Finding dynamic presenters to motivate your team into action can be a challenge. Miller/Wenhold Capitol Strategies specializes in strategic plan development and legislative strategies that inspire participants to take action and achieve results for our clients. A Washington, DC-based firm, Miller/Wenhold's partners have significant experience working with hundreds of groups, presenting at annual conventions, facilitating strategic plan development with Boards of Directors, and providing leadership and legislative training to groups of all sizes.

Miller/Wenhold Capitol Strategies' learning programs are interactive, motivational and entertaining, designed to fit the specific needs of our clients. Our firm will work with your meeting coordinator to discuss the desired outcomes and to identify the learning objectives that will make your next seminar an outstanding success.

Listed below is a sample of some of the seminars we offer along with a brief summary. The suggested time permitted allows you to further customize the length and intensity of the seminar.

Legislative Training and Call to Action
 

• How Washington Really Works
  Understanding Washington and its players is the key to getting what you want out of your legislators. We will teach your members how to navigate the waters, interact with and manage your contacts and learn the tricks of the trade that influence policymakers to support your legislative goals.
  
  Time Frame 1-3 hours.
   

• Legislative and Regulatory 101
  This is the nuts and bolts of how legislation and regulations are made. You will learn how bills become laws, how to interact effectively with legislative staff and how to effectively advocate for your ideas. This seminar explains the arcane world of committees, appropriations, conferencing and much more.
  
  Time Frame 1-3 hours.
   

• Grassroots Lobbying 101
  Any effective campaign complements direct lobbying with grassroots lobbying. We will break down what grassroots lobbying is and how to effectively train your members to be the ultimate grassroots advocate. This session provides the tools that enable an organization to develop and implement a full-scale, effective grassroots campaign. Utilizing Miller/Wenhold's successes from dozens of effective campaigns that generated billions of dollars for our clients, participants of this session will learn techniques that work and how to efficiently mobilize stakeholders to support key legislative initiatives. Your members will realize that they can and will make a difference.
  
  Time Frame 2-3 hours.
   

• How to Maximize Your Hired Gun!
  Utilizing your lobbyist can be one of your best tools or be an ultimate frustration. Miller/Wenhold will explain how to get the most out of your lobbyist, what to ask of them and what to expect out of them. Also, we will give you questions to ask when hiring an outside counsel as well as strategies to terminate your arrangement without causing political fallout.
  
  Time Frame 1-2 hours.
   

• Dealing with the Press and Getting Your Message Out
  Message management is critical to the success of any business. This session teaches participants how to minimize a catastrophe or maximize an opportunity with the right interaction with the media. We will also teach you techniques in how to avoid falling into media traps. Nothing is off the record here.
  
  Time Frame 1-3 hours.
   

• The Importance and Effective Use of Your Political Action Committee
  Utilizing your PAC can mean the difference of having the critical access you desire or having the door closed on your issues. PAC is not just about giving; it is about the strategy behind the influence game. Our team provides strategies to avoid pitfalls and maximize your PAC resources.
  
  Time Frame 1-2 hours.
   

• Testifying Before a Congressional Committee
  Testifying before a legislative body is the ultimate opportunity for any organization to get its message out. Preparation is the key to ensuring your message is presented within the numerous protocols associated with legislative hearings. We will assist you with those protocols and offer tactics on how to address the committee, whether it be a friendly audience or a hostile one.
  
  Time Frame 1-3 hours.
   

• Understanding the Hierarchy of Congress
  As former Hill staffers, we are in a unique position to reflect on how Congress works and we will help describe the "food chain" in the legislative branch. Having a grasp on who does what is important and will allow you to avoid any unintentional missteps that could cause your issue to be put on the back burner.
  
  Time Frame 1-2 hours.
   

• Legislative Boot Camp
  This signature seminar is one that is most requested due to its unique ability to accurately simulate working with a legislative body. Whether you are planning a fly-in day to Washington or your state capitol, it is imperative that members are prepared. This wildly successful seminar teaches how to effectively interact with legislators and their staff, as well as how to navigate the intricacies of the legislative system, with specialized training on how to handle even the most difficult situations. Boot Camp allows your members to practice and perfect their skills in a safe environment.
  
  Time Frame 1-2 days.
   

• Navigating Government Contracting
  Trying to acquire government contracts is a very detailed, arcane and difficult process. Our professionals will help you work through the maze of contracting and teach you the buzzwords and key phrases that allow your organization to be in the best position to win a contract.
  
  Time Frame 1-3 hours.

Strategic Planning and Executive Training

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• DISC Personality Profile Styles
  Understanding how to interact with others on your team or within your organization is critical to ensuring that everyone is working towards the same goal. Using a professional, yet fun, personality profile test will help you understand the dynamics within your staff, team or organization. This is an excellent seminar for Boards and leadership teams. It allows all the attendees to understand what makes each individual tick and how they respond to other personalities. We then take the different profiles and have them work to solve common problems. Acknowledging your team's individuality is critical to understanding where you are going and how you plan to get there.
  
  Time Frame 4-6 hours.
   

• Creating Solutions!
  Simply, this seminar works with key constituents or members to identify solutions to challenges affecting the profession. This is the ultimate brainstorming session that taps into the collective brilliance of your team. Participants are presented with an issue pertinent to the industry to examine and discuss with the objective of brainstorming and identifying effective solutions. Often, having a third-party facilitator breaks the logjam of creative thinking and adds credibility to your organization's efforts.
  
  Time Frame 2-4 hours.
   

• Leadership Training
  We provide leadership and team building seminars that allow your organization to work more effectively. These seminars can be catered to intimate groups or to strengthening coalitions with your chapters, affiliates or targeted constituents in your organization. This seminar is designed to ensure that your members, partners and affiliates are working towards the same goal. We will work with you to customize the strategic and tactical levels of discussion that will allow your attendees to walk away with real tools that they can utilize and implement immediately.
  
  Time Frame 4 hours - 2 days.
   

• Strategic Planning
  Regardless of your organization's size, you should always be planning for the future. This interactive seminar challenges your key decision-makers by asking them to determine the organization's future. We help you find the solutions and facilitate the discussions that allow for candid dialogue and set out tangible goals and timetables.
  
  Time Frame 6 hours - 2 days.
   

• Survivor Seminar
  Based on the hit TV show, this highly interactive and entertaining seminar gets your members personally engaged in solving the issues facing your profession or industry. The Survivor Seminar encourages individuals to effectively work as a team, to be competitive, and challenge themselves to be the last team standing — the ultimate Survivor. This program benefits your organization by tapping in to the collective knowledge of those attending the seminar, engaging your members on critical organizational issues and actively developing solutions to real-world challenges. By being part of the solution, your members become your best advocates and effective messengers to others within your membership or organization.
  
  Time Frame 3-4 hours.
   

• Right Brain/Left Brain Marketing
  Understanding how people perceive you and your perceptions of the world can often dictate your success or failure in your career. This seminar will show you how the brain operates in marketing you, your skills and help you master your surroundings. We are constantly inundated with professional marketing techniques and this seminar will help you separate the substance from the flash.
  
  Time Frame 1-2 hours.

 

At Miller/Wenhold Capitol Strategies, we are committed to making our seminars fit your needs and ensure that your members leave the seminar energized and empowered. We believe that any organization deserves knowledgeable, exciting speakers at a reasonable price. At Miller/Wenhold we deliver that experience.

For more information, please contact us via email at mail@mwcapitol.com or by phone at 703-383-1330. I guarantee we will be able to work within your budget and deliver seminars that your members will never forget.