Just as tour guides can get you around the mazelike hallways of the Capitol, there are activism experts to help navigate the power structures within it.

Christopher Kush, author of The One-Hour Activist, helps advocacy groups use their grassroots members to influence Congress. He offers trainings to new activists, sets up meetings with lawmakers, and strategizes on how to get bills passed.

Soapbox Consulting, the company Kush started 12 years ago, works with more than 50 groups each year.

"We're guns for hire," Kush said, noting that his company would work with any group that wants to get its message before Congress.

Many other D.C. law firms and lobbying companies do the same for hundreds of others. Those that can’t afford outside help often hold in-house trainings before they lobby.

Lobby days are popular with nonprofit groups and trade associations because they help put a face to the cause. Spring is particularly effective because that's when Congressional committees are reviewing the President’s budget and setting their priorities for the year.

Online petitions and letters don't have the same effect, Kush said.

Many of the groups' members have never even met a lawmaker. Kush's job is to train them to calm their nerves and get them to stay on message.

“They know what they have to say, but it takes practice to get it right," he said before a recent training with the Arthritis Foundation.

Kush has worked with the group for eight years to secure more funding and research for arthritis. It's a disease that can cripple people but often gets overlooked as an everyday problem.

"Heart disease kills. Cancer kills. Arthritis kills your lifestyle," Amy Melnick, a policy expert with the foundation, said.

Kush arranged 226 meetings for the Arthritis Foundation members in early March, 114 of which were with the lawmakers themselves. But before the group’s 300 members went to Capitol Hill, he led a half-hour training to explain what they should say.

About half the crowd had never participated before, including Joanne Blair, a single mom from New Jersey who shifted in her seat as Kush began his presentation.

She diligently jotted down the three main talking points: Co-sponsor the Arthritis bill (HR 1210   and S 984 ), support appropriations for arthritis research and funding, and continue the comprehensive health care overhaul.

Kush livened his slideshow with jokes aimed at putting the tense crowd at ease.

"We want $10 million for the CDC, $8 million for the DOD. Ooh, that actually sounds kind of funky," Kush rhymed, prompting Blair to crack a smile.

He continued with a quick civics lesson, emphasizing that constituents only have power where they live. While each region has its own concerns, he said it's important to have a unified message.

"We need to work together to get Congress to do anything for us by bringing a variety of people from a complex and big country to all come together and ask for the same thing," Kush said, adding, "Can I get a 'kumbaya?'"

He touched on how midterm elections are affecting what happens in Congress. Democrats are nervous about losing seats, and Republicans are eager to gain them.

"They are looking at you as a very good prospect for somebody who might be willing to pull a lever for them," he said. "This year, they would love to do something tangible and specific and discrete to help you vote for them."

He armed the activists with statistics on how arthritis affects the military. Soldiers have a 45 percent higher risk of getting arthritis than the general public.

Mention that kids are also affected by the disease, he added. Some of the attendees had brought their children along, and Kush led a separate training to teach the young activists to point out where it hurts during the Congressional meetings.

Kush finished the training by calling up audience members to practice what they will say in the meetings. He asked a member from Alaska to talk about how far she travels to visit a doctor.

"We need to illuminate in a real way the things we want to bring to Capitol Hill," he said.

Afterwards, Blair practiced her own message with the people at her table. She choked up as she talked about her 13-year-old son, R.J., who was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis five years ago.

"I pay $1,000 a month out of pocket because my insurance is through a small business," she said. "I'm here to request that you co-sponsor this bill that is very important to not only him but the 300,000 other children who suffer from arthritis."

As she apologized for her tears, someone at the table remarked, "Maybe that's effective because it's sincere."

Blair admitted that she was nervous about meeting a lawmaker for the first time.

"I don’t know what to say to these people," she said. "I've never studied politics so I don't understand everything. But as [Kush] went through it, it all falls into place."

After meeting with four Members of Congress that day, Blair reported back that she was optimistic. Her personal goal had been to get Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) to co-sponsor the bill.

"We probably have done that," she said. "It's been a long time coming."

But it's also just the beginning of Blair's activism. She has signed up to be an ambassador for the Arthritis Foundation, which requires attending local town halls and staying in touch with legislators' home offices.

"We don't realize we have a voice until somebody gives us a push," Blair said.

That's one of the reasons groups like Arthritis Foundation continue their lobby days. Even when they are not successful at passing a bill, the event empowers their members to feel like they can do something about the illness.

"It's a deeply emotional and satisfying experience," Kush said. "We don't mean for it to be. We're just trying to pass appropriations."

Ambreen Ali writes for Congress.org.

Become a fan of Congress.org on Facebook.   Follow us on Twitter.