Your leaders are always eager to hear from you and from their other constituents! After all, you and your fellow constituents are the people who vote them into power, and can vote out of power. Nevertheless, most people don’t know the various ways in which they can contact their leaders. This page touches on some of the most common ways. Make sure to remain professional and respectful in all of your communications with your leaders and their offices, no matter which avenue of communication you are using.Though many of the training materials are in English, most leaders only accept communications in French, so make sure to use French when communicating.
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Email
At The Borgen Project, we’ve found that one of the most effective ways to get in contact with one’s leaders is through emailing them directly. You can find your leaders’ emails on their official profiles (on either the National Assembly or Senate website). While not a formal letter, make sure to include your address at the bottom of your email. This allows the leader to verify that you are one of their constituents.This is the method of contact that you will be asked to do most frequently during your time with The Borgen Project.
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Phone Call
This is not a method that all MPs have available but, when they do, you can find their office’s phone number on their official profile (on either the National Assembly or Senate website).It is simple and easy, and you usually only need to say a few sentences (your name, that you’re a constituent, and what you want your leader to support). Generally, for political advocacy purposes, it is best to call their Paris office if possible.
Typically, it’s an intern or a lower-level staffer who answers the call. Questions from the person answering the call, beyond just asking for your address (to confirm you are a constituent) or a call-back number, aren’t common. However, if they do ask an in-depth question and you’re unsure of the answer, just tell them you’ll need to look into it and get back to them, ask them for a good way to reach them, and then seek assistance from your manager.
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Letter
Letter writing is one of the oldest ways of contacting and communicating with Parliamentary leaders, and remains a highly impactful way. It is even more impactful and effective when handwritten rather than typed, as it adds a personal touch to the letter. When sending your letter in the mail, you should typically address it to your leader’s Paris office. Make sure you include your address both on the letter itself and on the envelope (as the return address).Read more about writing letters to your leaders here.
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Use Social Media
The age of social media has brought another way to quickly contact your leaders and get their attention. Most leaders are on Twitter, and just a small Tweet directed to your leaders to ask for support on a bill/issue can make them aware that you care and that they should take action. What’s nice about tweeting is that it is simple too and can be done on-the-go! While you shouldn’t put your address or postal code in your tweet, make sure to mention your city/town, as that will indicate to your leaders that you are one of their constituents.Read more about using social media to contact your leaders here.
