Edward Tufte is the reason why Jeff Bezos banned PowerPoint at Amazon.
Discovering this led me to look into this Princeton/Yale Professor.
I don’t like PowerPoint. It always jarred with me. Some people I respect tell me it can be done well.
Tufte explains an alternative – smarter presentations and shorter meetings.
His advice is just as relevant for good lobby meetings.
He recommends a 2-6 page long document that is handed over at the start of the meeting. The audience then spends 20-30 minutes in silence, reading the document. He does not recommend sending it in advance because he doubts anyone will read it in advance.
Sir Tim Berners-Lee used such a memo that led to creation of the world wide web.
For lobby meetings, I recommend sending a pre-read in advance (1-2 pages). In this, you outline your case/position and provide the supporting data/information. I do this because you go to the meeting not to argue the case but to secure a positive decision. That means positions in the Commission, EP, or Member State government needs to be decided in advance of your meeting. Your advance memo will be the main instrument for promoting your case.
Preparing a clear memo is hard work for the writer/presenter. It is easier to prepare a PowerPoint. You use sentences, data and information in diagrams, visuals, etc. Your job is to establish your credibility. To do that, you must never lie or cherry-pick. You should provide the references. It is a good idea to use experts in your field. Tufte recommends referring to the experts who hold a position contrary to you.
Writing a good policy memo is hard work and time-consuming. It is a lot easier than the alternative. If you don’t do it, you’ll spend a lot more time working far harder, with far lower chances of success, trying to reverse decisions, and gaining the support you need.
You need to think about your audience. You are writing for them and not for yourself. This means you must not be patronising to them and deal with them from their level of understanding. I’m in awe of people who think a senior official, MEP or a Minister is an expert on the obscure policy issue that is someone’s life’s obsession. Policy and political decisions are constantly being taken by officials and politicians who are not issue experts on narrow fields. It is normal. Their expertise is taking a policy through the political process and getting decisions enshrined in law.
Practice your presentation by recording yourself, and even better, get someone to observe your presentation and provide constructive feedback. Few do this. I do it before going to a lobby meeting. The iPhone recording reveals in ghastly clarity physical and speech mannerisms (the ems, aghs, you know) that I can work on getting rid of. If you rehearse, the actual talk or meeting will be a lot easier.
Turn up early and finish early. An old boss in DG Environment always gave meetings to a particular lobbyist. I asked why. The reason was simple “Aaron, X turns up early, explains his client’s issue clearly, asks my view/position, thanks me for it, and leaves. The meeting always ends early, and I can do something else”.