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ROOTS
OF SUCCESS
Fall 2004 | Volume 6 | Issue 3
Recognizing
Your Stars
In the spirit of grassroots and PAC member recognition,
as well as my small way to help the economy by promoting
retail engagement, I am starting a new column featuring
items that may be useful as you recognize your volunteer
advocacy and PAC luminaries.
Clothing with the “Vote” message is quite
the
rage now.  While I have been quoted in the
Baltimore Sun and other publications stating
that, "It's fashion, not activism," I admit
that it
never hurts to urge others to vote using all mediums
possible.
My favorite site with
t-shirts that you can
customize for your
members/employees is:
www.votingisforpeople.com.
Here you can design a shirt that reads: “Voting
is for _______ people.” Fill in the blank with
your company, association or issue campaign
name. If you are so moved, insert an adjective
to describe yourself such as fabulous,”
“beautiful,” or “cool” and
wear it with pride.
Personal,
Persuasive Communications Reinvigorates Corporate
Grassroots Programs
"Since we were starting our grassroots program from square one, we knew
that a solid plan of attack was required if we were going to be successful. Amy's
direct consultation was precisely what we needed to target and prioritize action
items that are essential to starting a grassroots program. That is what is so
great about Amy! Whatever the status of your grassroots program, she meets you
where you're at and gives you the tools and direction to build the kind of grassroots
results that will enhance your ability to shape and influence public policy.
One of the projects we collaborated on was a persuasive
grassroots presentation to hundreds of our franchisees.
One franchisee after another came up to me and said
it was the best and most interesting presentation of
the whole two-day event. They admitted that they used
to delete my emails when they received them, but after
my presentation, they want to get on board with grassroots
advocacy. The President of our company even thought
it was great. After conducting just three of these
meetings, our action call participation rate jumped
from 7-8% to over 22%."
— Andrew Weikert, Government Affairs Liaison, at Auntie Anne's, Inc.
Innovate to Motivate - the
National Conference of Political Involvement Professionals
will be held in Key West Florida on February 15-18,
2005 at the Wyndham Casa Marina Resort. Check out this
year's program at www.innovatetomotivate.com
Get
Your Career In Gear—Amy’s New Coaching
Packages are Here!
With her motivating mix of candor, encouragement and
humor, Amy is
offering new coaching packages in specific disciplines.
You can take advice from someone who knows a little
about where you are trying to go, or you can learn
from someone who has been successful in the pursuits
you are following. Amy knows what it takes to make
you and your grassroots and/or PAC program a motivating,
momentous force in and outside your organization. Amy
won’t just give you information, but insight
and application to take your skills to the next level.
“Amy brings an enthusiasm
and knowledge of the process that is unique and timely.
Her years of practical hands-on experience really shows,
and most importantly, motivates.”
– John Willey, Anthem
Blue Cross Blue Shield, Inc.
This highly personalized coaching is different than networking at a conference.
You just can’t bare your soul in a conference packed with your peers.
Coaching promotes accelerated development because while you set your
own goals, you are accountable to Amy. She will keep you on track to
reach your goals faster!
For all coaching packages described below, you receive:
- Customized assessment of your strengths and opportunities for
improvement;
- 360° feedback mechanisms if desired;
- Goals formulation and timeline;
- Mandatory bi-monthly conference calls to learn new techniques and
tips to apply in your daily work;
- Mandatory weekly check-ins with Amy to ascertain progress toward
your goals;
- Unlimited email access to Amy (All coaching clients receive a
response within 24 hours, unless Amy’s travel interrupts email
access. Coaching clients are notified in advance of travel schedules
that may preclude email response within 24 hours);
- Confidential help and support toward your goals.
"I credit you, in part, with helping me to be prepared for my new responsibilities. The trainings I have participated in with you, the resources on your
web site and just generally being able to observe how you carry yourself in
your role, have all influenced me greatly over the past several years. So
thank you, and keep up the outstanding work!"
-- Maureen Cassidy, Vice President, Advocacy
American Heart Association, Greater Midwest Affiliate
Call or email Amy 513.762.7668 / amy @ showaltergroup.com to discuss
your coaching goals.
