Call your candidates and ask them to sign in the pledge and support a better future for Scotland's food system. We've written the below phone script to give you some ideas for making the call and leaving a voicemail.
Checklist |
Aim |
Template script for you to personalise |
1 |
Friendly opening & introduce yourself: State your name so they recognise any follow up/ later communications and know how to address you. State where you live, so they understand in what capacity you are contacting them (e.g. you are one of their local constituents) |
Good [morning/afternoon], My name is <<your full name including pronouns and/or titles>> I live in <<the name of your neighbourhood and your postcode>> |
2 |
Indicate who you would like to speak to |
I am calling to speak to <<name of candidate>> |
3 |
Tell them why you are calling. Personalise your issue. They will want to know about your specific experience of it. |
I am calling about <<the issue>>. This is really important to me because <<reasons/your experiences>>. |
4 |
Ask them clearly what you would like them to do about this. Offer to explain how you think that this will help the issue. |
I would like you to <<clear action points for the MSP/candidate [e.g. sign the GFN Pledge]>>. Is it helpful if I tell you more about how <<this action>> might help? [e.g. quote the Pledge if they do not know about it already; explain what the Good Food Nation Bill is and what it would do] |
5 |
Offer to follow up in writing, to summarise what you talked about, reinforce details of your discussion and point them to essential information. Check their contact details, and tell them what email address you will be using. |
I will send you an email <<tell them roughly when>> to summarise what we talked about and with links to <<particular information they need to progress the actions you’re asking them to complete>>. Please can I check which email address I should use to write to you? |
6 |
Check on action updates, outcomes and timelines. Thank them and reinforce what was agreed |
I would appreciate it if you could update me on how this matter has been progressed. Roughly when can I expect to hear back from you on what has happened? Thank you for your time and I look forward to your update. |
EXAMPLE SCRIPT:
Good afternoon,
My name is Alistair Mackay. I live in 123 Example Street, AB12 3CD. I am calling to speak to candidate Mr John Smith.
I am calling about the large amount of junk food advertising. This issue is really important to me because good nutrition is essential for our mental health as well as our physical health, and junk food advertising greatly contributes to people eating unhealthy food.
The industrial food and farming model has led to mass production and mass marketing of processed foods that are cheap to produce, chemically-intensive large-scale agriculture and long, deregulated global supply chains of foods as commodities. The places we buy food promote and normalise unhealthy diets. My children and their friends are exposed to huge amounts of junk food advertising. This promotes eating habits which are harmful to their health.
I know there are lots of problems facing the food system, and junk food advertising is just one of them. There are also problems with the way we produce food that is pushing out nature and produces carbon emissions that contribute to climate change. I believe we need the Good Food Nation bill, a law that works across the whole food system and takes holistic approaches to tackling these important issues.
I would like you to commit to addressing the problem of junk food advertising and the many other problems that our food system faces and ask you to sign The Scottish Food Coalition’s pledge by May 6.
Is it helpful if I tell you more about this Pledge and how it might help?
The Scottish Food Coalition’s Pledge states:
“I pledge to support the introduction of a Good Food Nation bill in the first parliamentary year. This must be founded upon the right to food, which will deliver a resilient, socially just, healthy and environmentally sustainable food system.”
The Good Food Nation Bill will give the food system much needed attention and start tackling its many challenges. It will contribute to the wellbeing of our people, as well as our environment.
Are you interested in signing the pledge?
I will send you an email this evening to summarise the points we have discussed, with a link to The Pledge so that you can sign it.
Can I check what email address I should send my message to? My email is [email protected] so you can recognise my message.
Roughly when can I expect you to sign the Pledge?
Thank you for your time and I look forward to seeing your signature on the Pledge next week.
Good afternoon,
My name is Alistair Mackay. I live in 123 Example Street, AB12 3CD. I am calling to speak to candidate Mr John Smith.
I am calling about the large amount of junk food advertising. This issue is really important to me because good nutrition is essential for our mental health as well as our physical health, and junk food advertising greatly contributes to people eating unhealthy food.
The industrial food and farming model has led to mass production and mass marketing of processed foods that are cheap to produce, chemically-intensive large-scale agriculture and long, deregulated global supply chains of foods as commodities. The places we buy food promote and normalise unhealthy diets. My children and their friends are exposed to huge amounts of junk food advertising. This promotes eating habits which are harmful to their health.
I know there are lots of problems facing the food system, and junk food advertising is just one of them. There are also problems with the way we produce food that is pushing out nature and produces carbon emissions that contribute to climate change. I believe we need the Good Food Nation bill, a law that works across the whole food system and takes holistic approaches to tackling these important issues.
I would like you to commit to addressing the problem of junk food advertising and the many other problems that our food system faces and ask you to sign The Scottish Food Coalition’s pledge by May 6.
Is it helpful if I tell you more about this Pledge and how it might help?
The Scottish Food Coalition’s Pledge states:
“I pledge to support the introduction of a Good Food Nation bill in the first parliamentary year. This must be founded upon the right to food, which will deliver a resilient, socially just, healthy and environmentally sustainable food system.”
The Good Food Nation Bill will give the food system much needed attention and start tackling its many challenges. It will contribute to the wellbeing of our people, as well as our environment.
Are you interested in signing the pledge?
I will send you an email this evening to summarise the points we have discussed, with a link to The Pledge so that you can sign it.
Can I check what email address I should send my message to? My email is [email protected] so you can recognise my message.
Roughly when can I expect you to sign the Pledge?
Thank you for your time and I look forward to seeing your signature on the Pledge next week.
EXAMPLE VOICEMAIL:
My name is Alistair Mackay. I would like to raise my concerns about the urgent problems that Scotland’s food system faces. For example, large amounts of junk food advertising and the environmental damage caused by our farming practices. I am asking you to sign The Scottish Food Coalition’s Pledge supporting the introduction of a Good Food Nation bill in the first parliamentary year. I emailed you about this issue on March 15th. If you would like to give me a call back, please do so at 01234 567 8901. I am available for your call back on the afternoons of Tuesday and Wednesday, 6-7 April, between 1pm and 6pm.
In any case, I will follow up this message by emailing you a summary of the points I wanted to talk to you about. My email address is [email protected]
Thank you for your time, and I look forward to hearing back from you.
My name is Alistair Mackay. I would like to raise my concerns about the urgent problems that Scotland’s food system faces. For example, large amounts of junk food advertising and the environmental damage caused by our farming practices. I am asking you to sign The Scottish Food Coalition’s Pledge supporting the introduction of a Good Food Nation bill in the first parliamentary year. I emailed you about this issue on March 15th. If you would like to give me a call back, please do so at 01234 567 8901. I am available for your call back on the afternoons of Tuesday and Wednesday, 6-7 April, between 1pm and 6pm.
In any case, I will follow up this message by emailing you a summary of the points I wanted to talk to you about. My email address is [email protected]
Thank you for your time, and I look forward to hearing back from you.