5 ways to get the most out of Queen's Park Day

The OMA’s annual Queen’s Park Day is a great opportunity to build relationships and put forward solutions to address issues in health care. If you’re joining us on Oct. 21, here are a few tips to help you engage, influence and get the most out of the experience  

1. Be prepared. You’ll get a briefing package from the OMA, which includes loads of information to help you speak easily about our advocacy goals. When you are given the chance to talk about the issue that matters to you, be prepared with answers to questions that will help illustrate your point concisely. Remember that most MPPs are not experts on health care, but you are. If you can’t answer, offer to follow up at another time
2. Make a personal connection. Tell the MPPs, political staff and bureaucrats you meet about your role as a physician and use anecdotes or examples to convey what patients and health-care workers are experiencing
3. Make it local. Political figures have varied backgrounds, experiences and perspectives. Knowing who they are may help you make a personal connection. Localize what you speak about to the community they represent so they understand decisions have local impacts
4. Stay positive. Don’t take any criticism personally. Acknowledge any difficult situation raised during your meeting and use it as an opportunity to talk about solutions. It’s a good idea to recognize MPPs for any positive political action they’ve taken 
5. Be focused. Remember, your main objective is to deliver key messages and build relationships. Relationship-building may take the conversation off-topic. Try to steer it back to solutions where possible 

Wendy McCann is a freelance writer for the Ontario Medical Association.