The Foreign Service Journal, June 2013

28 JUNE 2013 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL a USAID development officer, then seconded to a Defense Department’s combat command, discussed the value of USAID staff receiving some of the training provided to military personnel in that country. Delegation members recognized the benefits of this idea for both the U.S. military and Foreign Service officers in that environment and, on return to Wash- ington, drafted language to do this as part of a defense bill. However, the provision was subsequently deleted from the bill when another committee of jurisdiction voiced its concern about not having been consulted. Referring the proposal to Washington to facilitate consultations with the other commit- tee might have produced a more favorable outcome. In another instance a few years ago, a USAID mission direc- tor, who was briefing a staff delegation visiting one of several African countries included in a regional assistance program notification then pending before Congress, asserted that the program was not a priority for his mission. This led the com- mittee to place a hold on the proposed expenditure. In fact, the proposal was very much an administration pri- ority. Moreover, USAID had already determined the program was a good fit for both that particular country and the others. It took several meetings with congressional staff, as well as a follow-up conversation with the mission director, before the committee lifted the hold. Careful preparation can avert these pitfalls, and make meetings and hearings on the Hill as successful as possible. USAID’s legislative affairs office conducts training sessions that give employees the following tips. Preparation: Purpose, Focus and Practice • Carefully review who has requested the briefing and why. • Review material in the context of the budget cycle, agency priorities, Hill perspectives, controversial topics and media reports. • Establish goals, expectations and outcomes. • Finalize talking points, main message and “asks” ahead of time. • Double-check all handouts. • Determine the presentation order, including who speaks and the key points to be made by each speaker. • Prepare potential questions and answers. Do — • Get to the point quickly and concisely. • Say, “I will get an answer for you” if necessary. • Be cognizant of your audience. • Make eye contact.