A personal visit with your U.S. Senators and respresentative at their offices either locally or in Washington, D.C., can be exciting and rewarding. It can also cause anxiety if you have not done your homework. Here are some times on how to make the visit effective. A group visit has advantages, especially if you represent a broad base of people or an organization. The tips on effectiveness are the same.

1. Make an Appointment

• To find your legislators’ contact information please see our link in the letter writing action.
• Write or call your legistlator at the office where the visit is to take place to ask for an appointment.
• Write or call to confirm the appointment.
• If the legislator is not available, make an appointment with a legislative aide. Seeing the aide can also be valuable.

2. Brief yourself about your legislator Find out the following:

• General extent of the district.
• Committee assignments.
• Number of terms served.
• Professional background.
• Voting record on issues of interest to you.
• Views stated publicly on the above issues.

3. Define the objectives of your visit. Is your objective to get acquainted, express general views or discuss specific issues? In regard to the latter:

• Limit the number of issues to be discussed.
• Brief yourself on the facts surrounding these issues.
• Outline your views and comments in a written summary.

4. Factors to anticipate

• The appointment may start late.
• The legislator’s schedule may change, causing him or her to be unavailable. Your options then are to wait, meet with a staff member, make a new appointment, or meet the legislator at another site.
• The length of the visit may range from five minutes to one hour.
• For a group visit, decided beforehand on who will be your spokesperson, introduce the group, guide the conversation, and summarize the issues of concern.

1. Set the climate

• Be on time.
• Be positive and friendly - not argumentative.
• Acknowledge areas of agreement.
• Acknowledge areas of appreciation.

2. Talk briefly about yourself Give information on your:

• Place of residence and length of time there.
• Church membership.
• Education, occupation, and volunteer service.
• Political involvements.
• Group you represent, if any.
• Experience and expertise relevant to the issues for discussion.

3. State reasons for the visit.

• Identify your position on the issues for discussion or that of the group you represent.
• State your position and recommendations.
• Be concise and specific.
• Leave a written summary of your position, if available, along with a calling card and reference material.
• Ask for related legislative materials such as copies and analysis of bills.

4. Be alert to other matters

• Meet and write down the names of staff persons assigned to your issues of concern.
• Do not let questions or comments derail your purpose.
• Admit that you need to think more about any new point raised and offer to send a written response later if it is desired.
• Ask specific questions and request specific responses.
• Explore such options as attending committee meetings or hearing or visiting galleries.

1. Hold a debriefing

• Sit down with another person or the members of the group who made the visit and talk about it.
• Determine possible next steps.
• Inform others about what was learned.

2. Send a follow-up letter In a follow-up letter to the legislator:

• Express thanks for the visit.
• Summarize what was said by all parties present.
• Reiterate the issues, positions and recommendations.
• Identify follow-up commitments made by you and the legislator.
• Express the intention to continue the dialogue.
• List the names, addresses and phone numbers of all participants in the visit