The White House Project
Real Security Initiative
Tool Kit
Table of Contents
- What is The White House Project Real Security Initiative
- What are Civil-Military Relationships and Why are they important
- How to Host Your Own
- How to Write Your Own
- Two Articles on the Changing Role of the Military
How to Write a Letter to the Editor
Keep It Short and Simple!
Go For It! If you don’t write about, who will?
Step One: Pick a timely and relevant topic you feel passionate about
Pick out a recent article, opinion piece or letter in the publication you are submitting your letter to. Refer to the title and date of the piece you are responding to. Make sure it is a topic of interest to you.
Step Two: Present unique or new solutions.
Make sure to think of new ways to discuss and solve your particular problem. The more unique, inventive and practical your solution, the better chance your letter will be published.
Step Three: Write clearly and concisely
Make sure your ideas are crystal clear. The easier it is to understand your thoughts, the more publishable your letter become. When possible, use short, punchy sentences in short paragraphs.
Step Four: Follow the guidelines
All major publications provide guidelines on their websites or in their publication on how your letter should be written. Often letters should be double-spaced.
Step Five: Cut to the Chase!
Make sure your main point is written almost immediately in your letter. Editors and readers alike want to know what they are reading about as soon as possible. They don’t want to have to wait till the end of the letter to learn your ideas. By articulating your point clearly and quickly you will be more apt to grasp the attention of your readers.
Step Six: Be Funny!
Let your sense of humor and irony shine through. But avoid clichés and weak puns.
Step Six: Proofread and spell-check.
Your letter will probably not be published if it contains spelling or grammatical errors. An easy way to check for this is to use the spell-check option on your computer or have someone else proofread your letter for you.
Step Seven: Include your personal information
Your letter is much more likely to be published if you include your name, phone number, email address and home address. This is often a stipulation in the guidelines for writing your letter. Publications will verify that the opinions presented are yours and that you did indeed want to publish your letter.
Sample Letter to the Editor
Women at the Top: Why the Numbers Matter
Published: October 17, 2006
To the Editor:
Re “How Carly Lost Her Gender Groove (And Will She Get It Back?),” by Maureen Dowd (column, Oct. 11):
When Carly Fiorina first became chief executive at Hewlett-Packard, she created a stir when she denied that there was a glass ceiling, saying women have to play by male rules and allow themselves to be judged by male standards. Only later did I hear her publicly acknowledge that her gender had at times been a barrier. In a speech, she said she had been undermined when critics focused on trivialities like her appearance and dress instead of on her leadership qualities.
Women at the top don’t like to think that gender affects them, but until there are enough women leaders in power, they will continue to receive the wrong kind of scrutiny. That’s why numbers matter.
A single woman leader or a few women in a larger group are tokens; each has to prove that she’s man enough for the job.
When we put more women into these top positions and cultivate a supportive environment for them, we’ll be able to see past their gender, and evaluate them fairly.
Marie Wilson
President
The White House Project
New York, Oct. 11, 2006
How to Write an Op-Ed
Step One: Message
Why are you writing this opinion piece? Identify your reasons and this will help shape your message and the main points you should stress.
Step Two: Audience
Who is your target audience? This will help decide where to send your piece for publication.
Step Three: Follow the Guidelines
Each Op-Ed section of each outlet you intend to submit your piece to has its own guidelines for word count. Provide specific reasons why your piece is timely and relevant. Also include with your piece all of your contact information.
Step Four: Submitting
Publication of your piece will depend upon its provoking discussion, controversy or a response in general. Consider how you’d like your target audience to react to your piece.
Step Five: Research
What background information is essential for your target audience to understand if they are going to follow your argument? Develop a brief paragraph or two to explain the information.
Step Six: Theme and Action
Your piece should have one clear theme and should clearly define the action you would like your target audience to take in response to your piece. Develop three key points. Devote one paragraph to each point. This will unify your piece around your theme and keep your piece organized.
Step Seven: Counter your Opposition
What is the opposing argument? What are its strengths and weaknesses? What is your response to the opposing argument? Why is your position stronger?
Step Eight: Strength
Your opening line must immediately grasp the audience’s attention. It is then your job to keep it. You piece should end with a bang and a call to action. And don’t ever give up. If your piece isn’t run, try a different angle, a different outlet or a difference time period.
Sample Op-Ed
Is Katie Couric Good Enough?
The Chicago Tribune
September 3, 2006
Judge the new CBS anchor on her news skills, not her outfits
By Marie C. Wilson, president of The White House Project, founder of Take Our Daughters to Work Day and author of "Closing the Leadership Gap: Why Women Can and Must Help Run the World."
