How To: Network (for Job Seekers)

It’s not what you know, it’s who you know. Right? WRONG. In a down economy, knowing the right people might get you through the door, but it won’t get you the job. Sure, having a solid network that can vouch for you is important, but at the end of the day the hiring manager is putting money down for you, not your network.

Here are a few networking tips that might help those of you in the job market or considering a career change:

Ask for advice. Many job seekers will ask for informational interviews. These can be helpful, but rarely develop into an offer. Instead, find the person who has your ideal job and ask them for career advice. Most people are always willing give advice, especially if there is no expectation of hiring.

Cast a wide net. Describe your skill set as broadly as possible in order to appeal to a range of organizations. Diversify your inquiries, but beware of overselling yourself.

Do your research. Find out what makes your ideal organization tick. Look at the website, know the leadership, and follow the money. These simple steps will help you develop a pitch that proves your value.

Convey your passion. We all need money, but nobody wants to hire someone who is interviewing so they can pay the bills. Show them how your drive and personality matches their mission and organizational vision. Mock interviews and practice questions can really go a long way in improving your polish.

Say thank you. People are busy and under-appreciated. When they take the time to talk to you, make sure they know how much you appreciate their time and consideration.

How To: Make Your Video Go Viral

New Voices recently began our Tuneage Tuesday series (which will resume again next week on February 8th). So that made us interested in how video information in particular gets passed around the Internet. Blogger Adrienne Royer of Cosmopolitan Conservative shared this image recently, and it speaks for itself. 

How do you use videos online? How do you typically forward the videos you like (if at all)? What types of Tuneage would you like to see in our video and audio selections for upcoming Tuesdays?

How To: Deliver an Elevator Pitch

Comic credit: zoitz

30 seconds to say who you are, what you do, why it's important. It just doesn't seem like enough time, does it?

An elevator pitch - or a pitch about yourself that you could deliver in the length of an elevator ride - is a great tool to have prepared for quick encounters. A good elevator pitch will include three key elements:

1. Your name. No kidding, please don't forget this part.
   
2. What you do. This should not be confused with your job title. "What you do" is a description of your goal or tasks.
3. Why it matters to the other person in the elevator.

The reason why the elevator pitch is so successful is because it not only tells who you are but it connects you to your audience (via part 3) and opens up the door for further conversation and questions. It's important to remember that elevator pitches:

• Do not have to be used in elevators alone. They are a great tool for use at social gatherings, conferences, when you're introduced to someone in a hurry, or really anytime you need to get started with an introduction.
• Do not need to take the full 30 seconds.
• Should be in simple, easy to understand terms that anyone can comprehend.

Practice makes perfect, so think about your 3 step pitch guide and use this 30 second timer to see if yours is brief enough.



How'd you do? We want to hear/read your elevator pitches! Add your 30 second (or less) self-promo in the comments section. Also, if you have any questions or can't think of a good way to simplify what you do, let us know. Think what you do is too complicated for 30 seconds? We're ready for the challenge.

Environmental Re-Revolution

Happy Earth Day, New Voices! Today is the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. The first Earth Day was held in 1970; founded by Senator Gaylord Nelson. After seeing the devastation caused by a massive oil spill off the coast of Santa Barbara in 1969, Senator Nelson was infuriated by the lack of action in Washington, DC. He suggested holding a nationwide “teach-in” in response to growing environmental degradation.

Nelson said, “I was satisfied that if we could tap into the environmental concerns of the general public and infuse the student anti-war energy into the environmental cause, we could generate a demonstration that would force this issue onto the political agenda.”

At the end of the day, it was clear Earth Day was a success. The widespread involvement has been attributed to the grassroots organizing, with more than 20 million people participating. April 22, 1970 was the first Earth Day, but also marked the beginning of the modern environmental movement.

Forty years later, Earth Day is more widely attended and has become an international celebration. However, the event does not carry the same sense of urgency. Recent polls highlight the trend of the American public’s dampened concern over environmental issues. Americans increasingly believe that environmental issues, such as climate change are being over exaggerated.

Image credit: Gallup

This societal shift is, in part, because the environmental threats we face today are not things we can easily observe. In the 1970s, celebrating Earth Day was taking action against clouds of smog in Los Angeles, oil soaked wildlife that companies were not held accountable for, and a river in Ohio that caught fire. Today, Earth Day raises awareness for several environmental issues that are difficult to perceive for most Americans. Worldwide, drinkable water is becoming scarcer, yet in the U.S. it flows freely from our taps. The average global temperature has been on a long-term upward trend, but this winter Mother Nature crippled cities like Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD with record-breaking snowfall.

It is time to renew the call to action. Here's a powerful video put together by Greenpeace, evoking the memory of JFK to deliver a call to action for world leaders to address environmental issues, such as climate change.

