Public Relations Handbook - Narcotics Anonymous

In order to serve well, each element of our service structuremust make an earnest effort at effective communication. Asgroups, as trusted servants, as service boards andcommittees, we must share fully with others, and listen carefullyand respectfully to their words.Twelve Concepts for NA ServiceP u t t i n g y o u r p l a n i n t o a c t i o n Trusted servants can begin these relationships by establishing communicationwith one government department (for example, a health and human servicesdepartment, criminal justice department, or a local police department). Afteran area has built NA’s credibility through this initial relationship, trustedservants can ask who in other departments may be able to benefit frominformation about Narcotics Anonymous. One way to build a relationship with government agencies is to request anexhibit booth at a government-run conference or event. This is an effectiveway to begin a dialogue and can also be an opportunity for trusted servantsto meet people who may not be accessible through correspondence or othergeneral PR efforts. Part of establishing a relationship means that trusted servants must findcommon ground with the organization they are interacting with. An area maydiscover that certain government agencies have a negative attitude aboutaddicts or addiction. A police department, for example, might not be instantlyreceptive to what NA has to offer since they primarily deal with addicts whocommit crimes. It is helpful for trusted servants to understand where theseattitudes come from and focus on where we do have ideas and goals incommon. A very practical guideline for building a relationship with a governmentagency (or any relationship, for that matter) is to listen to the feedback that’sbeing given. If a certain agency has declined an area’s attempt to form arelationship, then it is best to respect that feedback by not continuing tomake the same requests. We can always ask about an agency’s reasons fornot wanting to interact with us, and we can bring that information back tothe area for discussion. The area may then decide to contact the departmenteach year through an informational letter or make contact with a differentdepartment. We don’t want to give up on these relationships, but we want toalways be receptive and respectful to the feedback we are given. Visual aids can be a useful tool in presentations given to government agencies(a government presentation template is contained in the addendum to thischapter). These visual aids can help trusted servants stay focused on thepresentation material and can be useful for inexperienced trusted servants.Visual aids that provide information about the global nature of NarcoticsAnonymous can also have a powerful effect on the audience’s perception ofNarcotics Anonymous as an effective, global organization. If the area has a relationship with the local or national government andmembers from World Services are planning a visit to that local area, trustedservants may want to assess if it would be beneficial to set up a meeting. Insome cases, government officials may be offended if local members don’toffer to introduce member-representatives from world services. Valuing thisOctober 2006 | PR Handbook | 115