I was in Tracy last weekend canvassing for Jerry McNerney. Today I was in Morgan Hill, again canvassing for Jerry. I improved gradually in my ability to engage an undecided in conversation. But I never got as good as Pamela in
kid oakland's diary today. I wish I'd seen a script like that beforehand -- or better yet had a cassette tape of a role play.
We're missing training on how to try and change someone's mind -- how to challenge them without antagonizing them or becoming argumentative. Pamela's example, as described by Kid Oakland, is extremely valuable.
This is particularly true because lots of people (like me) were involved in GOTV during 2004, and we received the strong message that the strategy was to get people who already agreed with us to the polls, and that we should not spend ANY time trying to convince people to vote for the Dem.
I have now canvassed in two states, in three precincts, and I have yet to receive any really effective training in how to engage an undecided voter or how to persuade someeone who is just on the other side of the fence, and I've encountered multiple people who fit both those profiles.
This is why I'm nervous about how effective the GOTV effort is going to be. And I'm convinced that good training for volunteers would have a huge impact on GOTV effectiveness.
I'm not talking about giving canvassers a sheet with a few talking points. That's what we do now, and based on my experience and my few conversations withe other volunteers, I've concluded that it's often not very effective.
I'm talking about doing role plays and doing demonstration skits. It wouldn't need to take very long -- maybe 30 minutes -- and I think it would make a huge difference.