Video credit: Greenpeace

This Earth Day make the commitment to advocate for environmental protection, and to also make small changes in your life that could really add up if they became part of a revived movement. Here is a list of some things you can change right now to make a difference:

If you aren’t using it, unplug it. Even though you’ve turned an appliance off, if it is plugged into an outlet it is still drawing power. Unplugging appliances could result in a reduction in 10% of your household energy use, which can add up to real savings. If you appliances are plugged into a power strip, you can simply turn the power off.

Switch from bottled to filtered water. Bottled water requires much more energy to package and ship AND it costs you more money in the end.

Eat less meat. Meat production is estimated to produce 18% of global CO2 emissions.

Eat local. I was surprised to learn that the food we buy in the supermarket has traveled 1,500 miles on average to get from where it is grown to our plate. That requires a large amount of energy used just to move your food from point A to your plate.

Stop the leaky faucet. Not only is it an irritating sound to hear, it is also costing you money. The EPA website has some information about how you can do-it-yourself.

Be mindful of your water usage. Do you ever notice the person in the public restroom who leaves the water running not only while they lather their hands, but also while they go for the paper towels to dry off? I sure do. There are many times you can conserve by not leaving the water running, like washing your hands, brushing your teeth, or hand washing dishes.

Reduce Toxic Exposures. The EPA has started a great program called “Design for the Environment.” Companies with the label have worked with the EPA to reformulate products with safer chemicals.

Recycle Your Electronic Waste. Seventy percent of the heavy metals that end up in our landfills come from our discarded electronics, even though they are only about 2% of our discarded waste. Recycling keeps these toxic chemicals out of our environment.

How will you celebrate?

I myself will be attending “The Climate Rally” Earth Day event which is taking place this Sunday on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Festivities start at 11am and go on until at least 7pm. So if you are in the DC area, stop on by!

How To: Understand Survey Methodology

It's pretty common to see polls mentioned on the cover of USAToday or on the evening news, but how reliable is that information? Today we're taking a look at survey methodology and discussing what to look for when you're trying to find credible poll data.

% error
The percent error or sampling error should be 3.5% or less. If a survey is done online, the percent error may be called a theoretical sampling error, but for the most part, percent error is about as theoretical as evolution.

Selection of participants
Whether the poll is done by phone, paper survey, or online, the participants should be randomly selected and demographically equivalent to the population of whatever group the survey is talking about. For national poll data, the U.S. Census provides a good guideline. Census data is also available for each state, which is important because age, race, and gender are not equally represented in every region.

How and when the poll is conducted
Not so long ago, credible public opinion polling was done almost exclusively by phone. Now, online polling can be as statistically significant if the participants are randomly selected. Both types of polling take about a week to reach the 800 to 1,000 respondents necessary for an acceptable percent error. When the poll is conducted can make a big difference in the results, so it is important to remember what major events were happening during the polling time. An election, a natural disaster, or a product recall can quickly change public opinion, and therefore the results of a survey.

Understanding the methodology of a poll can make a big difference in whether or not you trust the data. There are a number of other components to consider, but methodology is a quick and easy place to start. What do you look for when reviewing poll data?

Lessons from Great Uncle Milton

According to Great Uncle Milton, this child is a "carrier monkey."

December is a time for holiday cheer: family get-togethers, office parties, decorations, general merriment, and Great Uncle Milton* refusing to eat at a table with “carrier monkey” younger relatives.

Now, my niece and nephew are constantly exposed to germs at daycare, and because of this, they get sick. It’s not their fault and it certainly isn’t fun for them, but by getting sick their immune system builds up antibodies (proteins in body that attack diseases), so they can STOP being carrier monkeys.

However, my ear-hair-sprouting great uncle doesn’t really seem interested in that argument. So this year – just for him – we’re starting our holiday celebrations at New Voices (and maybe with the family?) with a lesson on hand washing.

There's an excess of research proving just how effective hand washing is at keeping illness away. We also know that throughout the day, we touch all kinds of things that hold unknown germs. In the past thirty seconds, I’ve taken a sip of water from my mug on my desk, typed on my keyboard, used my mouse, and in a moment of thought, rested my head on my hand. How many germs did I just transfer from all of those surfaces to my face?

An even scarier thought: money changes hands on a daily basis. Have you ever considered where that five dollar bill that the lunch lady just returned with your change (after you washed your hands) has been?

Oh gosh, I’m turning into Great Uncle Milton. Back to the lesson.

Hands should be washed anytime you’ve increased your exposure to germs: after you’ve touched raw food or used the bathroom, and before eating – for starters.

At this point, you’re thinking that this is ridiculous. You’re an adult and you know how to wash your hands. But if you were totally honest with yourself, you’d have to admit to maybe just running your hands under the faucet for a quick rinse from time to time?

