"It's like this," the voter said. "I donated and voted in 2006 and Democrats didn't stop the war. I donated and voted again in 2008 and President Obama didn't change much of anything. I'm done. Goodbye."
Every phone-banker encounters those voters, and some aren't that polite. How do we maintain our own enthusiasm?
More below the fold....
Voter Outreach, Part II - Enthusiasm and Despair
As Democrats kick off our GOTV campaigns this week, Morning Feature will focus on voter outreach. Yesterday we emphasized the importance of listening when we contact voters. Today we discuss how to build and maintain our own enthusiasm when we meet rudeness or anger. Tomorrow we’ll explore a sample calling script and and how to use tools that make voter outreach more effective.
Voter outreach is usually pleasant and can even be inspiring, especially as we gain experience and confidence. At least in my county, our outreach campaign is focused on registered Democrats, encouraging them to volunteer and to vote. Most of the voters I listen to are courteous, generally agree on political issues, enjoy having a chance to share their concerns, and like hearing that their concerns go into notes that are passed up the chain to their candidates. As we discussed yesterday, that personal contact is the most important element of voter outreach.
But some Democrats are disappointed with their elected leaders. While the voter in my example was angry with President Obama and Congress, you're as likely to reach voters who are angry with state or local government. That's especially true if your outreach campaign focuses on state and local candidates, as many state campaigns will this year. After an hour of no answers and only one or two positive responses, reaching an angry voter can be very deflating. How do we sustain our own enthusiasm?
What not to do:
First the obvious: don't argue with the angry voter. It may feel good, but you're not likely to win that voter over. In fact, the argument may drive that voter away even more. We'd like every registered Democrat to vote, and vote for Democrats, but that is only an idealized target. At the very least, we can't let our arguments give a registered Democrat an excuse to vote for Tea Party Republicans.
Second the less obvious: don't argue with the angry voter after the call ends. We've all done that. We talk to someone who is angry or rude, then spend the next few minutes - or hours - replaying the conversation in our minds. We may mutter under our breath or talk to someone else, describing in vivid detail just how obnoxious that person was. We prolong the unpleasant encounter, sapping yet more enthusiasm and energy. And in doing that, we give the angry voter control of our thoughts and actions.
That's a normal, human response. Our brains are wired to focus more on what is bad than on what is good. It's a survival instinct: if your coffee is especially delicious but you're in a burning building, it's a bad time to savor that coffee. In cases like that, it makes sense to focus on the bad. But like many survival instincts that make sense in exceptional cases, applying those instincts all the time can do us harm. When we relive and prolong ordinary unpleasant encounters, we reinforce rather than release our anxiety. With each retelling we get even more upset, and less able to find or sustain our enthusiasm.
Worse, we may also drain the enthusiasm from those around us. A three-minute tirade from an angry voter, repeated and bemoaned around a phone-bank room, can become a 30-minute black hole. Positive contacts that might have been made are not made, and the voter outreach campaign suffers.
What to do:
First, listen to the angry voter. As we discussed yesterday, the most important element in voter outreach is personal contact. Sometimes after venting the anger to Someone From The Party, the person will agree to vote or even volunteer. The need to be heard can be that powerful. Simply listening may enough to defuse the anger. But not always.
Second, identify a shared value. Angry voters are angry because some policy or absence of policy violates their moral values. Angry Democratic voters will usually have progressive moral values. You can affirm a shared moral value, no matter your opinion on the policy. Voter outreach is not about your personal opinions on policy. It's about making contact with voters. So you could say, for example: "I agree that people should matter more than profits, especially on this issue. I'll put that in my notes for the party/candidate." Then put it in your call notes, no matter how the call ends.
Third, accept that some voters will stay angry. As we used to say in theatre, "No one gets 100% applause except the king, and only if he has armed guards at the exits." No matter how attentively you listen and affirm shared values, some voters will remain angry. Some will even be rude. End the call courteously, include their concerns in your call notes, and....
Fourth, shake off the anxiety and dial the next number. If the last caller was truly obnoxious, you may need to get out of your chair and take a short walk to shake off the physical anxiety. If anyone asks, simply say you need a quick break. And that "shake off" is literal, not metaphorical. Shake out your arms. Roll your shoulders. Take some deep breaths. Let your anxiety pass. Then take a moment to remember the last positive contact you made, and dial the next number.
Finally, share stories of positive contacts. Instead of talking with other volunteers about the angry voters, talk about the positive ones. If another volunteer wants to talk about an angry voter, listen attentively, then ask about his or her positive calls. Try to prevent a three-minute tirade from turning into a 30-minute black hole. Share ideas on the angry voters after the session is over.
"The wolf you feed."
Enthusiasm is a choice best expressed in the Native American parable of the two wolves. In that story, a young man came to the village shaman and said he felt two wolves within him. One wolf is angry and selfish, the other joyful and generous. "It feels like the two wolves are fighting inside me," he said.
"Those two wolves live with each of us," the shaman replied.
"But which one will win?" the young man asked.
The shaman put a hand on the young man's shoulder and said, "The wolf you feed."
Feed your enthusiastic wolf.
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Your accelerated Kossascopes collide in today's Campus Chatter.
Happy Friday!
Crossposted from Blogistan Polytechnic Institute (BPICampus.com)