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Training Members to Talk Politics With Other Members

The following is a sample script for training union members to talk about politics with other members.

Here are the facts you need to know for this campaign.  [Provide those facts out loud and on paper.]  Questions?

What objections or "yeah but's" do you expect to hear from other members?

What's the best way to connect what we're asking them to do with their interests?

What are some differences between how you see politics and political issues and how more uncommitted members see things?

What common goals and views do you share with most other members, regardless of how active they may be?

I'm going to show you a series of possible approaches for starting conversations, for responding to what they say, for ending conversations, and so on -- and ask you to talk about what differences you see in the different approaches and what might work best with people who aren't already as committed as you are.

[Put first set from "Which Way to Talk Politics Works?" on butcher paper or other display and have them discuss the choices involved.  Then the second set, and so on.]

[Then hand out and quickly review "Talking with Coworkers about Politics" tip sheet.]

Here's a tip sheet that summarizes a lot of what we've talked about.

Now, let's practice or role play some real situations.  I'm going to ask X to be our guinea pig and to do what you would do in talking to another member, and I [or someone else you pick] will be the person you are talking to.

[Provide some description of the middle-of-the-road person who is supposed to be convinced, and the setting where the conversation is taking place.]

I'd ask those who are not actually doing the role play to observe and to make note of turning points or key moments when choices were made about how to handle something -- either successful choices or unsuccessful choices.

This isn't a test -- role playing is something we do just as a tool for putting the principles we've discussed into practice.  It will work best if we all stick to our roles and don't make comments or jokes to each other in the middle of it.

[After role play -- ask observers]  So what were the turning points -- the choices that either helped the interaction achieve the goal or that got in the way?  How else could those choices have been handled?

Courtesy of TheWorkSite.org