Here’s what you should be doing:

1. Remove any jewelry and wet your hands with warm water
2. Rub your hands together with soap for 20-30 seconds (many suggest singing “Happy Birthday” or “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”)
3. Be sure to wash between your fingers and under your nails and you're rubbing.
4. Rinse you hands with warm water
5. Dry thoroughly with a towel

The above routine removes 99% of germs. The soap is the most important factor, breaking the bonds that hold germs to your skin. Water alone just isn’t going to do it.

Remember, germs are on every surface (not just on the shorter members of the family), so keeping your oft-used electronics (think cell phone or laptop) and other surfaces clean can help decrease your daily exposure to illness.

We all want to stay healthy over the holidays; if for no other reason than eggnog doesn’t taste as good when you’re all stuffed up. And trust me, you’re going to need that eggnog if Great Uncle Milton is coming.


*No one here at New Voices has any family member named Milton, and we feel awfully bad for anyone named Milton, since they are always getting picked on in fictional stories about great-uncles.


Images of "Great Uncle Milton" (not his real name) are courtesy of hiro008.

How To: Communicate with Food

For your next chemistry-themed party, an idea from BuzzFeed.

Whenever I’m trying to describe something that is new or difficult to understand, I try to relate it to something else that my audience already understands. In my family, one of the best metaphors is food.

In a lot of ways, cooking is similar to lab work. Some experiments require precise timing, while in others the specificity of ingredients (materials) is more important. In both instances, if you want to recreate the final product, you have to take measurements, record each step, and think of variables that could effect the outcome next time (what if I use a different pan or the produce isn’t as fresh?).

But metaphors are not the only way to communicate with food. Sharing meals is a great way to learn to talk about what you do in an informal way. Without the networking pressures of a conference or academic setting, you’ll more freely be yourself, and your passion for your work will be obvious in how you talk about it. (Just be careful not to gesticulate with food on the end of your fork.) Moreover, sharing details over meals gives everyone time to listen and absorb as well as participate in the discussion.

Just a little food for thought for those of you looking for ways to more effectively communicate your ideas.

Preparing for Election Day

We're just a week away from election day (Tuesday, November 3, 2009) and across the country positions from dogcatcher to governor will be voted upon.

If you aren’t already up to speed on the races in your district, use the next week to get informed. Then make sure to plan time to go to the polls next Tuesday.

If you're not sure of the location of your local voting place, Google maps has a feature to help you find out. Be sure to bring you voter registration card and/or driver's license to the polling place.

There are a number of sources available to brush up on the issues. Check your local government website to find out what will be on the ballot. Local newspapers are a great source for familiarizing yourself with the pros and cons of each candidate/ballot initiative. Spend some time doing the research so that you can make an informed decision.

If you’re going to be away from your home district on Election Day, or will not be able to go to your polling location on election day, there is still time to request an absentee ballot. You can do this by going to your county’s website and clicking on the appropriate link to download the form to request a ballot. One of us did this last week and received the form the next day. Alternatively, some counties offer early voting.

Every vote matters in an election. Make sure yours is one of them.

How To: Make Your Voice Heard at a Congressional Town Hall Meeting

If it’s August (and last time I checked, it is), then there is a probably a congressional town hall meeting happening near you. New Voices posted yesterday with an updated list of congressional members holding town halls. With health care reform in the national spotlight, town hall meetings provide you an opportunity to ask your elected officials important questions about the role of research in health.

But how do you even ask a question at a town hall? And what should you ask?

Here are some tips and resources to help you make your voice heard.

• It is important to have a brief statement that conveys your personal story. The keyword here is brief, meaning 1-2 sentences. Consider sharing some of your background that supports your question. For example, if you want to ask a question about how health care reform will affect your work as a biochemist, you could say, “I’m a biochemist researching the causes of cancer. I work every day to better understand this disease. . . .” This provides your elected official with some context about what’s prompting you to ask you question.

• Asking a question also gives you the opportunity to briefly share your views with your elected official. Again, the keyword here is brief, 1-2 sentences. If you think it is important to increase funding for research, don’t be afraid to say so (in 1-2 sentences). For example, "_____ is important to me because _____." After you’ve provided your opinion, ask a direct question.

• Try to sit near the front of the room to make yourself visible. Be patient and polite when trying to garner the attention of person who controls the microphone. The meeting organizers may request that you write your questions down instead.

• Bring materials to leave behind in case there isn’t time for your question. With increased interest in congressional town halls, it may not be possible for everyone to ask a question. Bring printed materials with you that summarize your questions and asks your elected officials to respond. Here is one set of printed materials that you can leave behind to ask your elected officials to respond to the Your Congress-Your Health initiative.

So now that you have a better idea of how to make your voice heard, what should you ask? This is really up to you. Here are some examples of questions from leading patient advocacy organizations.

