Tried, Tested and True.
1. Know your material
Lawyers learn early on that ‘you never ask a question for which you don’t
already know the answer’. The same holds true when working with government
agencies. Blindly asking for direction will only frustrate government staff and
oftentimes results in a ‘least-thought’ answer that doesn’t suit the project or
your client’s needs. Do the research first to find out what your options are and
then meet with the governmental officials to discuss the best solution to the
problem. Better yet, determine which solution is most practical and makes the
best economic sense for your client and then steer the meeting toward that
option by pointing out deficiencies with the alternatives.
2. Ask for the sale
Meeting regularly with government staff during the course of your project is
essential, and meeting at least once with the public officials who will approve
your project is strongly recommended.
However, very few people who meet with authoritative figures actually ask
them to do anything. To move your project in a positive direction, find the
right time to ask for their support of your project. If you find that support is
lacking, ask them what can be done to win their endorsement. At the very least,
this will help you determine which aspects of the project you’ll need to
concentrate on to gain approval. Directly asking for the sale gauges support and
flushes out any potential issues that could arise during the public hearing
process.
3. Don’t be intimidated
When it comes to making public presentations, remember that elected and
appointed officials are regular people just like you. That doesn’t mean the
material shouldn’t be presented in a formal and professional way. But it may
help you relate to your audience by building a stronger bond of ‘working
together’ rather than taking an ‘us vs. them’ approach.
4. Don’t assume anything
Elected and appointed officials are generalists, not experts on planning and
development issues. In most cases, you are the expert providing information to
them. Organize your information for presentation in a methodical way so that
your audience will clearly understand the project’s key points. It’s also a good
idea to know what your elected officials do for a living. For instance, if
there’s a civil engineer on the board to which you’re presenting, you will know
to prepare for questions related to the civil design of the project.
5. Skip the details
While you should provide a good understanding of the important aspects of
your project, at the same token, don’t get caught up in the details. Keep your
presentation concise and to the point. Giving your audience too much unnecessary
information will only fuel questions that can quickly escalate into major
issues. Instead, let the elected officials come up with their own questions and
then be prepared to answer them. All too often a presenter will say just a
little too much, inciting additional questions about the project. We all know
what happens next. All of a sudden you find yourself heading down the road to
concession and/or tabling the project until yet another meeting while you work
to appease a board member.
Contact us today to obtain results by
putting our experience to work for you!
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Following these useful tips will have approvals knocking at your door!
At Johnston Group, these tips are just a hint of the blueprint from which we operate.
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