Policy practitioners should know that being forewarned is being forearmed. You should know how to diagnose an audience, develop a persuasive strategy, have a “tactics tool bag” for dealing with difficult or expert audiences, and know how to develop non-confrontational communication methods with audiences when necessary. In short, you need to know how to skillfully defend the creative policy proposal you are about to present and how to talk to policy makers who may not be interested in the issues you are presenting.
In this Small Group Discussion, you explore and analyze strategies and ideas for presenting policy proposals.
To Prepare: Think about strategies you can use to persuade others who might not share the same concerns about your issues or your policy proposals. Think about how you might defend your position on an issue or a policy and get them to agree with your perspective. Review Chapter 9 of your text, paying special attention to the section entitled “Combative Persuasion in Step 5 and Step 6” from pages 286-292
Post(2 to 3 pages) your responses to the following question presented for your small group discussion:
Policy advocates sometimes find themselves discussing the needs of vulnerable populations with less-than-sympathetic groups of policy makers. Vulnerable populations might include families living in poverty, individuals with histories in the criminal justice system, or groups who have recently immigrated. Policy advocates occasionally find themselves discussing the issues of vulnerable communities with groups of policymakers who are less than sympathetic to their plight. Families living in poverty, persons with a history of involvement with the criminal justice system, and groups that have just immigrated are all examples of vulnerable populations.
How would you go about communicating the needs of vulnerable populations to policymakers who may or may not agree with your point of view on the necessity of services?
Make sure to include explicit references to this week’s materials in your post to ensure that it is well-supported. Make sure to provide complete APA-formatted citations for your references if you are using any more articles.
How might you communicate the needs of vulnerable populations to policy makers who may not share your views about the need for services?
Be sure to support your post with specific references to this week’s resources. If you are using additional articles, be sure to provide full APA-formatted citations for your references.
Required Readings
SOCW 6361 Webliography
These websites will be required throughout the semester. Become familiar with these websites, especially when doing research for your assignments.
Jansson, B. S. (2018). Becoming an effective policy advocate: From policy practice to social justice (8th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning Series.
Chapter 9, “Presenting and Defending Policy Proposals in Step 5 and Step 6 of Policy Analysis” (pp. 284-326)
Jackson-Elmoore, C. (2005). Informing state policymakers: Opportunities for social workers. Social Work, 50(3), 251–261.