Parkinson's Action Network: "There are currently no treatments to slow or stop the progression of Parkinson’s disease. How are you working to help provide better treatments and a cure for people living with Parkinson’s disease?"

Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America: "I understand there are a number of substance abuse treatment provisions included in health care reform, and am very pleased about this. But given the fact that drug and alcohol abuse are one of the biggest drivers of health care costs, how is Congress working to ensure that drug and alcohol prevention, and not just treatment are fully addressed in health care reform?"

Leukemia & Lymphoma Society: "Will you support the highest possible increase of funds going to NIH . . . ?"

You can also use the Your Congress-Your Health questionnaire as a guideline. Here are some examples of questions from the Your Congress-Your Health questionnaire.

"When it comes to rising health care costs, would you say research to improve health is part of the problem or part of the solution?"

"Considering all aspects of health reform, how much of a priority is it to accelerate our nation's investment in research to improve health?"

Finally, don’t forget that Porter’s Principles provides communication and advocacy tips.

Putting this all together, here are some examples of statements and questions to ask elected officials:

“Hi, my name is Dr. Smith, and I’m from Anytown. I'm a cancer researcher investigating the causes of cancer. I've made some exciting discoveries. Increased funding for research through the NIH is very important to me because allows me and my colleagues to expand our work against cancer. How can health care reform incorporate what my colleagues and I are discovering about preventing and treating cancer? And, how will you support our work in the future? Thank you."

"Hi, my name is Matt, and I’m a student at the U of M. One of my parents was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease when I was in high school. Currently, there is no cure for Parkinson’s disease, but there is a lot of promising research. Increased research into better treatments and cures as a part of health care reform is very important to me. How can health care reform help people living with Parkinson’s disease, and what do you plan to do to bring us closer to a cure? Thanks."

What are some of the statements and questions you’d like to share at upcoming town halls?

How To: Create an Organizational Facebook Page

By now, you’ve probably heard it over and over again—social media is changing the face of communication. Here at New Voices, we’ve seen social media, including Facebook, change the face of science communication and advocacy. Top science and research advocacy organizations, like the American Cancer Society and American Heart Association, have attracted large numbers of supporters using Facebook, including over 160,000 members for the American Cancer Society!

So how should a non-profit go about using Facebook to increase their reach on the internet? An informal survey of non-profits using Facebook revealed that the best pages are set up as Fan Pages, as opposed to Group Pages. Fan Pages are more interactive, and provide Facebook users with more opportunities than Group Pages. Any authorized representative of a business, non-profit, or organization can set up a Fan Page. We’ll give you a quick crash course. (Tip: before you create a Fan Page, you will need to have a personal Facebook page.)

To create a Facebook Fan Page:

1. Visit http://www.facebook.com/pages/create.php to get started.
2. Determine your Page category. Most New Voices readers’ organizations would probably fall under the Brand, Product, or Organization category. This is where you’ll find sub-categories like ‘non-profit,’ ‘government’ and ‘technology product / service.’
3. Enter the name of your organization in the box and sign the authorization release. (Tip: you must sign the authorization release with the same name you used to create your personal Facebook page.)

Now it’s time to set up your page so it will set you apart from the crowd. For advice, New Voices turned to the Wild Apricot, a blog that provides tools and advice for volunteers, webmasters and administrators of associations and nonprofits. Wild Apricot suggests adding Applications to your Facebook page. Applications allow Facebook users even more opportunities to interact with your organization.

One of the most popular Applications for non-profits is Causes on Facebook, also referred to as ‘Causes.’ Causes allows your organization to recruit more Facebook users, keep them up to date with your organization’s latest information, and raise money for your organization if it is a registered U.S. or Canadian non-profit organization. The American Heart Association has raised over $10,000 for its beneficiaries! To get started with Causes, visit the Causes homepage and click ‘Start a Cause’ under the ‘Find a Cause’ tab.

When you’re on Facebook, don’t forget to visit the Your Congress-Your Health and Research!America fan pages.

See you on Facebook!


This is Part 3 of our Facebook How To Series.
Part 1: Using Facebook as an Advocacy Tool
Part 2: Using Facebook Advertising to Raise Awareness

How To: Tell if You're a Scientist

Comic credit: xkcd.com

We've been talking about the image of scientists a lot lately, which made me curious: if you met a scientist - and they didn't tell you that they were a scientist - how could you tell?

Join us in the comments section to finish this sentence:

You might be a scientist if ...

Applying for a Fulbright Research Grant

One excellent opportunity for students and academics to conduct research on a topic of interest (including health-related research) is through a Fulbright research grant.

