25 Here are a few samples to show you this method in action: My communication plan for James Blick, manager of Blick’s Grocer Consider the person’s relationship to the cause. Why should they care? q They provide services that people with MS may use What need is my advocacy effort seeking to meet? q Improving community services for people with MS How can I explain the challenges people with MS face that led to my advocacy effort? I can describe the fatigue that people with MS (and other chronic illnesses) face. I can say “Imagine being so tired that you can barely make it from the parking lot into the grocery store. Now imagine that when you get inside, there are no mobility carts available. That’s frustrating if it happens once or twice, but it’s very upsetting if it happens on a regular basis.” Do I need to modify this explanation to refer to the person’s relationship to the cause? If so, how? I don’t know if Mr. Blick has anyone close to him with a disability, but he does have disabled customers, or the carts would not always be in use. He is likely losing customers by not having enough carts. What do I specifically want to ask the person to do? Spend a week keeping track of how often disabled customers are not able to get a mobility cart immediately, and purchase a suitable number of mobility carts to accommodate us. What follow-up can I provide to keep the person involved? If he agrees to spend a week keeping track, I will make sure to come in and shop, and thank him while I’m there. After the week is up, I will follow up to see what he’s decided. If he purchases the additional carts, I will take a picture with him and the new carts to post to social media and encourage friends to support the store and let him know why they chose to do so. If he doesn’t, I’ll follow up about why and what else he might be willing or able to do to accommodate disabled customers. x x