Door-to-Door Campaigning - Part 1 & 2

You'll excuse me if I repeat some of the opening in our last post.  I consider it to be so important that it bears repeating.  

"There will be two types of voters in the next election:
those who will be voting FOR Stephen Harper, and
those who will be voting AGAINST Stephen Harper.
* * * * * *
Our job is to find those who will be voting AGAINST Stephen Harper and get them to vote LIBERAL."
* * * * * *
Gerald Butts, LPC (O) Campaign College, Hamilton Ont, 29 November 2014
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Lotsa opportunity for door-knocking here, eh!?

To recap the rest of what Butts had to say, each riding had to:

• Raise $100,000
• Recruit AND train 500 volunteers
• Have conversations with 50,000 voters multiple times
• Identify those voters voting AGAINST Stephen Harper
• Get them to vote for Cathy Candidate on Election Day

* * * * * * * * *  * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * 
Identifying Liberal supporters and getting them out to vote becomes more and more important.  
It wins elections!!!!!

Your efforts in door-to-door campaigning can change a close race into a solid win!

The Door-to-Door Process
Going door-to-door in an election campaign can be broken down into 5 parts:

1. The Canvas Kit - Who are you going to contact?  What are you going to deliver?  Where are they located?  
2. The Non-Verbal Impact - In personal communications, 75% of our impact is non-verbal.  Only 25% is verbal.  We've already made an impact before we even speak!  How are we going to visually deliver the message so that it makes a lasting impression?  
3. Conversations Win Elections - What are we going to say?
4. The Follow-up - What kind of information are we going to take away from the conversation?  How are we going to record it?
5. Those Irritating Situations - Some tips and hints to help you along the way.  

Door-to-Door Campaigning - The Objectives
Door-to-door campaigning is a most important part of our election campaign.  Every door you knock on, every person you talk to:

• Builds name recognition for Cathy Candidate in a way that other forms of campaigning - literature drops, newspaper ads, television spots, etc - can't.  Your personal contact builds a connection between the voter and Cathy.  
• Identifies Liberal Supporters who will vote for Cathy.  Nearly two decades of studies show that door-to-door campaigning is more effective than any other method for encouraging people to support a candidate at the ballot box.  It can result in a 20% increase in turnout on election day.  Your efforts, combined with our GO-TV efforts on election day, will help us turn out large numbers of Liberal voters because of the personal connections that you've made.
• Plants credibility in the mind of the voter.  "The most trusted source of  information about products, services, and people (71%) is the opinion of families, friends, and consumers."  Your door-to-door efforts show that you have confidence in Cathy's capabilities and the values of the Liberal Party of Canada, that we have a large base of support for Cathy, that we are well-organized, and that we're making a strong effort to get Cathy Candidate elected.
• Increases support for our campaign by identifying people willing to put up lawn signs, getting them to volunteer throughout the rest of the campaign and, most importantly, getting out and voting for Cathy Candidate on election day.  

The Door-To-Door Canvas Kit consists of:

• Map of the Area you will be canvassing
• Walk List - a list of voters sorted by ADDRESS (** See Below)
• Campaign Material to be handed to each voter
• A cloth carry-bag to hold the Campaign Materials
• Sample Scripts - what to say when the door is answered
• Pens/ Pencils to make notes

The Follow-Up - Recording The Results of Our Conversations
In days gone by, a door-to-door canvass involved going from door-to-door, having a short conversation with the occupant, giving them a campaign brochure, moving on to the next house, and hoping that they would vote Liberal on Election Day.  With the advent of the iPhone, Smartphone, iPad, Tablet, personal computers and the Internet, that has all changed.  

Through the medium of databases and electronic files, we're able to keep track of Liberal supporters and use this information on Election Day to make sure they get out and vote for Cathy Candidate.  Remember, some of them are in that group of 39% who didn't vote in the last election.  

Through the use of iPhones, Smartphones, iPads, and Tablet loaded with an app called "mini-VAN", we're able to record the results of our conversations and identify who our supporters are. 

Your challenge is to identify those persons on your Walk List who are prepared to vote for Cathy Candidate on Election Day and to record that information on "miniVAN".  

"Hands Free" - Makes It Easier To Canvass
Would you believe that 75% of communications is non-verbal.  And that includes "speaking" with your hands.  If your hands are loaded with literature, you've just reduced your communications effectiveness.  

When knocking on doors, you'll be given a whole stack of literature.  With the exception of the literature you're going to give to the person at the door, it's best if your hands are free.  Keep that stack of literature in the cloth bag.  

Leave the bag on the doorstep so that your hands are free.  Or leave it at the end of the driveway as you walk up to the front door.  For multiple pieces of literature, separate them with pieces of cardboard. 

Part 2 - The Non-Verbal Impact

• Smile - they can see you.
• Connect - be a real person
• Engage - speak with confidence
• Listen - for their impressions

Non-Verbal Communications - The Power of Visual Messages
YOU are the most powerful message there is!  In personal communications, 75% of our impact is non-verbal.  25% is verbal.  We make an impact even before we speak!  How are we going to visually deliver the message so that it makes a lasting impression?

Our credibility depends on whether our verbal and non-verbal signals are in sync.  If they're not in sync, the voter will give greater importance to the visual signals.  The impact?  "Communications is NOT what I hear ........ It's what I see."

Our "body language" must be in sync with our "verbal message"!!

Impressions are created in the first 10 seconds.  Be prepared:  

• Be neatly dressed.
• Have your literature ready in one hand, front page and face up.  
• Think about your message - what are you going to say? 
• Before the door opens, step back.  
• Smile!

 All of this immediately translates into your facial features!

Throughout the conversation:

• Use open-handed gestures 
• (Closed fists communicate "threat")
• Lean forward a little
• Use lots of eye contact
• Nod your head in agreement
• Smile!!
• Deliver your script!
• Hand them the literature.
• Ask for their vote!  Smile!
• Thank you!

That's what creates credibility, memorability, and impressions.  

Up Next?
Door-to-Door Campaigning - Part 3 - The Conversation