Choose Your Words Thoughtfully When Advocating!
When communicating with government leaders – legislators, agency officials, etc. – it’s important to choose your words thoughtfully. Government leaders make decisions which affect many people and must consider these decisions carefully. Three words which help you make a stronger case to leaders at all levels are bleeding disorders, access, and oppose/support.
Bleeding disorders. Government leaders want to know how many people are affected by an issue, and how many people you represent. The more people who are affected, and the more people you work with, the more power your voice has.
The word bleeding disorders includes people with Hemophilia, Von Willebrand’s Disease, Platelet Disorder, and other disorders. Over 1 in 100 of all Americans have a bleeding disorder. By comparison, only 50,000 people in America have Hemophilia (including type A and B).
All people with all bleeding disorders need proper diagnosis and treatment. All people with bleeding disorders can get help at treatment centers, use similar medications which can be expensive, can have serious problems without proper treatment, and can have insurance issues. Only use a specific disorder name when referring to a specific person. Otherwise, use the word bleeding disorders.
It makes you stronger when you speak for everyone with a bleeding disorder.
Access. Government leaders want to know how what you want will benefit people.
Giving people access to something (insurance coverage for a medication, test, or service) means giving them something they need, like the ability to get needed care to stay healthy, work, go to school, and care for their family. Compare that to the word choice, which means people may have more than one option and may use one option or the other based on preference.
Having a choice is great. Having access means the difference between staying healthy and avoiding serious problems. The more people are directly impacted, and the more they directly benefit from something, the more attention your issue will get.
Support/oppose. Legislators and officials can’t always do everything you want. However, they may be able to do other things that can help you.
For example, a legislator may not be able to vote on something, or the party they belong to has little power over legislation. If you ask a legislator to support or oppose something, it means they can also make calls, write letters, and speak on your behalf to others who do have more power on an issue.
Using words like support or oppose give you and the people you advocate to more options than just saying “vote for/against” something.
Always choose your words thoughtfully when communicating with government leaders. Government leaders must consider their decisions carefully, so using the right words can make the difference between success and failure.