There are two ways to become a good lobbyist.
First, you can copy the craftsman of old, serve a 10-year apprenticeship with some of the best in the field, before going out on your own. You may choose to supplement the initial training with training with other master craftsmen.
Second, you can use the techniques of NLP and modeling, study the best in your field and create mental models. A mental model has been described as ‘a miniature map of a particular domain of your life that you carry in your mind’. It is a mental simulation. It is a map you can use, more or less subconsciously, when you make a decision, communicate and take action.
To start with, I took the first path. I learned a lot working with some very good politicians, campaigners, and legislators. I started to use the techniques in my late 30s.
The job of a lobbyist is to hold a model of how laws, policies and political decisions are made in their mind so that they can diagnose an underlying issue, and act on it. If you don’t have an accurate model of the law and policy-making machine, then your diagnosis is likely to be wrong. Indeed, the course of action or “cure” you offer might cause it to get worse, not better.
As a lobbyist, my job is to see things for what they are and not how I, or others, want them to be. I have an advantage. I am Liberal Free Trade Catholic Social Democrat. I think that an annual convention of fellow travelers could be held at the red phone box next to the Ritz.
After all, if people saw things in the same way as your client, you’d be doing something else. It is because the political and policy-making machine has a worldview so different than you are now helping your client.
As a lobbyist, I just have to understand how the 200 key opinion makers and influencers on a given issue will act and react. As I have written before, it is surprisingly easy to do. And, after you realise that key decisions will be taken by those with a vast array of political and other beliefs, you realise you need to be able to put yourself in their mind’s eye. If you can’t, you are limited to playing the role of cheerleader. Whilst entertaining to watch, perhaps attractive to some of your own fans, you’ll have limited to no impact on the game.