Whenever you are meeting or communicating with a government official or politician, you can build a positive relationship with them. Having a positive relationship is important if you want them to take action on your issue, or if you might need to work with them over a longer period of time.
Here are some tips for building positive relationships with government:
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Keep perspective: It can be intimidating meeting with someone who seems powerful and important, but politicians and government officials are just regular people. Anyone who works in government is paid to represent and serve you. It is their job to listen to you and hear your concerns.
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Assume good intentions: You will have a more positive conversation if you start by assuming they have good intentions and want to help.
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Express gratitude: Recognize anything the politician, their party or government has done which is supportive of your issue.
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Be collaborative: Think about how you can help them. One important thing you have to offer is how government programs and policies actually play out in reality. Politicians and government officials cannot always see this directly, so this is valuable knowledge you can offer them.
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Problem-solve: Think about their priorities and commitments that you found during your research. How can you frame what you are asking as a solution to a problem that they have?