May
the Best Looking Man Win - The Science Behind Looks
And The Presidency
Research has shown that we automatically
associate good-looking individuals with such favorable
traits as talent, kindness, honesty, and intelligence
(Eagley, Ashmore, Makhijana, and Longo, 1991). More
disturbingly, we unfortunately make these judgments
without being aware of it. A study of Canadian federal
elections found that attractive candidates receive
more than double
the votes as unattractive candidates (Efran and Patterson,
1976). Despite such evidence of
favoritism for handsome politicians, follow-up research
showed that voters did not realize their
bias. Seventy-three percent of them denied that their
votes had been influenced by physical
appearance! Voters can deny it all they want, but the
evidence continues to confirm it is a troubling
presence (Budeshein and DePalla, 1994). If you want
to feel even worse about our primal
tendencies, it does not stop there, it effects hiring
decisions and the judicial process as well.
So, what do the psychologists say about Bush versus
Kerry in the looks department? Kathleen
McGowan gave a synopsis in a recent Psychology Today
article. Her findings?
Height Makes Might
According to management professor Timothy Judge of
the University of Florida in Gainesville, the
connection between height and success is a self-fulfilling
prophecy. We view taller people as
more competent and authoritative. Therefore, they sometimes
develop a high self-esteem that
leads to a job that brings a better paycheck or more
authority. Kerry gets the edge in this area,
being 6' 4" while Bush stands at 5' 11".
Warm Authority
Colgate University psychologist Caroline Keating says
we like leaders to have an authoritative face
and also a young, warm appearance. "Bush's round
chin makes him look boyish and genuine,
emphasizing his nice-guy image. Nonetheless, his small
eyes and bushy brows signal dominance.
Kerry's heavy brows, prominent chin and thin lips signify
dominance in status. His hair is an odd
contrast." Keating guesses that with Kerry, "People
don't know quite what to make of his face."
Bush may have the edge, as the "exposure effect" states
that we render as face seen more often
as more appealing (Bornstein, Leone, and Galley, 1987).
These psychological measures gives
Bush the edge, but keep in mind that they are not foolproof.
Bill Bradley, a 6 foot 5 only child
with a sweet face, lost the Democratic nomination in
2000. .
Upcoming
Teleclass - "New to Grassroots? Answers to Your
Most Common Questions"
It is time to go back to school
with The Showalter Group!
Some of the most frequently requested articles from
our web site are those on how to manage a grassroots
network when you are
new to grassroots.
We have heard your pleas, and will be offering a new
TeleClass entitled, "New to Grassroots? Answers
to Your Most Common Questions" on Thursday,
October 7 at 12:00 p.m. EDT.
"Our consultation was so worthwhile! I learned more
about grassroots from you in one day than I have all
the years on my job."
-- Kate Rooney, Vice President
Retail Association of Massachusetts (formerly)
Although many of us attend (as we should) conferences
and professional development opportunities to improve our grassroots program, we can still be jolted by the unexpected developments of daily grassroots management. Reduce your learning curve -- don't wait for the unexpected. Amy will give you over 55 tips and tactics to accelerate your results!
Under Amy's tenure, the Nationwide Civic Action Program was ranked as one of the top two corporate grassroots programs in the country. (Ed Grefe and Martin Linsky, The New Corporate Activism) This is your opportunity to learn from someone who has actually led and managed a highly esteemed grassroots program. She is hired by Fortune 500 companies and national and state trade associations to help invigorate their grassroots and PAC programs.
In this TeleClass, you will learn:
- The six most prominent expectations that your senior
management and/or board has of your grassroots
program and how to manage them;
- How to meet the expectations of your grassroots network
members;
- The rules for effective Action Alerts (and why there is
no magic number of the "maximum allowable" number
of alerts);
- The basic ingredients of persuasive grassroots newsletters,
web site, and issue updates;
- Over 15 realities of grassroots leadership your
mother (and your boss) never told you;
- Amy's Core Action Values for superior grassroots
leadership.
This TeleClass will incorporate research results on the
above topics, and of course, Amy's real-world stories
about what works and what doesn't.
NEW! In addition to the interactive Q & A during the
TeleClass, Amy is now offering all TeleClass registrants a
confidential email consultation of one question before
and after the TeleClass to be sure you get your questions
answered.
