How to Build Influence

In the previous chapters you’ve figured out what issues you care about and the type of work you want to do, and you’ve learned about a bunch of effective tactics.²⁷ Now we’ll cover how anyone can talk to leaders, decision makers, and the media about advocacy projects—and influence their decisions.

Often, these types of conversations are called elevator pitches because you may have just a short time to pitch your message to an organization, elected leader, or member of the media—about the length of an elevator ride.

This section focuses on how to “do” messaging by using the example of how to effectively communicate with leaders. But is equally applicable to other areas of work and life where you need to build allies.

Whether you’re trying to communicate with an influential leader about maternal mortality or simply trying to get your friends and neighbors engaged, it helps to spend a little time beforehand thinking about your message.

First: What is your message? If you got into an elevator with someone, what would you say? What would you ask the person to do? What do you want them to remember? So many questions! Oh, and you only have about 60 seconds to answer them all.

Defining what you want your audience to take away from your message and what you want them to do as a result will make everything from emails to meetings to letters to the editor more effective.

The Problem, Solution, Action Triangle

One effective approach to crafting messages that’s used by many—including organizations like the Spin Project, Opportunity Agenda, Women’s Media Center, and many more—is charting a Problem, Solution, Action triangle.

(Want to draw? Do it! Take out a sheet of paper. Make your own triangle now.)

The triangle works because your audience needs to know what the problem is, how it can be fixed, and what you want them to do about it. Ideally, you should be able to describe your message with no more than two or three short sentences in each area.

This two-sentence limit is real. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to talk with elected leaders in a hall, even during an elevator ride, in an actual lobby (hello, lobbyists), while boarding a plane, or otherwise in literal motion and had their attention for only a couple of sentences. This is an important strategy to learn, and I promise it will be useful.

Problem Message: What’s your problem? Put your problem message, two to three short sentences, in the first part of the triangle. That sentence should communicate the scope of the problem, frame it in a way that fits with your values, and makes a compelling case. You can include one key fact supported by a very, very short story if you have one top of mind—but only if you can keep it short.

Problem message example: Maternal mortality is rising and women of color are dying at disproportionate rates. We are the only industrialized nation where more women are dying in childbirth, not fewer.

Solution message: Now, what’s your solution? Put your two-sentence solution in that part of the triangle. Remember, you need to quickly move from stating the problem to saying how it can be fixed—as well as who can fix it. Don’t get stuck talking about the problem for too long; give hope for solutions fast, or you’ll lose your listener.

Solution Message Example: It doesn’t have to be this way. All doctors and hospitals need equal access to best practices and shared plans for childbirth emergencies, along with training, and all women should have access to high-quality health care.

Action message: This is your moment. Never end an advocacy conversation without asking someone to take a specific action. Put your one-sentence action message down in that part of the triangle now. Not sure what it is? Here are some examples: Ask an elected official to vote yes or no on a specific piece of legislation. Encourage the media to cover a story or report. Urge a leader to speak up about why change is needed by making a phone call to another leader or by speaking out in the media. Or ask someone in your community to share their story. No matter what your “ask” is, every message needs to end in action. People want to know what they can do!

Action Message Example: When making an ask of elected officials, it may sound like, Can I count on you to protect all pregnant women by voting yes on legislation? If they say no or they aren’t sure, make sure to ask what information or support they might need in order to take the action you requested, and then make a plan to follow up with them or their staff.

Fake it until you make it work. If you feel like an imposter, like you don’t know enough, aren’t dressed the right way, or are somehow less than, know you are not less at all. There are women across the nation standing with you from afar. You belong in the halls of power just as much as anyone else. So, shoulders back, chin up, and walk proudly.

If you can’t shake that imposter feeling, know that a lot of people feel, or have felt, the exact same way. Pretty much everyone who has created change, actually. You’re not alone. You’re not imagining things if you find yourself in a sea of pinstripe-suited males. Only 20 percent of Congress are women, and the U.S. Senate only got a women’s restroom in the last decade. Male dominance exists not only in Congress but in most American institutions, but that’s what we’re working to change. So keep on!

Be yourself. “Fake it until you make it” might sound like the exact opposite of “be yourself,” but it’s not. Body language accounts for more than 70 percent of all communication, so be comfortable in yourself. Take a few deep breaths and center yourself before you walk into a meeting. Know that you belong exactly where you are. Don’t worry. Be human. And remember the person you’re meeting with is human, too.

Know that when you share your message, people listen best if they make a human connection, and there’s no better way to do that than by being yourself. There are already enough people mimicking robots in the halls of Congress and elsewhere—don’t be another one!

Be sure to thank the person meeting with you (or hearing your message) for their time. Everyone is busy. A thank-you goes a long way.

Before we move on, one question I regularly get is: “What do people typically wear when meeting with elected or corporate leaders?” My answer: Wear what makes you feel confident and comfortable in yourself.