Category Archives: Grassroots Influence
Social Media – Should It be the Driver or Passenger in your Grassroots Influence Strategy?
Several years ago our Innovate to Motivate conference hosted then Gallup Managing Partner Ron Balmer to talk about Gallup’s research on customer engagement and how it applies to grassroots organizations. It was one of our most highly rated workstorms. Gallup has been at the forefront of engagement research; they define it as the degree to which people will work for or against your organization or brand. I think most of us would agree that definition of stakeholder engagement is worth pursuing. They have published recent research which reinforces Ron’s prescient admonitions. Read more here: http://www.kstreetcafe.com/social-media-should-it-be-the-driver-or-passenger-in-your-grassroots-influence-strategy/
Do Generation Based Grassroots Communication Tactics Matter?
One of the questions that I invariably hear at each and every gathering of government relations professionals is, “How do I reach Generation X? How about Generation Y? How about the Millenials? How about the Boomers?” And on it goes.
Dr. Rhoads and I have always responded that while each generation likes to think that the evolutionary process has made their brains different than those 20 years older than them, evolutionary psychology shows that human psychology has not changed since it’s been scientifically examined. While the vehicles for the outreach may be different based on age, isn’t good outreach good outreach regardless of one’s age?
Our belief is that good communication and good persuasion are effective no matter how old someone is…
Does Fear Influence or Immobilize?
Within the past 25 years, the Library of Congress has recorded over 1,000 books with Armageddon or apocalypse in the title. Certainly many industries and causes gain adherence via fear. But what does the research say about fear as a motivator, and how does it impact how grassroots and PAC professionals engage their volunteers?
I was hired to conduct a training workshop at a national trade association conference where the audience was comprised of their state chapter government relations directors and state executives, one of my favorite audiences.
I was sharing with them how to frame the benefits of PAC and grassroots participation and the “M” question came up. You guessed it – the motivation question. One of the state executives was…
The Top 6 Influence Lessons
My colleague, Dr. Kelton Rhodes and I inaugurated our list of “Influence Lessons.” They are influence tactics and /or campaigns that caught our attention and our brief insights on each.
Stealth is Better
We were intrigued that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce announced their campaign to promote free enterprise. While a laudable goal, it’s never great to announce what you’re doing because it gives your opponents time to ramp up very quickly.
As Kelton observed: “Usually you don’t pre-announce an influence campaign; it’s not S.O.P. to forewarn people you’re going to try to persuade them, because that causes people to resist persuasion more vigorously. Think what “shock and awe” bought us…stiffer resistance….
