When Public Policy Matters, How to Get a Seat at the Table October 14, 2010

Behind the cover of partisan politics lies the true work of government – setting public policy. Here’s how to let your voice be heard.

Whether you are a liberal, conservative, or independent you are being affected by public policy decisions. These are decisions that others are making.

Sure, it’s easy to complain about them after the fact, but wouldn’t it be better to get involved before the decisions are made?

Public policy is one of the terms that we often hear, but few of us understand. It is the system of laws, regulations, and funding around a set of issues, adopted by government, which defines its priorities.

The U.S., along with its various levels of state and local government, has many public policies. Some of these public policies include:

Free public education from kindergarten through high school.
Providing infrastructure – streets, sidewalks, lighting, parks, and sewers.
Conservation of natural resources.
Prohibition of illegal discrimination to help the disadvantaged.
Health and safety issues pertaining to food, water, medicine, restaurants, smoking, landfills, garbage collection, sewage treatment facilities, hospitals, schools, motor vehicles, housing, nuclear facilities, public transportation, public utilities, and workplaces.
Regulation of banks, securities dealers, insurance companies, and other financial institutions.
Understanding how public policies are crafted by government agencies and regulators is often like learning a foreign language. You have to learn the rules, have a good sense of timing and know when to ask for help.

In today’s increasingly transparent and informal 24/7 economy, there’s more opportunity than ever for average citizens, businesses, and nonprofits to get involved in shaping public policies.

The upcoming 2010 elections are setting the stage for the realignment of power, and the opening up of seats for an entirely new breed of policy-shapers. One of those seats may have your name on it.

There is no better time for you to learn to speak the language, the language of public policy.

What you will learn:

Does public policy matter to your company, your nonprofit, or you as an individual? This class is a non-partisan look at how to help shape public policy for the future. Here are eight important strategies you’ll learn:

1. Become clear on how the policymaking eco-system works and how to get a seat at the table.
2. Learn how to take action as an individual, business or organization and determine what groups to collaborate with.
3. Crack the code on ‘policy-speak’ and become conversant enough to testify at a hearing and be an agent of change.
4. How to spot the trends before everyone else and position yourself on key boards and committees early enough to shape the outcome.
5. How a law becomes a law and what politicians and agency regulators are really talking about.
6. How to overturn a policy.
7. Discover how to frame the message, shift public perception, influence the debate, and benefit from the policy process.
8. Learn how to think like a lobbyist.

Who Should Attend?

The course is designed for interested citizens as well as businesspeople and nonprofit organizations curious about how the policy process works and how it affects them.

EVENT: When Public Policy Matters, How to Get a Seat at the Table
DATE: October 14, 2010 - Thursday
TIME: 6:00pm-8:30pm
WEBSITE: http://www.davinciinstitute.com/events/484/when-public-policy-matters-how-to-get-a-seat-at-the-table-thursday-october-14-2010

LOCATION: DaVinci Institute, 511 E. South Boulder Road Louisville, CO 80027

COST: $69

PHONE: 303-666-4133

TOPIC: When Public Policy Matters, How to Get a Seat at the Table
SPEAKER: Richard Eidlin, Founder and President of The Progress Group

Official Website: http://www.davinciinstitute.com/events/484/when-public-policy-matters-how-to-get-a-seat-at-the-table-thursday-october-14-2010