Coaching canvassers on a Commit-To-Vote canvass

 A friend who coached my daughter’s soccer team after having previously played and coached basketball, lamented that as a soccer coach you get much less contact with your players than a basketball coach does. Imagine how he would feel if he were not allowed within a mile of the game and had only his players’ descriptions of the action on which to base his coaching.

 And yet that is how you, the field organizer, must coach canvassers. You don’t get to see the interaction at the door. In a typical reflection, you are more likely to hear about a dog or some other obstacle than about an actual interaction.

  Excellent canvassers can be three to five times more effective and you can help them get there.

Discussion

  After canvassers have signed-in, ask them what has worked for them. This can be done in a group or individually. This helps them remember what they learned from their most recent canvass, focuses them on the positive and gives you a sense of what their skill and experience level is. Praise any practice that you hope that they will continue. [Refer to Winning your campaign’s first Commit-To-Vote canvass for thoughts on helping volunteers who have never attended a Commit-To-Vote canvass.]

  Ask each canvasser if they would like an idea or two for how to be more effective this time. Telling them that despite all the doors that you have knocked you continue to think about how to improve every time you canvass (which I sincerely hope that you do), will help them see canvassing as the learnable, coachable skill that it is.

  You now have license to make some suggestions. If they collected one or two Commit-To-Vote cards in their most recent canvass, help them feel more comfortable with the ask. As they grow comfortable, encourage them to use a more confident ask, such as: “Are you prepared to make a commitment to vote for Jane Doe in this election?” I tell canvassers  “It is all in the wrist” as I show how I put the Commit-To-Vote card in front of the voter with a flick of the wrist and a pleasant “Here you go.”

  If they collected three or more Commit-To-Vote cards in a recent canvass but those Commit-To-Vote cards are coming back without phone numbers, you could ask if they would feel comfortable asking for phone numbers this time. “Could I get your phone number?” works surprisingly well.

If they collected three or more Commit-To-Vote cards with phone numbers recently, it may be time for them to look for ways to talk to more voters. Asking to talk to the second or third voter on their list at a given household is a great way to bring home more completed Commit-To-Vote cards. I also watch the cars. If one pulls into a house that I have just been to, I double back and re-knock that door. If I am quick enough, I might even catch them coming back to the car to bring in the last of the groceries.

  After you have mentioned a couple techniques, ask if there is one of those that they would like to focus on today. If it is something that they can practice now, say: “Great, I would like to see you practice that once before you go so that you will be ready when it comes up.”

Role Play

  Have each canvasser tell their role play partner what they want to focus on today. [ Ask me for my six favorite techniques for getting volunteers to participate in the role play.]

Pairing canvassers

 If possible, pair novice canvassers with a canvasser who has a solid track record collecting Commit-To-Vote cards. Seek to avoid pairing an experienced canvasser who has never collected Commit-To-Vote cards with a less experienced canvasser, even one who has collected Commit-To-Vote cards. If this pairing happens anyway, suggest that the experienced canvasser open the conversation while the less experienced canvasser focuses on collecting Commit-To-Vote cards.

Reflection

This is where the Commit-To-Vote cards show their real strength. Look through the Commit-To-Vote cards with the canvasser as they come in the door. Be excited. Count then. Count how many have phone numbers. Praise those numbers. If the handwriting is legible, praise that. If not, ask pleasantly if they can help you with the handwriting. Pick a specific Commit-To-Vote card (or let them do so) and ask about the conversation that led to this Commit-To-Vote card.

If they did not come back with any completed Commit-To-Vote cards, ignore that. Thank them and praise them for anything that they did – just as you would for a canvass that did not include Commit-To-Vote cards.

Commit-To-Vote chart

Put a chart showing how many Commit-To-Vote cards each volunteer has collected on the wall. Let stickers of one color represent Commit-To-Vote cards without a phone number while another color represents Commit-To-Vote cards with a phone number. Not only does this motivate volunteers, a glance at the chart tells you whether you are talking to a novice volunteer or one who has demonstrated success in collecting Commit-To-Vote cards.

Vote tripling

Though I have no experience with Vote Triplers myself, I remain intrigued. I could imagine a day when I replace all occurrences of Commit-To-Vote cards with Vote Triplers in this post.