Published September 3, 2006
Katie Couric hit the media jackpot this week, although you'd never know it. So many media outlets were busy reporting on how she can transform from "the princess" of a "frothy" morning show into a serious journalist or how she shaved 3 inches from her waistline, that it was easy to miss the news that Couric landed an exclusive interview with President Bush. Newspapers and blogs across the country plastered pictures of Couric's miraculous weight-loss via Photoshop all over their front page. Her interview with the leader of the free world? A mere blurb.
In another week, Couric will hold down a job once held by male greats of single-name status: Cronkite, Brokaw, Rather, Jennings. On the "Today" show, she was charming, attractive and engaging. She put in years of work, interviewed world leaders, even bravely had a colonoscopy on the show after her husband died of prostate cancer. Her experience, and not to mention her ratings, made her a perfect choice for the anchor of "CBS Evening News," one of the most visible jobs in TV journalism.
But what angle is taken in the articles about her new job? Is it her drive, her intelligence? Her interviewing techniques? Her grasp of the issues? Of course not. It's whether she'll be "accepted" in this new role. Whether she has lost weight, or whether her hair is too brassy, her locks too long, her makeup too dark, her clothes too glam or her skin too tan. And, of course, there's the perkiness factor--you gotta talk about that. After all, there were a ton of news articles discussing the style and panache and wardrobe of Charles Gibson when he started his anchor job at ABC, right? He, too, was on a morning show for almost two decades, just like Couric. You don't remember those articles? For good reason. They don't exist.
Perhaps, you remember the treatment the media gave Elizabeth Dole's intellect when she ran for president of the United States in 2000. Dole had a stunning resume as a former Cabinet secretary in two administrations and president of the American Red Cross. Yet the media focused on her appearance or her marriage to failed presidential candidate Sen. Bob Dole. Or her well-known strident streak. (Hey, doesn't Sen. John McCain of Arizona have one of those? Isn't it a virtue in him?) Despite being the second most popular Republican candidate in the polls and a likely winner if matched against Al Gore in the general election, the media chipped away at her authority, helping to kill her candidacy.
And then there's New York's Democratic Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. A recent cover story in Time magazine wrote of her presidential ambition and, tongue-in-cheek, asked readers to check a box:
Love her?
Hate her?
The good news for Clinton is that 53 percent of respondents said in a Time poll that they have a favorable view of her, and even more think she's an intelligent, strong leader. Yet, most of the media buzz continues to discuss how she can't possibly win the presidency, and most of it centers on her alleged lack of empathy. After all these decades, it's still the frame we put on females--be good, act properly, show the world a traditional model of womanhood. But if we're only told to be good girls, how on Earth do we grow to be great women? If beauty and perennial niceness are the paradigm, with their strict boundaries for behavior, how can women possibly compete with men, especially in traditionally male positions? Like president. Or anchor of the nightly network news.
I'm arguing here for a fair deal for women. Let's smash the pedestal of perfection once and for all--a pedestal that men have never had to stand on. Let's stop insisting that "firsts" make no missteps in words or appearance or past transgressions. Let's put more women in these jobs so we don't have to worry about first anchor or first head of a top Fortune 500 company or first female leader of the free world. And, let's start with the images we show and what they portray: recently a newspaper pictured Couric's soon-to-be rival anchors, Gibson and Brian Williams, seriously pondering their work; in contrast, she was shown reading over a man's shoulder, like a child listening to a bedtime story. When Couric sits in the anchor chair for the first time Tuesday, her level of perceived gravitas and her choice of attire should be of least importance in viewers' minds. What matters is her authenticity. The media should give her the space to prove her mettle without judging her based on old blueprints or trite superficialities. Those eyeing Couric--and other women as they become first in their field--should put aside preconceived notions and give these pioneering women a chance to be great.
Sample Press Release
SAMPLE PRESS RELEASE
Immediate Release: Date
Press Contacts: Name
Title
Organization
Phone Number
E-MAIL
In Response to Recent Polling, The White House Project Presents a Community Conversation
Never before has the United States been more willing to accept a woman leading on the important issues, including national security. The White House Project Real Security Initiative aims to amplify women’s leadership on these issues through our Community Conversations series and encourage women to run for office to help affect real change.
Tomorrow, Date, “Title” is coming to Place. The Place “Title” community conversation will take place at time at the Place. The event will feature Speaker, Title, Organization; Speaker, Title, Organization; and Speaker, Title, Organization. This event too is free and open to all.
The Community Conversation series is intended as a call to action for women leaders. Until we fill the political pipeline with a critical mass of women educated on the important issues and ready and willing to lead, we will never have a broad, deep and sustainable national security policy. The goal of this unprecedented series is two-fold; first educate women about the critical issues affecting national security and second, amplify women’s leadership on the issues of national security.
