Tips for Being an Effective Advocate

Becoming an effective advocate may require learning about good advocacy practices as well as having a lot of patience and perseverance. Some people are naturally better at advocacy than others. Those who tend to be better advocates are people who are not easily intimidated by difficult people or situations and who have little difficulty in speaking up for themselves or others. Some people, however, learn to be good advocates over time (often because they feel they have to be to achieve good things for their child).

There are a number of good practices that will help you to become an effective advocate. These practices can be broken down into four main areas: preparation, communication, documentation or note taking, and follow up. It is important to remember that what you may need to do as an advocate may depend greatly on the issue or situation. Some situations will be more difficult and trying. They may require action over a period of weeks, months, or sometimes years. Other situations may be resolved more easily and therefore require less effort.

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