Register Online
here
The Science Behind Successful
Voter Registration and Get Out the Vote Drives – What
Works, What Doesn’t, and Why
Virtually every organization
with any stake in the election is conducting a voter
registration and/or Get Out the Vote (GOTV) effort.
However, do our well-intended efforts produce the results
we want? We can have great intentions, but if our prospects
aren’t registering to vote, or are registered but not
voting, or aren’t voting for the candidates that support
our organizations’ interests, it just doesn’t matter.
Changed behavior is the ultimate result.
I agree with what Lee Culpepper, Senior Vice President
of Government Affairs at the National Restaurant Association,
told the Washington Post: “Everyone likes to say that
they have a voter registration program, but you aren’t
necessarily moving the needle.”
It’s important not only for your desired election results,
but also for your internal organizational respect and
support to develop and maintain a strategic, results-oriented
voter registration and GOTV drive. Without it, we risk
the skepticism of our co-workers and even PAC and grassroots
network members who may believe that it’s just another “flavor
of the month” program, rather than one that delivers
benefits to our organization.
So, what must we do to implement a consequential voter
registration and GOTV drive? Campaign professionals
can tell stories about GOTV tactics used by their candidate
that helped them win an upset election. However, these
anecdotes do not allow us to isolate the influence
of any particular tactic. A healthy skepticism should
cause us to ask whether the direct mail piece, web
site, etc., really caused the increase in voter turnout
or might something else in the campaign have caused
the turnout?
Large nonpartisan voter registration drives voice unsubstantiated
claims as well. Press releases announce that thousands
of people were registered as a part of this or that
campaign. As Donald Green and Alan Gerber state in
their must-read book, Get Out the Vote:
"As exciting as it
may be to register large numbers of people, registration
is not the same as voting.
Second, the people who were registered as part of a
big drive might have registered anyway on their own.
Nonpartisan voter registration campaigns sometimes
register large numbers of people and yet fail to raise
either the registration rate or the voting rate. .
. Even fancy statistical analysis of survey data or
historical voting patterns cannot overcome the basic
principle that correlation is not causation."
Gerber and Green’s book is a
rigorous, research-based approach to validating various
voter registration and GOTV drives. I’m surprised that
it’s not required reading for association and corporate
government affairs staff. I suspect that it’s because
their research refutes many of the common and popular
voter registration and GOTV tactics.
This mentality reminds me of the wise words of best-selling
author and Fast Company columnist, Seth Godin:
Amyism #46
"Organizations (and politicians) tend to believe that science is optional.
It’s not. If you run ads and they don’t work, it doesn’t matter how you spin
it; they didn’t work. We may have all sorts of business and theological reasons
to challenge a piece of science, but denying the reality of a tested universe
never leads to a positive outcome." --Seth Godin
Gerber and Green conducted their
experiments over several years in federal midterm elections,
state and municipal elections, the 2000 Presidential
election, and various nonpartisan voter mobilization
efforts.
Over 29 findings were ranked on a three-star system.
A tactic that received a three star rating was deemed
most effective, meaning that the finding was implemented
with a large number of voters and implemented by different
groups in a variety of settings.
Their findings can help us develop realistic expectations
about our campaigns. They cite the most effective tactics,
and also the cost-effectiveness of the tactics. The
authors claim that no matter how many "robo" calls,
mailers, or conversations on voters’ doorsteps, the
most votes that any of us can realistically expect
to generate is around 200.
Personal Contact Rules
Door-to-door canvassing is a much better tactic of
getting out the vote than Internet messaging. Knocking
on doors drove voter turnout up by 8 to 10 percent,
while leaflets, direct mail and email yielded increases
of less than 1 percent. In fact, they found that one
additional vote is produced for every fourteen people
who are contacted by volunteer canvassers.
Practical Application Tip: What are you doing
to increase the personal contact with those you want
to get to the polls? In an organizational setting,
you can set up voter registration booths with real
people there to answer questions. You can also appoint
GOTV or voter registration "captains" who
can wear a lapel pin or promotional t-shirt to publicize
your effort and encourage conversation and follow-up
activity.
Research from a BIPAC post-election survey showed that
in a recent Ohio election, over 50% of the voters who
were personally contacted by a labor union representative
voted.
