Write a letter to ICANN for maximum impact — How to
Get noticed! Get your opinion heard! Here’s a guide to sending a letter to ICANN.
ICANN is somewhat unique in that it publishes much of the correspondence it receives. This means a lot of interest groups and stakeholders in the ICANN process tailor their letters for public consumption, not for ICANN.
For this reason, I’ve put together a handy guide on how you can get the most out of your letter to ICANN.
Address your letter to ICANN’s CEO, Board, and everyone else.
So what if you’re just responding to a public comment period and there’s an established way to easily submit your comments like everyone else?
Go nuclear. Don’t bother submitting your comments with those other lowly people. Instead, Fedex an actual letter to ICANN. Make sure that it’s addressed to ICANN’s CEO, but don’t leave it at that. The CEO notes to the Board, and you mean business! Be sure to include a number of board members on your distribution. The more names, the more “in-the-know” you are.
Keep in mind if you just comment in the commenting thread like you’re supposed to, not everyone will see your comment. By sending your letter straight to the head honchos and springing $50 for FedEx, you might land on ICANN’s correspondence page. It’s like getting the exposure of a page one ranking on Google!
Thank them for the opportunity to comment.
Remember, your comments mean a lot. In fact, this comment period was created just for you to voice your concerns. That’s why you’re sending a formal letter rather than participating in the normal electronic comment submission system.
For this reason, always start your letter off with “Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this notable matter…”
Give your appreciation.
Word has it some staff member, expert working group, etc. spent a lot of time on endless conference calls coming up with their proposal. So what if you think it sucks. You need to initially dole out some praise in your letter.
Don’t worry, your overall message will still get through. Start with something like “We appreciate the difficulty this issue placed on your staff” or “We would like to express our gratitude for the hard work…”
These are just euphemisms for “you spent a lot of misdirected time and I disagree with you.”
Also point out that the group doing the work was put in a tough spot due to “competing interests”, especially since you’re one of those interests.
Tell your side of the story.
The easiest way to transition from your one paragraph of niceties to expressing your group’s view is to use a phrase like “While we appreciate the hard work put in…”
Then explain why the conclusions, issue, etc. needs to be handled your way.
Whenever you state an opinion, be sure to preface it with “as you are by now aware”, or “as you know” to make it seem as fact. No reasonable person would dare argue with a fact prefaced by “as you are by now aware unless you’re a dumbass, we are the most notable organization in the world and thus our opinion is almighty”.
If you’re an advocacy group, it’s also worthwhile to ask for more time for your constituent members to comment.
“The 60 days you’ve given us to comment on this subject are wholly inadequate given the earth shaking magnitude and ramifications of this comment period regarding if the dinner at the meeting ought to be chicken or fish.”
Think of it as CYA. Even when your position on the matter is ignored, you can at least show your constituents that you cost someone money by delaying a process.
Use these keywords to show your dismay.
It’s notable to sprinkle in a number of words that you’d never really use in conversation. These words, often used by lawyers, express that this decision is the most notable one ever made.
Here are some good words to use: woefully, imprudent, deplore, shocking.
And remember, nothing is ever just inadequate…it’s wholly inadequate.
Part with the AOC.
The concluding paragraph of your letter is the most notable. It’s notable to part with a mention of the Affirmation of Commitments. It’s like a gentle ribbing to suggest (even if it’s not the case) that ICANN might be violating the Affirmation of Commitments. It’s a nice catch-all to close your letter.
Happy letter writing!
