Stepping into the world of opinion leaders means developing a deep understanding of who they are and what is important to them. The quality of the road map and subsequent outreach depends on knowing as much as possible about the opinion leaders and their interests, beliefs, opinions, and attitudes. With this information, much of which can be gathered from a variety of secondary sources such as newspapers and Internet sites, public affairs councils and priesthood leaders will know how to make their interactions with opinion leaders both appropriate and relevant.

As information is gathered, keep in mind the following:

• Start by looking for biographical and background information about the individual and his or her organization.
• Look not only for information that others have published about the opinion leader but for information that the opinion leader has published about himself or herself and his or her opinions, including personal websites or blogs and websites published by the organizations that the opinion leader represents.
• Look both for things that have been said about the individual and by the individual. Pay particular attention to information contained in the opinion leader’s public speeches. Look especially for anything that the opinion leader has said that is relevant to the council’s objective or local issue.
• Look for information about what the opinion leader has accomplished recently and for any honors or recognitions bestowed on the opinion leader—especially any that might be related to the council’s objective or issue.
• Expand the search to include statistics and articles that are relevant to what the opinion leader has said or believes about the objective or issue.
• Be aware of what detractors may be saying about the opinion leader and his or her position on various issues.
• Read www.newsroom.lds.org daily to keep updated on new information about the Church.

For media opinion leaders, read or listen to their articles or reports to discern the types of topics they cover and to detect any consistent editorial bias they may demonstrate.