Alison Flamm, a 2009 Swarthmore College graduate, is a recipient of a Fulbright Grant to conduct economic research on the health hazards of water pollution in China. I asked her about the application process for the first post in our series on Fulbright grants:

1. Tell me a little about your background. How did you become interested in applying for a Fulbright grant?

I was a Chinese and Economics double-major in college, and the summer after junior year, I wanted to find a way to combine these interests. I became a research assistant for an economist who was doing a project on the health effects of water pollution, and conducted research both in Beijing, China and in the U.S. I became intrigued by the complexity of the water pollution issue and the importance of addressing an issue that appears to have serious health consequences for a very significant population.

At the same time, I became aware of the complexity of my role as a researcher from a developed country examining the challenges of a developing country. A Fulbright grant seemed like a great opportunity to continue to explore this topic while focusing on cross-cultural understanding and making an effort to gain the Chinese perspective on the issue.

2. Describe your experience with the application process. What was most helpful during this process? What did you find most challenging?

Preparing to apply for the Fulbright took a lot of thought and discussion; actually writing the application was fairly simple. Once the idea of a Fulbright grant occurred to me, I had a lot of ideas for research projects. I settled on the issue of water pollution because it was the only one where I could demonstrate my ability to successfully conduct a project. All of my previous research and all of my connections were related to the water pollution issue, and they were crucial in conveying the viability of my project in my application.

My biggest challenge was in finding a university affiliation in China. I had to get up a lot of courage to do all the emailing I did to find a connection to my final affiliation at Nanjing University. It was a lesson in networking, which is even more important in China than in the U.S.

3. Do you have any words of wisdom for someone thinking about applying for a research Fulbright?

It's hard to get motivated to do an application for something you might not get, but the Fulbright application is simple enough (and the reward great enough if it works out) that in most cases it's worth a shot. If you have a project that you're excited about and believe in, and you have a genuine interest in understanding the culture of your host country, you'll be able to write a strong application. Your passion and preparedness will shine through in what you've written, and will lead your referees to write enthusiastic letters of recommendation.

Also, never underestimate the number of people who are willing to help you! Have anyone who shows any interest in your Fulbright aspirations read over your application. Everyone I showed my application to caught something different, from awkward sentences to things that could be politically controversial.

***

Keep your eye out for more to come on the Fulbright experience. If this is something that might be of interest to you, check out http://fulbright.state.gov/ or talk with the Fulbright contacts at your academic institution (you can apply through your university or college or at-large to the agency responsible for the program in which you are interested). But start soon, because applications are due in October!

How to: Use Facebook Advertising to Raise Awareness

Earlier this month, we talked about using Facebook as a advocacy tool. Today we'll be looking at a a different way to use Facebook to raise awareness for your cause...

Most of us who are Facebook users realize the social networking site has become an integral part of our lives. Every now and then, usually during a late-night visit to the site, you may notice an advertisement that seems particularly relevant to you. How does Facebook know I’m working in Washington, DC and probably looking for a deal on dinner?!

Facebook advertising is one of the most targeted forms of advertising on the internet. With 250 million users worldwide, advertising on Facebook is a new way to communicate to new audiences. The social networking site is an ideal way for New Voices to increase visibility, raise awareness of their cause, and drive relevant traffic to their websites—all without breaking the bank. This post provides the low-down on creating awareness for your cause by advertising on Facebook.

Foremost concern—paying for your advertising
Facebook offers two different payment structures. Each payment structure allows advertisers to set a daily maximum budget that cannot be exceeded.

Pay for Clicks (CPC) advertising allows you to specify (through a bidding process) a certain amount that we are willing to pay each time a user actually clicks on your ad. The highest-bidding advertisers are awarded ad space and pay each time the ad is clicked. The bid price will vary depending on the target market. For example, you would need to bid a higher price to advertise to the entire New York City network that you would to advertise to the New York University network because NYC has more users than NYU. Facebook provides bid price statistics (avg. price, max., min., etc.) that are specific to each ad proposal and each targeted network.

Pay for Views (CPM) advertising allows you to specify how much you are willing to pay for 1,000 views (or impressions) of your ad. CPM also utilizes a bidding process to determine who is awarded ad space. According to Facebook, CPM advertising is usually more effective for advertisers who want to raise awareness or exposure of their cause (as opposed to generating hits).

Who do I want to see my ad? Targeting your audience.
Facebook ads can be targeted to a very broad or vary narrow audience using any combination of criteria including:

• Age (Ex: 21-25)
• Network/Location (Ex: New York City; University of Michigan)
• Keywords (Ex: health, research, politics, chemistry, oceans, Collins, Obama)
• Education (Ex: political science major, biology degree in 2002)
• Workplace (Ex: University of Chicago, US House of Representatives, Pfizer)

As you identify your audience using these criteria, Facebook will display the approximate number of users your advertising encompasses.

Facebook ads are customizable and can be changed at any time.

