All those e-mails and phone calls that you’re firing off to your politicians? Fuggedaboutit! Politician Omar Ahmad makes an interesting point about communicating to elected officials that might surprise many people: phone calls and e-mails just don’t get anywhere.
If you really want to have clout, says, Ahmad, write an old-fashioned letter—and he does mean old-fashioned. Do not compose with your computer. Get out a pen and paper, relearn to handwrite neatly, and fire away. And do so monthly, if you want to remain as a relevant player in your congressional or assembly representative’s mind. He even gives a four-paragraph format of a politician-friendly letter: the appreciation, the issue, the cause, and the suggestion.
You can find Ahmad’s presentation on TED, a premier source for creative and insightful talks. Here’s the link to the engaging six-minute lecture: http://tiny.cc/7ny8s