Speakers taking part in this nationwide series include Name, Title, Organization; James Name, Title, Organization; Name, Title, Organization, former U.S. Senator (D-SD); James Longley, former U.S. Representative (R-ME).
For more information about this unprecedented series, visit: www.thewhitehouseproject.org.
How to Write Your Congressperson
One of the best ways to get your point of view to members of Congress is through a personal letter. Elected officials pay close attention to the mail they receive because every letter represents a certain portion of their constituency. Many elected officials now have e-mail addresses.
Step One: Short and Sweet
In your first paragraph shortly state your purpose for writing. Are you writing about a certain bill? Are you in opposition to an action your congressperson may take? Why or Why not? Keep your letter to one page when at all possible.
Step Two: Build Your Case
Explain why you feel as you do. Use facts though, not emotions. Explain your understanding of the ramifications of the matter in question.
Step Three: Suggest Alternatives
If you are indeed in opposition to a stance your congressperson may take, provide them with alternative solutions.
Step Four: Clarification
Asking your congressperson to clarify their stance on your issue is a great way to ensure a response to your letter and a way to have your congressperson address your concerns or alternative solutions.
Step Five: Include Your Contact Information
Make sure to include your name and complete address, as well as your phone number and email address.
Sample Letter to your Congressperson
DATE
TITLE, NAME
ADDRESS
ADDRESS
CITY, STATE ZIP
Dear TITLE LAST NAME:
Women are the majority of the more than one billion people worldwide who live on less than a dollar a day. As the world’s largest economy, biggest trading power, and a valuable provider of international assistance, the United Sates can make a real difference in women’s lives.
All over the world, women are working every day to lift themselves, their families, and their communities out of poverty. Investing in women is the key to reducing global poverty. Increasing women’s income means healthier, better fed, and more educated children. It also gives women greater control over their own lives. Over time these things translate into strong families, stronger communities and more secure nations.
As a constituent, I strongly urge you to show leadership by forging international programs that create real economic opportunities for women. Please support legislation that offers women greater capacity to:
- to start their own businesses
- to own their own property
- to have good quality, safe jobs; and
- to benefit from global trade opportunities.
I look forward to your leadership to support the world’s women.
Sincerely,
Your name
Your street address
City, State Zip
Sample Constituent Meeting Request Letter
Date
Title, Name
Address
Address
Address
Dear Title, Name:
I am writing to request a constituent meeting with you in your LOCAL office during the week of DATE. I would like to discuss TOPIC.
I am PREFERRED TITLE or ORGANIZATION . In addition, REASON YOU ARE IMPORTANT TO TOPIC.
I will contact you shortly regarding the possibility of scheduling this meeting. In the meantime, you can contact me at PHONE NUMBER if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Jane Doe
Talking Points
The White House Project
The White House Project, a national, nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization (501c3) aims to advance women’s leadership in all communities and sectors; up to the U.S. presidency. By filling the leadership pipeline with a richly diverse, critical mass of women we make American institutions, businesses and government truly representative. Through multi-platform programs, The White House Project creates a culture where America’s most valuable untapped resource - women - can succeed in all realm
The White House Project Programs Include:
The Real Security Initiative
The Real Security Initiative is a program that uses a range of tools, conferences, publications and training sessions to bring women fully into America's conversation about national security.
Now, more than ever, is the time for women to enter the debate about national security. Recent polls show that the public has never been more ready to accept a women leading on issues of security. The Real Security Initiative is advancing women’s leadership by building a critical mass of women educated, informed and leading the policy making decisions and budgeting priorities that make up national security. The White House Project’s Real Security Initiative serves as the gateway for women to build the necessary resources to lead the discussion fully aware of the most pressing security issues.
Community Conversation
The Community Conversation is a large group (30-50) facilitated discussion that brings members of the White House Project network together with one or more veterans, who will be able to address the situation in Iraq or Afghanistan, as well as other military service experiences. After telling a story of how military missions have changed based on personal experience, the veteran engages in a discussion with the participants. There will be a moderator between the veteran and the audience and also, possibly, a local security expert. The objective of these conversations is to educate women leaders and other Americans about how today’s missions, humanitarian intervention and stability operations, stand in stark contrast to the Cold War. These changes will require a thorough discussion among the public and elected leaders, not only about the use of force, but also about budget priorities, possible new institutions and the division of labor among existing institutions, both civilian and military.
Security Dialogue
The White House Project Security Dialogues will be facilitated conversations in which people with different backgrounds pursue mutual understanding rather than agreement or solutions. These meetings are not debates and will not be an occasion to persuade others to change their views. The dialogues will involve both structured conversation, in which participants will take turns responding to specific questions, and an open discussion. All dialogues will be off the record and all exchanges will be kept in confidence.