Further, the demonstrated effects of door-to-door canvassing
suggest that other face-to-face tactics may stimulate
better turnout.
Practical Application Tip: When candidates
visit your facility, encourage face-to-face interaction
between candidates and your members/employees. Make
sure that your “captains” help facilitate personal
contact with the candidate. Ask them to serve as hosts
to introduce employees and association members to the
candidate.
Ask for Their Commitment
Commitment coincides with the influence principal of
consistency. Humans have a natural drive to be consistent
with prior statements and commitments, particularly
if those statements and commitments are made in public.
Gerber and Green found that the message does not matter
as much as asking citizens whether they can be counted
on to vote and providing them with the location of
their polling place. They claim that they have not
isolated these factors with great precision, but "they
seem to be worth incorporating into most canvassing
campaigns." Asking someone whether he or she can be
counted on to vote doesn’t cost anything.
Practical Application Tip: Engage the consistency
principle by asking potential voters if they will vote
on election day. Allow them to respond to fully engage
the consistency principle.
Additional Findings of Interest
Nonpartisan e-mail has negligible effects. Is this
heresy in today’s world of hyper-abundant email mobilization
efforts? No, it’s scientifically proven. Although thousands
of e-mail recipients followed links to sites where
they could register online, registration rates for
the treatment and control groups were almost identical.
This means that even without the e-mail campaign, those
who registered online would have registered anyway.
Practical Application Tip: The evidence regarding
personal contact can enhance electronic GOTV tactics.
E-mails sent from personal friends, or someone who
is similar to the intended audience may increase turnout.
Gerber and Green believe these “super-treatments” of
the basic findings represent a new frontier in GOTV
research.
Frequent voters are most responsive to GOTV requests.
This is a critical finding for organizations with ballot
issues and elections in non-Presidential election years.
Practical Application Tip: Target frequent
voters for your off-year ballot or special elections.
The content of the nonpartisan message does not matter
so long as it is not outlandish. However, telling people
that “one vote can make a difference” when the election
is anticipated to be a blowout was completely ineffective.
What did help spur turnout was information on the location
of polling places and poll hours.
Practical Application Tip: I’ll admit that
with no scientific evidence whatsoever, I’ve been an
ardent opponent of overused patriotic clichés. This
is an example of how they can backfire. Don’t insult
your audience by asserting that their one vote in a
landslide will magically count for 5,000 votes.
Assess Behavioral Change
A trade association or corporation’s final arbiter
of a successful voter registration effort is voter
behavior. Do you know if your employees or members
are even considering a candidate’s position on your
issues when they enter the voting booth?
When I led the Nationwide Insurance Civic Action Program,
we compared the voting behavior of the employees who
enrolled in our grassroots program vs. the employees
who were not CAP members. It was gratifying to learn
that 69% of the CAP members took into consideration
a candidate’s position on insurance issues in the voting
booth. Even 50% of the nonmembers examined a candidate’s
insurance views before they voted! I suspect most organizations
would covet half of their employees being so informed.
Why did they think about issues that impacted their
job before voting? Because we had in place a consistent
grassroots communications and “social capitol” structure.
Discussion of civic and legislative issues was encouraged
and vigorously facilitated. I consider this one of
the most valuable benefits of an internal grassroots
program. When our grassroots communications are affecting
voting behavior, we are truly making a difference.
Interested in making your next voter registration and
GOTV a valuable, strategic initiative? Check out Gerber
and Green’s book: http://www.amazon.
c om/e x e c /o b ido s / t g /d e t a i l / - /0815732694/103-3062666-7243812?
v=glance
Copyright 2004 The Showalter Group, Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
About The Showalter Group,
Inc.
The Showalter Group works with associations and corporations
that
want to increase their grassroots and PAC productivity.
We provide
highly customized solutions via grassroots consultation,
public affairs
staff and volunteer training, coaching for public affairs
staff,
keynote presentations, and grassroots project management.
To book Amy Showalter to speak at your next meeting,
or to inquire
about our grassroots or PAC consulting services or
other products,
contact us at:
The Showalter Group, Inc.
312 Walnut Street
1600 Scripps Center
Cincinnati, OH 45202
p 513.762.7668 | f 513.553.9777
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