Face to face lobbying

Introduction

If your letter doesn’t get the results you are looking for (or just to emphasize your point), arrange a face to face meeting at a surgery.

MPs, for example, hold regular ‘surgeries’ for their constituents. These are often advertised in the local paper. You will also be able to find out times from their constituency office (look in the phone book). Make an appointment in advance if you can, or turn up early! Sitting in the waiting room to see them may feel a bit like waiting at the dentists - but remember they are there to serve you. Just like the dentist is there to fix your teeth, your MP is there to fix your country!

Before the meeting

• Make sure your are well prepared and fully acquainted with the issue. However, unless the issue is one of your MP’s main interests you will often know far more than they do. Look at our Public Speaking guide for top tips on presenting your case clearly.
• Meetings are normally only 10- 15 minutes long and usually quite informal; you don´t need to prepare a long presentation.
• In a group, decide on whether you will make individual appointments or go together as a party (normally not more than 3 or 4). Get together beforehand and decide which aspects of the issue each of you will concentrate on, so that the discussion does not focus on one spokesperson.
• It is often a good idea to have one person just observing the conversation, perhaps making notes, and only entering it if the discussion is wandering off course or getting a little too heated.

During the meeting

• Ask your MP to do something specific (if appropriate).
• Take brief notes on what your MP is saying.
• If you are a group, don´t disagree with each other as it detracts from your message.
• Offer to send further information on any point of particular interest to your MP.
• Take along any briefing material you feel is suitable to give to your MP.

After the meeting

• Keep a record of anything the MP agreed to.
• Write a short letter to thank your MP for seeing you.
• Keep up the dialogue - react to events and campaign initiatives with further letters bringing to their attention developments and news stories.
• If the MP has agreed or refused to do something see if it is of interest to the local media.
• As with letter writing, if you don´t get the response you want, be persistent. And again, as with letter writing, encourage others to visit them, or go in a large group to demonstrate the support your cause has.

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