Advocacy and You: Twitter

Now that you are using your Facebook as an advocacy tool, it is time to expand your reach to twitter. Twitter can be a great
way to advocate. There are over 175 million active users who are willing to connect, and ready to support a cause; you can make a difference. If you don’t believe that Twitter has power let’s look at all of the revolutions that took place in 2011. The majority of them were started because of people connecting on twitter.

Here are some tools and tips to help you be a better advocate:

1. Connect with the Media: There are a lot of journalists that use twitter. What better way to spread the power of music therapy than through the media? Begin to follow journalists on twitter and see what stories they are writing about. Begin to comment on their tweets and show your knowledge and appreciation for the topics in their articles. They more you interact, the more likely you will be able to assist them with a story in the future.
2. Look beyond your network: Start to connect with people outside of the music therapy community. Look at politicians, celebrities, and people who will be beneficial to connect with. See what they are talking about and show them that you can relate. If they are people with celebrity status, treat them like your friends. (Most celebrities won’t open up if you flaunt all over them)
3. Every connection is a new door: Just like advocating in an elevator or to the government, you never know whose life you can touch by spreading your message. If you think someone can benefit from some information, let them know. Twitter can connect you to so many people and you don’t have gateways blocking you. On Facebook they need to add you as a friend, LinkedIn requires approving your connection; twitter can allow you to gain access you didn’t think was possible.
4. Be Human: Here is one thing we often forget when we put on our advocacy hat. You may want to sound formal and stick to a script when advocating. Formality can often be lost especially in only 140 characters. The more human you are the more likely it is that people will listen.
5. Importance & Repeat: Remember to let people know why it is important to support your cause. If you don’t tell them then they won’t know. On twitter, you need to tell them often. There are so many updates that come through on a given twitter feed. I follow 666 people right now, that means your tweet can easily be missed when I log on. Tweak your message a little each time so you stay human but if it is important make sure you keep updating!

Check back on Monday for tips on increasing your advocacy efforts on LinkedIn and Google+.

Free at Last

Today we celebrate a great man. 73 years ago yesterday Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He served as one of the biggest voices in the civil rights movements and was an advocate for what he believed in. In honor of Music Therapy Advocacy week, we are kicking off this advocacy inspired week at Greenlight PR  with a post looking at MLK and how we can lead by his example to become great advocates.

Here are a few ways we can learn from Martin Luther King Jr.:

1. Fight for your beliefs: This is one thing that MLK always stood for. No matter how tough things get you need to be willing to stand up for it. If you back down when things get tough, you will never make a difference. It doesn’t matter what you are an advocate for, as long as you feel strongly about it you should try to make a difference.
2. When the going gets tough: You have all heard the saying, but MLK lived it. He faced many challenges during his life. Instead of deciding to rest he faced everything head on. Not only did he speak out against the inequality between the races in America but he also took a stance on the Vietnam war, compensation, and peace. You need to adopt the same attitude that he had and not back down when things get difficult.
3. Be eloquent: One thing that MLK was a master at was speaking with style and power. His words rang out like poetry and caused people to be moved to tears. Try to become more aware of your speaking style in order to move your audience. It doesn’t matter if you are advocating to a high school student or congress, you can make a difference. Remember words are your best friend and you can master the same ability as MLK with a little practice.
4. Believe: In order to be a successful advocate you need to believe. Believe in what you are fighting for and believe that something will change. If MLK thought equality was impossible, he wouldn’t have taken on such a task. Some things are worth fighting for no matter how tough it seems. Always remember that before putting on your advocacy hat and you WILL make a difference.

We can all use MLK as an inspiration. Lets take a moment to remember this great man and let him help us to remember that we all can have a dream worth fighting for.

How To Be An Effective Advocate: Five Tips for Sharing Your Passion

Advocate – To encourage support for something 

We all are advocates for something. In fact, this may be a term you hear constantly, but do you understand what it means? Being an advocate means you encourage people to believe in what you do. This doesn’t mean you need to change someone’s life, but heck it wouldn’t hurt; all you need to do to be an effective advocate is leave them with a bit of knowledge they didn’t have before meeting you. This may seem like a daunting task, especially if your just starting out in your field, but YOU can be an advocate.

Here are a series of tools and tips you can use to become an advocate for your profession.

1. “So what do you do?”: We have a unique advantage (if you would like to call it that) living in the United States; usually the first thing people ask when they meet you is what you do for a living. This habit has become the easiest way to be an advocate. Make sure you have your elevator speech (a short 60 second overview of what you do) ready to give people insight into what your passion is.
2. Choose your words: Language is the key to being an effective advocate. While every profession can be filled with jargon, you have to know when to use that language and when to simplify it to make people truly understand. You don’t want to leave someone thinking, “oh so you’re a music teacher” when you just tried to explain what music therapy is. Make sure your language is something that someone outside your field can understand.
3. K.I.S.S.: Keep It Simple, Seriously.  Have you ever met someone who was overly enthusiastic about what they did? Did they describe what they are passionate about so quickly that you lost track of what they are saying? Of course you want to show your passion, but leave it at its peak. Don’t try to describe every detail. You want to create a natural selection process. People who truly find it what you are saying interesting will ask you to explain more. Let them ask you for more.
4. Make it Personal: If you are going to be a great advocate, you have to understand your audience. This means speaking to their needs and wants. If you are talking to a doctor, speak about the relationship to the medical field. If you are speaking to a parent, talk about the benefits for their children. People can’t connect to a pre-written speech, but when you pull at their own emotions they are more likely to listen.
5. Anonymity: Don’t leave out who you are. So you’ve laid the groundwork and have passed on some wise insight about your field, now what? People don’t always have the chance to come up with questions. Make sure you drop your name and your organizations name so they can easily Google you later. You don’t know if they might be a lead to your next client or help you get funding. This also helps put a face to your field. You don’t need to be the anonymous advocacy fairy, take credit for the knowledge you share.

I hope these tips help you go out and become an advocate for your field. Just remember that everyone you meet is a chance to promote what you love. So go out and share what you are passionate about.