Ads include a title up to 25 characters and up to 135 characters in the body. An image can also be included. All Facebook ad views can be tracked, and you can make changes to the ad at anytime to increase viewership.

Now that you know the basics, all you need to do is make the decision. Who do you want to target?? What do you want to say?? And how much do you want to pay??

Facebook can walk you through the rest.

This is Part 2 in our Facebook as an Advocacy Tool series.

Part 1 - Facebook: More than friends?

Hill Meetings: So easy a scientist can do it!

Chronicles of a Science Policy Intern
This blog has made a point of giving you, the New Voices for Research, the tools you need to effectively communicate science with others. Yesterday, those tools were put to the test when I met with staff members from the offices of my congressional delegation. The tips, tools and advice from this blog made the experience easy, enjoyable, and most importantly, productive!

Here is a recap of some of the posts I found to be most helpful, and my reflections on them after having used them in action.

How to make an appointment with an elected official:
My meetings were with the Health Legislative Assistants (LAs) and Health Legislative Corespondents (LCs) for my congressional delegation. It is an exceptionally busy time in Congress this summer with major legislative initiatives and hearings. I willingly accepted meetings with the LAs and LCs because they usually serve a gatekeepers for information and requests to the members of Congress. The LAs and LCs I met with yesterday were exceptionally helpful and knowledgeable about the issues we discussed.

Key Tips:

• When scheduling your appointment, ask the receptionist for name of the "aide who handles health (or science if that is your field) issues." Your goal is to get that LA or LC's name so you can ask for them directly in the future.
  
• Most LAs and LCs manage their own schedule. You may need to leave a voicemail with your meeting request. In your voicemail, make sure to say, "As a constituent, I look forward to the opportunity to meet in person." Key word: CONSTITUENT
  
• If you met with an LA or LC, be prepared for questions--these staffers were sharp and wanted direct answers to their own questions about my request.
• Let the LA or LC know what issues you'd like to speak about ahead of time. This will give them an opportunity to prepare, and your meeting will be more productive.

How to have a successful meeting:
The best tip from this post is #3--have a specific and singular request. Congressional staff members are very busy, and I could tell they expected me to make one or two formal requests that they could act on. When I made those specific requests, I noticed the staffers wrote them down and underlined them.

Additional tips:

• Request, justification/evidence, repeat request. This is the secret to successfully conveying your point. After greetings, introduction and small talk, I made my direct request. "I'm here today to ask the Congressman to do A and B." Then proceed to the details and justification. "A and B are important because. . . ." Finally, close your meeting by reaffirming your requests. "I appreciate your time and attention to my requests A and B." Request, justification/evidence, repeat request.
  
• It is also helpful to have a printed handout with your request written in bold and underlined at the top of the page with justification/evidence below. Leave this handout with the staff member.
• Close the meeting by asking if you can follow-up with the staff member in a week. This is giving them a soft deadline to meet. They may say they are busy, but do your best to get them to commit to follow-up in a week or two.
  
• Don't forget to get the staff member's business card. If their email address isn't printed, ask for it. Email is often the best way to communicate with that staffer in the future.

Now that you have these tips - and I've done a test run - it's time to get to work! August is an ideal time to meet with your congressional delegation and staff while they are in your home district. Check back soon for a list of upcoming town hall meetings in August.

Facebook: More than friends?

Image credit: Lone Wolf Librarian

If you’re reading this blog, the chances are more likely than not that you have a Facebook page. In fact, there are more than 200 million active users of Facebook; 100 million of those log on each day. If you are one of those 200 million people, it’s time to start using Facebook to as a platform to speak out to your friends (if you’re similar to the average Facebook user, you will have 120 of them).

Today we launch Part 1 of a three-part series about using Facebook as an advocacy and outreach tool.

Part 1: Using the Status Bar to Share Your Message
Part 2: Using the Causes Application to Raise Awareness (and money!!)
Part 3: Setting Up a Page that Will Set You Apart

Part 1: Using the Status Bar to Share Your Message

If you have a Facebook account, you probably already know how to use the status bar. For those without a Facebook account, the status bar allows you to type in short messages that will appear on your account as well as the home pages of all your friends’ accounts. It is common for Facebook users to type a short summery of their thoughts, activities, etc. in to the status bar.

Your status bar is an excellent place to share your thoughts about important legislation, policy issues or news items with your friends. Facebook’s new status bar allows you to share a links to encourage your friends to visit a website you direct them to. Sharing online action alerts with your friends is an especially effective advocacy opportunity.

Here’s the step-by-step for sharing a link. In this example, we use an action alert from Research!America. This is a great model for you to post action alerts from your own membership organizations.

Step 1: Click the “Attach Link” icon in the Status Bar.
Step 2: Insert the link in the text box that popped up. You can easily copy and paste a link from another browser winder. Click “Attach” to load the link. Text will automatically appear when Facebook reads the website you are linking to.

