The primary means of influencing public policy is direct interaction with decision-mak­ers, allies and other key players. This may include participation in negotiations or meetings, direct com­munications with government ministers, or informal discussions with partners and other contacts. Teams work to influence through persuasion, negotia­tion and lobbying. In more formal spaces this may be conducted through evidence-based dialogue, while in other channels this will require more informal discus­sions and debate.

Monitoring and evaluation is a time to step back, assess the progress and performance of the campaign, and make any changes necessary. It is an opportunity to take a candid look at both success and failures, try to understand what led to them and what changes need to be made.

Once the scope of the campaign is determined, a plan needs to be put together to figure out how to make it happen. It may be tempting to launch right into activities, but it is critical to think through details in advance. Advocacy campaigns are highly public and mistakes can be difficult to overcome. That is why it is important to go through the defining researching, audience targeting and stakeholder engaging processes .

Thought and effort invested into research and analysis at the start of an advocacy campaign pays off with more effective results later on. Strategic thinking ensures that the advocacy campaign will target the right people with the most compelling arguments to achieve the desired goal.

Advocacy is a process through which citizens organize to influence public policy and resource allocation decisions. Organizing advocacy efforts is important because there are situations where the benefits of a new policy or policy change will be important for society, but individuals do not have the interest or capacity to press for this change independently. Advocacy groups bring people together to collectively promote a cause, ultimately leading to better outcomes than individuals could achieve on their own.

Advocacy groups:

Out of 148 countries surveyed in 2013 by the WEF (World Economic Forum), in terms of burden of government regulation, many EU countries are near the bottom: Here below is the ranking:

The Coalition for Canada-Europe Trade is an organization of associations and individuals who support trade and investment liberalization between Canada and the European Union. It includes

"Economic competitiveness is the sole way of preserving and further improving the European model. The public sector will not create growth and employment. It is an illusion. The politicians' job is to create the appropriate economic environment. It is only companies that can make the European economy grow again. Not states. And not the European Union. (Alexander Stubb, Prime Minister of Finland)"

Germany's leading economic institutes (Munich-based Ifo, the DIW in Berlin, the RWI in Essen as well as Halle's IHW)  have cut their growth forecast amid a slump in European demand and a series of global crises. They slashed their 2014 growth estimate for Germany down to 1.3 percent and predicted the German gross domestic product (GDP) in 2015 would reach 1.2 percent, which is also significantly lower than their previous estimate of 2 percent.

Corporate government relations is viewed by many schools as a subject someone else should teach. Schools and colleges for the most part don’t teach government relations . Some may offer a course on public policy but it is usually filled with theories and philosophy, and it really doesn’t address the nuts and bolts of what the GR function entails.