Advocacy Training 

If you’re interested in one or more of these classes, please email Programs@marinefm.org to be notified of the dates for each class once finalized. 

Advocacy Training – Basics

This four-part training in the basics of advocacy is designed to help participants get to know each other, discuss environmental areas of concern in the community, and begin working together. We’ll then learn and collaborate through a series of four sessions as we: 

• hone our critical thinking
• learn how to create momentum and persuade by developing personal and community stories that connect emotion and values to action
• get strategic by learning who’s who and who does what in local government and community organizations
• learn how to use video to make persuasive arguments. 

And finally, we’ll collaborate in developing an environmental action plan with outcomes that will lead to improved health and well-being among residents and long-term reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

Critical Thinking (Session one)

Trevor Stevenson*, Executive Coach for Social Change Leaders

 We will start your training in advocacy with a discussion of facts because accurate, reliable facts are the basis of any effective advocacy campaign. Learn how to gather trustworthy information, identify when your biases are altering your perspective, and gain insight into potential opposing views.

Homework: EFM Notebook: Critical Thinking: Needed Now More Than Ever!

Persuasive Strategies (Session two)

Trevor Stevenson

Next we’ll take the information that we’ve gathered and create a message about the issue that will persuade listeners to take the action you’re recommending. We will talk about effective narrative structure and how values and emotion can affect your argument.

Homework: Review this EFM Notebook on public narrative

Presentation Slides

Advocacy Tactics (Session three)

Trevor Stevenson

Once we’ve created the message, we’ll learn how to use coalition building and power mapping. The first helps us to identify potential teammates while the second helps identify target people to receive the message and take action. We will discuss how best to share your message, what tactics are effective, and how to listen while you advocate.

Persuasive Video (session four)

Leah Faw, PhD, Education Policy

Video is today’s most persuasive medium and can take your carefully crafted message far and wide. Define who you are trying to reach and then learn how to select the appropriate social medium to match your strategic requirements. Please note that this is a content discussion, not video-making boot camp.

Advocacy Training – Advanced

After participants have mastered the basic advocacy skills, the next step to full advocacy is mastery of effective public speaking and use of social media. These three classes will help take participants to the next level in creating and presenting impactful presentations to decision makers and others, through video or in-person presentations.  

Presentation Skills 

Kraemer Winslow, President & C.E.O, Make Your Point Communications, Inc.

Successful advocacy often comes down to the effectiveness of the presenter who makes the case to the gathering of decision makers — whether that’s the school board or a congressional committee. Internationally recognized communications expert Kraemer Winslow will explain the key characteristics of effective presentations and answer questions on how to incorporate them into your speeches.

Advocacy Speeches with Positive Feedback 

Kraemer Winslow, President & C.E.O, Make Your Point Communications, Inc.

This class is an extraordinary opportunity to work test-drive your polished advocacy speech in front of a live audience, including internationally recognized communications expert Kraemer Winslow. You will get positive feedback on what is working well with your speech and (if you wish) tips on how to make it even better.

 

*Instructor biographies

Kraemer Winslow
Kraemer holds an M.A. in Human Development and Behavioral Psychology from the University of Kansas. She is the founder of Make Your Point Communications, a company that offers training in presentation, media, and listening skills. She has been part of the Master Class since 2002, offering intensive coaching in public speaking.

Trevor Stevenson
Trevor graduated from Bates College with a BA in Environmental Studies and Sociocultural Psychology and earned an MA in Community Development and Environment from Clark University. A Spanish speaker, Trevor is an executive coach for social change leaders including representatives from indigenous groups in South America, Mexico, and the Western US. Trevor has offered advocacy classes in Forum 2020 and 2021 as well as teaching classes in Spanish as part of the Advocacy Training Series. 

Leah Faw
A Bay Area native, Leah holds a BA in Political Science from Reed College and earned a PhD from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Education in 2021. Affiliated with EFM since 2020, she is the Social Media Coordinator and taught a class on using social media for Forum 2021.

Small group facilitators: Lead small group discussions during class sessions

Jonny DeBorst
Originally from Ecuador, Jonny holds a degree in Environmental Science and Economics from Evergreen State College. As Assistant Program Director at EFM, he has co-taught advocacy classes for Forum 2021 and facilitated small group discussions in Spanish for the Advocacy Training series in the Canal.

Advocacy Coach: Responsible for maintaining cohesion of group during the Advocacy series; meets with participants and community partners prior to beginning of series to identify areas of concern; works with participants during series to connect class content to advocacy project and continues subsequent to the series to support completion of advocacy project.

Arlin Benavides
Arlin holds a BA in Urban Studies from UC Berkeley. He has worked on transportation and data analytics research and assisted in the development of grassroots community projects. He recently retired from the position of Equity Planning and Outreach Manager at the Multicultural Center of Marin. A fluent Spanish speaker, he has been involved with EFM’s Advocacy Series in the Canal as the Advocacy Coach since 2021. 

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