Step 3: Edit the text that appears. You can click on the blue title and the black text to edit each box. Sometimes Facebook reads the wrong section of the website you are linking to, so make sure the edit the text so it says what you want. You can also use the arrows to scroll through other pictures to appear on your status message.


Here is a finished example done by Mary McGuire Richards, a Parkinson’s disease advocate with the Parkinson’s Action Network. Mary is asking all her friends to contact their senators in support of a bill. Mary is also able to share this message directly with her friends by clicking the “Share” link.

Once the “Share” box appears, click the “Send a Message” tab. Here, you can type your friends’ names in the message box and send them a personal message with you link. To save time, you can send the same message to multiple friends by typing each name in before sending. However, the “Share” function is so easy to use that I usually send individual message to each of my friends that may act on my link. I use the same message text, but add their name into the message to make it seem more personal.


While you're using your Facebook status bar to advocate, don't forget to join the Your Congress-Your Health fan page for updates and links to share.

Stay tuned for the next part in the Facebook as an Advocacy Tool Series!

How to: Have a Successful Meeting in Your Elected Official's Office

Map of 111th Congressional Districts courtesy of FiveThirtyEight.com

Members of Congress need to hear from you - their constituent - about issues important to your community, such as research. Take advantage of the annual Independence Day congressional recess (June 29 - July 3) and make an appointment to meet with your elected official in their district office.

In fact, now couldn't be a better time to reach out to your officials about the hot topic of the summer - health reform. When they get back after all the fireworks and fun, they'll be diving into at least a month of discussion and debate about how to improve the health of Americans.

So how do you have a successful meeting in your member of Congress' office? We asked Research!America board chair and former member of Congress John Edward Porter to share his principles for a successful meeting in your representative or senator's office.

1. Be prompt and patient.

• Be on time and prepared to wait if needed.

2. Start with a thank you.

• Thank the member for their service to you as their constituent and for taking the time to meet with you.

3. Have a specific and singular request. Examples include:

• Support specific legislation.
• Ask your member to sponsor or endorse a “DearColleague” letter.
• Invite members and their staff to come see where you work.

4. Be brief.

• Plan what you want to say and provide essential background information.

5. Speak with passion and personalize the message.

• Tell a story and make it relevant to the member.

6. Follow-up.

• Make sure to send a thank you note that reinforces your request and includes any materials that might be useful to the member/staffer based on your meeting.

You may have noticed that this post isn't titled How to: Have a Successful Meeting with Your Elected Official. That's because you won't always get to meet with the member themselves. When given the opportunity to meet with a congressional staffer, TAKE IT! Treat the staffer as you would treat your member of Congress, and remember that staffers handle most of the day-to-day in an office and have a tremendous amount of influence. Be kind and make yourself available to them as a resource and you're sure to develop a good relationship.

Check out all of Porter's Principles for more on how to make an appointment, have a successful meeting and sample advocacy messages to use during your meeting.

How To: Greet Others

As a professional, from time to time you'll find yourself in situations where you need to greet others. This seems simple, right? A nice, "Hello, how are you? I'm ...." should suffice.

Well, except that you maybe met that person at a conference three months ago. Your colleague must have introduced you to twenty people that day, and you can't remember who was who. No worries, though. There are some quick and easy tricks to greeting others to not embarrass yourself or them.

Typical introduction: "It's nice to meet you."
Networking substitute: "It's nice to see you."
By replacing 'meet' with 'see' you are saying the same thing, but allowing for the fact that you may have previously met this person.

Other good substitutes are: "How are you?" or "How have you been?"
Both are perfectly benign questions that let people feel comfortable (and get them talking) without necessarily indicating whether you've met before.

So what if you are SURE you met them before but cannot, for the life of you, remember their name or where they work? First, relax. This happens to everybody. Play it smooth.

Assuming you are at an event where the hosts have been a bit inconsiderate and not provided nametags, try to grab a colleague. Use the above lines (hey, they might not remember you either!), and then introduce your colleague (or anyone you're talking to). Try: "This is so-and-so. They ...." With any luck, the other person will stick out their hand and say their name.

If you're at the event alone, and standing alone (which if you're networking, you probably shouldn't be), the above trick won't work. The good news is, you don't need someone's name to talk to them. Just work through the conversation and then offer them your card. If you think you may have done this before, flip it over and write something about your conversation on the back and hand it to the other person. With any luck, they'll reciprocate with their card.

Any other greeting tips?

How To: Make an Appointment with an Elected Official

There's no better way to let your elected officials know what's on your mind than to actually tell them. The U.S. Congress will be on Memorial Day recess next week (Tuesday, May 26 to Friday, May 29) so many Members will be at home in their districts. Save yourself a trip to DC and make your appointment to meet with your Member today!

