Excellent planning and preparation are hallmarks of successful public affairs councils, but true success can be measured only by the strength of the relationships formed and the beneficial results that those relationships produce. Such results are directly related to the experiences opinion leaders have with Church members and priesthood leaders.

Positive Experiences = Positive Results

People are generally a product of their deeply held beliefs. They make choices and act on those choices based largely on what they believe to be true. But where do beliefs come from? Most often they come from experiences.

An opinion leader who has good experiences interacting with Church members and leaders may develop positive beliefs about Mormons. For example, a local government leader who witnesses a group of Latter-day Saints performing a significant act of service on behalf of the local community may develop feelings of admiration that are then projected in the opinion leader’s mind to the Church as a whole. Later, these thoughts and feelings, reinforced by other positive experiences involving Church members, may persuade the opinion leader to act in ways that benefit the Church.

Relationships that produce positive results start with positive experiences that create or change a person’s beliefs.

The lesson for public affairs councils is this: Every interaction with and activity involving opinion leaders must be appropriate and relevant and well-planned in order to provide the right experiences that will lead to the formation of accurate and positive beliefs about the Church.

How to Be Appropriate and Relevant When Interacting with Opinion Leaders

To be appropriate means acting in ways that are mindful and respectful of the opinion leader and his or her time, responsibilities, and concerns. To be relevant requires understanding what is important, meaningful, and helpful to the opinion leader and providing experiences that complement the opinion leader's desires.

The process of stepping into the world of opinion leaders will help public affairs councils to develop the necessary and specific understanding about each opinion leader required to be appropriate and relevant. Until this understanding is established, efforts to reach out to opinion leaders may suffer and should probably be postponed.

The specific details of what constitutes appropriate and relevant interaction will differ from opinion leader to opinion leader. However, the general guidelines below may prove helpful and should be discussed with other members of the public affairs council.

Before the meeting or interaction:

• Prepare thoroughly and always have a meaningful purpose for the interaction.
• Stay current on what is going on in the opinion leader’s “world.”
• Keep communications professional in nature (brief, to the point, not too personal,).
• Always thoroughly review and edit all correspondence to the opinion leader.
• Know details about how the Church can and cannot assist the opinion leader.
• Anticipate questions or concerns from the opinion leader.
• Prepare materials with the opinion leader’s interests and concerns in mind.

During the meeting or interaction:

• Make good use of the opinion leader’s time.
• Be genuine and sincere and appropriately bold.
• Let the opinion leader initiate any “small talk.”
• Show due respect for and an understanding of the person’s station or position.
• Express appreciation for the opinion leader’s good works.
• Only raise subjects that you are familiar with.
• Respect the opinion leader’s opinions even if they seem disagreeable.
• Err on the side of offering assistance rather than asking for favors; do not leave the opinion leader feeling obligated.
• Utilize gifts sparingly.

Following the meeting or interaction:

• Follow interactions with a note of appreciation; then be in touch regularly but not so often that the opinion leader feels pestered or intruded upon.
• Recognize appropriate special events and special accomplishments.
• Look for other appropriate and relevant opportunities for interaction to further build the relationship.