Beyond the Great Idea in the Shower - For Your Elevation - Insights for Clients of The Showalter Group ..read more

Why You Need to Think Like a Hollywood Mogul for Attention, Persuasion and Action ..read more

Do you know the IQ (Influence Quotient) of your priority legislators, particularly those who will be meeting with your advocates? In our second biennial GRIP® (Grassroots Influence Pulse) research, my colleague, Dr. Kelton Rhoads, had an insight that was superb, true, and vital for advocacy professionals and those they serve. One of the questions we asked was whether the organization’s relationships with elected officials was better or worse than the previous year. A majority responded that they were having better relationships, although they would also cite that legislators were less accessib ..read more

As I think more about the challenges advocacy and PAC professionals have with establishing proper program metrics, I realized that they cannot be solved with the same level of thinking that created the elementary, volume-oriented metrics commonly used. So, presto! A new Amyism ..read more

“Despite declarations to the contrary, no dramatic PAC or advocacy program transformation happens with one tactic. When building an influential advocacy program or large PAC, there is no single event, no grand video, no solitary viral tweet, no “killer app,” no single meeting that transforms your program. Rather, it occurs through consistent thinking, testing and honest evaluation. That consistency produces momentum that leads to transformation ..read more

Amyism #63 - PAC Objections “There are no new PAC objections known to mankind. The crime is not in the objection, but in us not being prepared to welcome, validate, and have a dialogue about them...and to remember that we are answering a person, not a question ..read more

Our year-end issue intentionally does not include any reflections or “lessons learned” from 2020, as you are probably reading enough of those missives, and I trust you have had enough time to reflect and learn from the many adjustments 2020 handed to us. I do wish you and yours a wonderful holiday season, however it may look for you this year ..read more

Since we are all inundated with electoral politics right now, I am intentionally sharing with you non-electoral politics information! I believe it will help you make better decisions as you consider tactics for your next influence campaign, as well as for your internal advocacy and PAC engagement ..read more

I read something a few days ago that spurred, yes, a new Amyism on the importance of original messaging, and how you damage your brand when you "cut and paste" your way to engagement. Amyism # 85: Original PAC and Advocacy Messages “It’s intellectually lazy to appropriate materials and messages from other advocacy and PAC campaigns. The sloth is compounded when the messages are deemed as “new,” “original,” or, God forbid, “disruptive.”  Superior political engagement professionals devote earnest thought, effort and exertion into their engagement strategies and messages. Those who copy and ..read more

Authenticity engenders trust, which leads to influence. In this audio recording, I share highlights from my recent presentation at ASAE's 2020 Annual Virtual Conference on the importance of personal and advocacy authenticity. In today's cancel culture, is there a risk to being authentic? Which generation considers authenticity to be one of their top ten values? Empathy is an element of authenticity---what does the research reveal (so far) to be the empathetic leader archetype? Tune in to find out ..read more