Attending the meeting
Now you are ready to have your meeting. When attending the meeting, keep these tips in mind:
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Express gratitude: Thank government official for meeting with you at the beginning and end of the conversation.
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Stay on message: If it is a meeting you requested, the government official will expect you to take the lead in the conversation. Try to stick to your one main “ask” and tell your story the way you prepared it in advance. Do not be afraid to redirect the conversation if it gets off topic.
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Hear their feedback: Even though you are taking the lead, make sure you still leave time for them to speak and offer their input.
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Leave time to discuss next steps: At the end, you will want a few minutes before the meeting ends to summarize any actions or follow-up steps that you or the government official needs to take.
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Be respectful of their time: As you are approaching the end of the time you had scheduled, try to wrap things up. You can also politely ask if they have a minute or two extra if the conversation is still flowing. Government officials often have back-to-back meetings scheduled and will need to leave on time.
We will talk about what steps to take after a meeting in the next section.
