What does power really mean? Who has it and who doesn’t? It’s a dirty word in so many circles. You might have a visceral and negative reaction to the word, but why? It’s not power that’s bad but the way we choose to wield it.
One of the first steps to building power is understanding it. Advocates often embark on their policy work with an element of naivete. That the data is persuasive, the stories are heart-wrenching, and the policy is a “no-brainer.” Rarely do we take a moment to understand the bare-knuckle power dynamics at play.
Platform Civic Strategies has undertaken a serious power mapping exercise for a client and we wanted to share the template that we’ve been using.
The goal here is to develop a baseline understanding of the decision-makers you are trying to influence.
Who are they? Who do they listen to? Who donates to their campaign?
This will begin to give you a sense of who has power with the decisionmaker. It is a wonderful starting point for your advocacy.
We’ve put together a free Power Map template to help you get a sense of who has power with the decisionmaker.