Acing the Congressional One-Pager

By Sheeva Azma

When it comes to political communications, less is more, says @SheevaAzma.

Tweet

As a science and technology writer with experience working in the United States Congress, I have learned the value of effective communication when talking to lawmakers. A lot of times, less is more. Less long explanations and more short, information-packed tidbits.

In fact, working in politics – whether grassroots organizing or working in government – has been a mainstay of my life. I wrote an entire blog series called “A Scientist in Politics” about it.

Through my experiences, I’ve learned that there are many ways that people living in the United States can interact with their lawmakers. Here’s a diagram I came up with to illustrate a few ways you can interact with your elected officials in the House and Senate. For best results, focus on lawmakers that actually represent the district(s) in which you live and work. As an intern in Congress, I regularly threw away pieces of mail urging us to act on an issue that originated from an address outside our district.

Most people interact with their lawmakers remotely – that is, via phone, e-mail, snail mail, or even social media. However, one may opt to interact with their federal lawmakers in person. If you are a small business, you can lobby your Members of Congress…or you could visit Capitol Hill as part of an advocacy organization, as I did in grad school. 

You may ask: what do I say to my elected officials to get them to be on the same page as me? How do I get my lawmakers to do what I want them to do?

Busy lawmakers don’t have time to read a lot

Pressed for time and with competing demands, lawmakers need things explained to them as easily as possible. They rely on their staff to do the research and pull out facts that are important and relevant to their constituents and the US.

That’s where people like me come in! If you’re looking to hire a writer well-versed in legislative advocacy, look no further than Fancy Comma. (Get in touch!)

Just like when you’re applying for a job and take your resume to the interview, it never hurts to bring some supplemental materials for your Capitol Hill visit. In this blog, you’ll learn about a document called the congressional one-pager that can help you make your case when meeting with lawmakers in Congress. Keep reading for more about the congressional one-pager and how it can help you when meeting with lawmakers!

How I learned about the congressional one-pager

In grad school, I was selected for the Society for Neuroscience Early Career Policy Fellows program. As part of the program, I traveled to Capitol Hill with a group of other neuroscientists to meet with lawmakers in person and tell them about the value of biomedical science funding. Read more about my experience here. I loved visiting Capitol Hill, so maybe it’s no surprise that I returned to do an internship in the U.S. House of Representatives – and then almost did a second one!

I participated in the SfN Early Career Policy Fellows program for several years in a row, and I learned a few important lessons about legislative advocacy there. Perhaps the most important thing I learned was that members of Congress are short on time and expertise and must rely on their staffers to make decisions. You can make the staffers’ job easier by taking the time to think about your message and policy ask long before you step into the hallowed halls of Congress.

What to include in a congressional one-pager

If you’ve got a meeting with a member of Congress, and you want to get them on your side, it’s helpful to bring a one-pager to fill them in on the crucial details. 

Key information to include in your congressional one-pager includes:

• Your policy “ask” – what action(s) do you want the lawmaker to take on this policy issue? This should be very clear and backed by everything else on the page. I recommend putting the policy “ask” at the top of your one-pager.
• A summary of the problem and your solution
• Facts and data that support your proposed solution, making it the best choice for relevant stakeholders, the lawmaker’s constituents, and, more broadly, all people in the US
• Information about your organization and your contact information
• If available, information about members of Congress who support your policy ask

Making your case in one page

The one-pager helps you amplify your message in meetings with federal lawmakers. As the Hob Nob Blog writes, “An effective one-pager is ultimately your calling card. It is also a tool that can be used to facilitate further interaction and dialogue. The one-pager should be integrated into your congressional meetings and used for referring congressional representatives to your website and other relevant resources.”

When you go to your meeting, after you introduce yourself, you can hand copies of the one-pager to the staffers. They will likely skim it during the meeting, so keep it short and to the point. If you are writing a one-pager about a scientific issue, make sure that you have explained the main concepts in a way that anyone can understand. Check out our free science communication and science policy resources for ways to do that.

You don’t have to come up with a different one-pager for different members of Congress, or even for members in the House versus the Senate. Just keep it simple, short, and to the point, so that even the busiest staffers can skim it and glean insights.

Not only does the one-pager help members of Congress and their staffers know what you are talking about, it forces you to come up with an “elevator pitch” of sorts, along with talking points, that can help you stay on message in your meeting. When you meet with your member of Congress, you can fall back on the talking points in your one-pager, while also relaying your personal experiences as a constituent to support your case. Members of Congress are very curious about what political issues, values, and beliefs their constituents hold dear.

Examples of congressional one-pagers

I was going to come up with my own example one-pager for this blog post, but then I Googled around and learned that there are no shortage of congressional one-pager examples around the web. Maybe I could have asked ChatGPT to write one, but I think it would have a difficult time trying to understand its audience and connecting on a personal level with policymakers. Therefore, I believe people are still the best writers for congressional one-pagers.

Below, I provide a few examples of clear and concise policy one-pagers written by people before the era of ChatGPT.

• The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons published several congressional one-pagers. I like this one on insurance reform from 2019 – you can easily understand the issue and the policy ask despite the complexity of the subject. I also like this one on graduate medical education from 2017.
• The Graduate Student Research and Development Caucus created this one-pager to help recruit more members of Congress. It’s simple and straightforward and lists contact information so members can follow up once they have a chance to review.

Also check out this tip sheet from Public Knowledge to help you in crafting a one-pager for a meeting with Congress.

Lastly, I love part one and part two of “Science Policy Writing for Advocacy” from the National Science Policy Network about writing a congressional one-pager. Check them both out below.

The Bottom Line

I hope I have convinced you about the power of the one-pager – and clear, direct, and detail-oriented communication in general – for interactions with Congress. Anyone can write one! Don’t be dissuaded from writing a congressional one-pager just because the political world seems complex. If you have an in-person meeting with Congress coming up and don’t want to write the one-pager yourself, you can hire a seasoned professional political communications company such as Fancy Comma, LLC. Learn about our political communications services or get in touch.