Case Study: American Heart Association builds more constructive health policy dialogue with Metropolitan Group

American Heart Association equips advocates to hold harder policy conversations with Metropolitan Group

The American Heart Association, through its Voices for Healthy Kids initiative, faced a challenge where its health policy advocates struggled to engage constructively with conservative decision-makers who held differing views. These strained conversations often felt unproductive and emotionally taxing, causing some advocates to avoid interactions altogether. To address this, the association partnered with vendor Metropolitan Group to develop a specialized guide and training program for nonpolarizing communication.

Metropolitan Group's solution involved creating research-driven archetypes to better understand decision-makers' values and integrating nonpolarizing-communication techniques to help advocates build common ground. The resulting online resource and training equipped advocates with practical tools for dialogue and self-care. While specific policy changes were not yet measurable, the vendor's client reported that advocates were successfully engaging in conversations that were previously avoided, marking significant progress in building long-term, values-based connections.

American Heart Association