The Personal Touch
John M. Hood, John Locke Foundation
Think tanks tend to "focus more on producing the ideas than on promoting them," writes John Locke Foundation President John Hood. "When we turn our attention to marketing our efforts, we all too often fail to recognize the importance of personal relationships."
Points covered
- A high correlation exists between your impact and the quality, quantity of your relationship
- Relationship-building is resource-intensive but helps develop credibility
- Smart use of scarce resources, the "force-multiplier", can pay immense dividends
- Keep abreast of media personnel changes
- Make yourself, your organization useful to reporters
- Be judicious in what you distribute, to whom, and how often
State think tanks, like their national counterparts, are in the business of developing and promoting ideas. For many of us, however, the former is the more congenial task. Some think tank leaders come from the ranks of academia. Others have experience in government, business, or trade associations. Whatever our origins, we tend to focus more on producing the ideas than on promoting them.
When we do turn our attention to marketing our efforts, we all too often fail to recognize the importance of personal relationships. You can spend thousands of dollars on glossy, graphics-intensive reports. You can send mountains of mass mailings or blast faxes. You can produce expensive advertising or award-winning web sites. But the reality is that the extent to which your work actually influences the policymaking process in a state legislature or local government is highly correlated with the quality and quantity of your personal contacts.
In military terms, what I am talking about is a "force-multiplier." Throughout history, small armies have often defeated larger ones because they made better use of weaponry, fortifications, training, or tactics. By mastering these force-multipliers, the numerically inferior were able to overwhelm their foes by placing their forces where and when they were most needed. Alexander the Great was a master of this; at the decisive battle of Gaugamela in 331 BC, his army of about 40,000 defeated Darius' Persian army of more than 200,000.
For state think tanks, this is good news. We face a daunting array of ideological rivals -- be they tenured radicals in universities, labor unions, liberal foundations, or left-wing think tanks and activist groups. The idea that we -- the few, the proud -- can prevail anyway is deeply reassuring.
Developing personal relationships is a costly process, however. It means committing substantial time and energy to several important tasks. They include:
Gathering Intelligence. It's not enough to assemble a mailing list of legislators, county commissioners, or newspaper editors. You need phone numbers, fax numbers, e-mail addresses, and committee assignments. With governmental bodies, you need the names and numbers of the employees who staff the committees with jurisdiction over your issues, since they usually come up with agendas, invite speakers, and draft bills. With the news media, you have to keep a comprehensive and constantly updated file on who covers what. Reporters are frequently moved around, so you have to keep up with beat assignments or risk sending your information to the wrong person (don¹t count on them to re-route it).
Gaining Credibility. We complain too much about media bias. I have found that if you focus on making yourself useful to a reporter, you will get good coverage regardless of his or her personal views. Usefulness derives from 1) providing accurate information, 2) being available on short notice, and 3) supplying news rather than just commenting on it. Reporters are always looking for a good story, particularly one that will get them on the front page (where they all think they belong).
Giving Face-Time. Human nature being what it is, folks are less likely to dismiss your work or savage your views if you have met them face-to-face. So make it a point to meet and mingle, particularly during legislative sessions. And offer private meetings with important speakers you might bring into town. Such personal gestures often mean a lot to those you are trying to get to know.
Narrowcasting. In today's world of e-mail groups and broadcast faxes, the temptation is to send out as much as possible to as many people as possible. Resist it. If your missives become the public policy equivalent of junk mail, they will have a similarly negative affect on your intended audience.
By cultivating personal relationships with people in a position to act on or publicize your ideas, you can enjoy a level of impact in your state out of proportion to your relatively small size and staff. In other words, be Alexander, not Darius.
John M. Hood is president of the John Locke Foundation in Raleigh, North Carolina.