How to Call Members of Congress When You Have Social Anxiety
If you have a telephone phobia, you are not alone. (I myself am a convalescent member of the club.) If the situation in this country makes you worried, calling your representatives is both a step towards a solution and a way to give yourself a little control over something. But you should be able to call.
Ringing is not the only way to be heard, but one of the most effective . How do you get the courage to call? Cordelia Dillon from Echo Through the Fog has a friendly cartoon to guide you through the process. First, you set aside some time in your schedule and make an appointment with yourself. Then you write the script yourself. The guide offers a few words that you can use. My own calls are usually in the following format:
Hi, I am [name], a voter from [location]. I am calling to ask [name of congressman] to vote [Yes / No] on [bill] for [reason].
The reason may include a personal story or simply your opinion of the most important thing in the bill. You can even skip this part if you don’t like it. If there is no vote, replace that part with “speak out against [bad],” or co-sponsor a certain bill, or whatever you want them to do. If the member of Congress you are calling recently did a good job, feel free to use this:
Hi, I am [name], a voter from [location]. I want to thank [the name of the congressman] for interceding for us [what they did].
You get the idea. I’ve never had to say anything other than a prepared speech, other than answering a couple of questions like:
- What’s your zip code?
- Would you like to leave your full address so that we can answer you?
Say goodbye and you’re done. I also want to thank the staff for their time, especially on the days when I know they get very hot.
Does this sound a little more doable? Dillon reminds us that it’s okay if you’re nervous. Your job is not to show the employee a flawless job, but to get the message across to them. As she says, “They get a lot of calls, so they don’t have time to judge how well you got your message across.”