Tips on Making Letters and Phone Calls Effective
Writing letters and making phone calls are simple and effective
ways to change policy. Public officials do pay attention--and
change their minds and votes--when even a moderate number of
constituents contact them on a single issue within a short period
of time. Likewise, corporations will modify policies and products
and stop offensive advertising if enough consumers make their
objections known.
Here are a few tips on how to make your actions have the greatest impact.
How to Find Addresses and Phone Numbers:
The Government section of your telephone directory has the addresses and phone numbers of local officials. Members of Congress have local offices as well as their Washington offices, and those will be listed there.
The U.S. Senate has a web site at <http://www.senate.gov/> where members' addresses and phone numbers, and in some cases email addresses, are listed. The U.S. House of Representatives' site is at <http://www.house.gov/>. Many states and local governments have similar web sites. The State of Washington's site is at <http://access.wa.gov/>.
If you don't know which district you're in or who is your representative,
you can call the County Clerk's office, the county Registrar
Of Voters, or the Secretary of State's office. The local League
of Women Voters and the Public Library may also be able to help
you with this.
To find an address or phone number for a corporation, the Internet
is a tremendous resource. Try doing a web search for the name
of the company and you may turn up their corporate web site,
which should have email addresses, snailmail addresses, and phone
numbers. If that doesn't work, try one of these sites:
Consumer World Company Connection
<http://www.consumerworld.org/pages/company.htm/>Consumer Action Handbook (look under Resource Directory, then Corporations, for the address and phone for over 650 corporate consumer relations departments)
<http://www.consumeraction.gov/>Zap2It.com (this site has email addresses, web sites, and other information on individual programs; the Nets/Stations page (under TV) lists contact information for networks and local stations)
<http://www.zap2it.com/>
If you don't have easy access to the Internet, your public library will also
have much of this information. Look for publications like Moody's,
Thomas Register of American Manufacturers, Standard &
Poor's Register of Corporations and Executives, Standard Directory
of Advertisers, Trade Names Dictionary, or Dun & Bradstreet
Directory. Or just ask a reference librarian--they're usually
happy to help you track down what you need.
When You Write:
Address your letter to the right person. That will usually be the public official him/herself, or a senior manager in the company, such as the V.P. for Customer Relations, President or owner. In the case of a company, it helps to use the name of a person or at least a department (see the section above on how to find this information), but using one of the above titles will probably get your letter to the right place eventually.
Handwritten letters are preferable if your handwriting is legible. A letter that is clearly from an individual, written on his/her own initiative, carries much more weight than a bunch of mass-produced form letters. Computer-generated mail is getting so sophisticated that it often looks like it's done by an individual. Handwritten letters are now the only way that a congressional or corporate office knows that the letter really comes from an individual. If you prefer to type a letter, make sure you sign it and then add a handwritten P.S.
The more personal your letter is, the more influence it has. Say what's on your mind and in your heart. Use your own words wherever possible, but don't think you have to write like an expert to have influence. You're stating your opinions, not writing for a grade--it's the content that counts.
Be brief, clear and specific. Keep your letter to one page if possible.
State your opinion or your complaint and your specific request within the first few sentences.
Ask the policymaker to state her or his position in a response letter.
Be courteous and reasonable, pleasant but firm in tone. Show respect for the policymakers you contact, even when you disagree with them.
Include your address on your letter; an envelope can get lost. You may want to include a phone number as well, if you'd like to discuss the matter by phone.
When You Call:
When calling legislators, it is best to try to speak to an aide that is responsible for the issue you're concerned with. If they are not available, leave your name, address and a clear message with the person who answers the phone. You might begin by saying, "I'm Jane Doe calling from Anytown, and I'd like to leave a message for Congresswoman Smith." State what issue you are calling about and what you want your legislator to do. You can ask for a written response to your message.
When calling a company long distance, find out if they have a toll-free number by calling Directory Assistance at (800) 555-1212. When you reach the firm, ask if they have a department like Consumer Relations or Customer Service. Or, say that you have a complaint about _____ and you'd like to know who you should speak to about it. Keep a record of your telephone calls related to the problem--the dates, time, to whom you spoke and what was said. You may want to write a letter to follow up your call, stating the specifics of situation and where you left it.
Don't be intimidated. You don't have to be an expert to tell policymakers the priorities you think they should pursue or your opinions about their products, services, and advertising.
Some Optional Enhancements:
Enclose an article that has bearing on the issue or legislation in question.
If you have any personal association with the policymaker, let her or him know. Nothing is more effective in getting a policymaker's attention than letting them know you've worked on her or his campaign, or that you're a longtime customer of their business or a major buyer of their product.
Use your business or organization letterhead stationery if you have any, and if you are representing the organization in your complaint.
Legislators say that phone calls and letters carry equal weight.
In general, try to avoid sending letters by fax. Many congressional offices find a fax intrusive and prefer letters that arrive by mail. Faxes to large companies may not get routed to their intended destination.
Write or call a second time. Follow-up letters can have a much stronger impact on policymakers and their aides than the initial communication. Thank the legislator for taking a correct stand or the company for making the changes you asked for; ask questions about any unsatisfactory answers they have given you.
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Sources:
Tips on Making Letters and Phone Calls Effective, published by 20/20 Vision, 1828 Jefferson Place N.W., Washington, DC 200036, vision@igc.apc.org, <http://www.2020vision.org/>
How to Complain and Get Results, published by the National
Institute for Consumer Education, Eastern Michigan University
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