

Putting Together the Putting Together the PlanPlan

Advocacy Goal #1

Advocacy Level

Target of Change

Timeframe

Eliminate exposure to SHS in public parks

Community

City Council

9 months

Strategy #1Strategy #1Form Coalition of Form Coalition of SupportersSupportersActionAction By By

whom?whom?By By whenwhen??

Resources/Resources/support/support/partnershipspartnerships

Indicators Indicators of successof success

#1 Hold #1 Hold meeting meeting of of advocateadvocatess

#2 Public #2 Public education education campaigncampaign

BerkelhamBerkelhamerer

WheelerWheeler

10/1510/15

12/1512/15

Medical society to Medical society to hold meeting with hold meeting with chamber of chamber of commerce leaders commerce leaders & other & other stakeholdersstakeholders

Meet w/ hospital Meet w/ hospital PR dept to outline PR dept to outline planplan

# groups # groups attendingattending

Number of Number of earned earned media media storiesstories