Managing an Issue Amid Political Change

Election upheavals of the amplitude we saw this year can put a kink in the best designed issues management plan. The key is to anticipate and not place all your eggs in one political basket.

For example, the new Republican majority in the U.S. House wants to repeal or scale back the health care legislation enacted earlier this year under Democratic rule. If your business or medical practice depends on providing medical tests for cancer patients, you may want to see the provision regarding pre-existing conditions retained in law. So how do you do that?

Caption: Managing an issue implies working on roller skates. Just don't get stuck in the rut of rolling in the same direction all the time.

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Winning Awards for Issues Management a Challenge

Entering public relations contests is a worthwhile activity. CFM just had a winner for the 19th straight year in the Oregon Spotlight Awards, this time for State Lobbying issues.

I do think it is slightly harder, however, for organizations engaged in managing issues or legislative affairs to win public relations awards. This is not a complaint. Just an observation.

One reason, judges in PR contests often have product promotion experience but do not necessarily have the background to evaluate or appreciate the value of what a nonprofit or government agency has accomplished. Having expressed that opinion, I also say: “Get over it.” You just have to work harder to communicate the value of your group’s work.

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