But how do you make an appointment? Below we've outlined 5 simple steps to make an appointment with your elected official. Our model is based on meeting with Members of Congress, but the same basics are applicable whether you're trying to meet with a member of the school board or the majority leader of your state senate.

1. Request the meeting as far in advance as possible, but no more than a month out. (Schedules won't be set and it'll be hard to set a firm date and time.)
   
2. If the Member is not available, accept a meeting with the appropriate staff person. Staff are influential and a great resource - meeting with them is as valuable as meeting with your elected official.
   
3. When calling or emailing an office, ask for the scheduler’s name so you can address them directly.
   
4. Send the meeting request per their preference.

• Include your complete contact information.
• Clearly state what issue or topic you wish to discuss, so the scheduler can direct you to the right staff member if your Member is not available.
• Save other background materials for your meeting.

5. Follow-up by phone and email.

• Meetings with Members may not be secured until a day or two before the meeting.
• Be flexible – every office is different!

Any readers have other tips for making an appointment?

How To: Use Twitter

Here at New Voices we like to stay on top of the new things going on in the world. In the process, we realized we haven't been able to go anywhere without hearing about people tweeting. So we sought out a friend of New Voices, Allison Bland, to tell us about the (not so) new social media tool Twitter.

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By now, you’ve probably heard of Twitter. You may have even tried it out.

How do you use this thing? What is Twitter all about?



I manage the Twitter account for Research!America, and while it continues to be a learning process for me, I think it’s a helpful advocacy tool and an exciting new way to communicate. In 140 characters or less, Twitter users broadcast messages to “followers” who read a stream of tweets from users they have chosen to follow. Users can respond to each other by adding the @ symbol before another username or respond to threads of conversations by adding # in front of an agreed upon tag for the topic (#science and #health are some of my favorites).

I’ve been happy to discover a lively group of Twitterers who frequently tweet about the evolution of science communication. You might be interested in following @BoraZ, @nancyshute, @girlscientist, and @Bridge2Science.

Some tips for your tweets:

Share. Twitter is a great way to get a message out to a receptive audience, but you add value to your tweets by helping others and providing useful information: alert your followers to new Twitter users they might be interested in, link to original content, and retweet relevant tweets.

Talk to the right people. Finding the right audience for your tweets can be one of the biggest challenges. How do you know if your followers are really listening? I use bit.ly, which is primarily a URL-shortening application, but it has a lot of other neat features. Your bit.ly account will show how many people clicked through the links in your tweets and who retweeted the same link. Using bit.ly, I’ve found that global health-related links are especially popular with our followers.

Listen. I imagine Twitter as a huge room of people having a conversation. Tune in and tap into what people are saying to stay connected. A quick scan through the latest tweets will give you a sense of the most current topics, whether it’s a major conference or Ashton Kutcher and malaria nets.

Stay active. Twitter is habit-forming, so this shouldn’t be a problem, but make it a point to be an engaged user. Tweet every day, follow people who have followed you back, and participate in conversations. Soon your network will grow and you will be part of the Twitterverse!
Follow @ResearchAmerica!

Allison Bland is a communications intern at Research!America and a recent graduate of McGill University with degrees in English and history of science.

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This is Part 3 in the New Voices series on helpful technology for science communicators and advocates.
Part 1 - How To: Subscribe to Your Favorite Websites
Part 2 - How To: Use Google Reader

How To: Plan a Menu for an Event

As an advocate and communicator you're bound to be involved in planning events. If there is one attraction that will almost guarantee attendance at an event, it's food. Especially free food! However, diverse dietary needs have to be considered when planning a menu for an event. Before you begin to plan your menu, think about the audience you are trying to attract. Understanding your audience will help you prepare a menu according to their likely preferences. In terms of food options:

• Always have a vegetarian option


• Think about common food allergies and be sure to have at least one appropriate selection. For example, there should be an item that does not contain nuts.


• Consider whether there will be any religious or ethnic dietary requirements
  

To plan an appropriate menu, think about the type of event you are hosting. Is it a sit-down event that would be complemented by dinner? Is it a networking event where hors d' oeuvres would make more sense? Are you attracting an older more professional crowd that would be pleased with more sophisticated options? Or is it an event for students, who may be happy with cookies or cheese and crackers?

If you are planning a more formal event, like a sit-down dinner, inquire about guest’s dietary restrictions when they RSVP so that you may plan in advance if someone has particular allergies, is diabetic, vegetarian, or has any other specific requests.

The biggest thing to remember in planning a menu though is that the food is going to be a part of your event. Doughnuts and pastries aren't the best breakfast menu for a conference on obesity and a three course meal preceding a lecture on poverty is probably not a good plan. Keep your event theme and your guests in mind, and you should have an excellent menu for whatever you're planning.