I2M's blog

So how do you start to build a relationship with someone you actively oppose? First, you have to get out and about. Many sincere grassroots influencers want to remain comfortable. That’s a problem, because you can’t build the kind of relationships that powerful people require from behind your computer. They want to see you in person.

In a previous post, I talked about social loafing. Now I’m going to talk about how we change the social loafing dynamic.

Identify Contributions

Identify team member contributions. What have coalition members done to advance the cause? Be specific, and enumerate contributions that you want duplicated. Are the contributions distributed to the coalition members or posted on an easily accessible Web site?

Well, I admit to being an extremely biased observer, but here are some of my “keeper” observations from the 2009 confab, followed by comments from the conference attendees.

First, the people who attend I2M truly are “different.” They don’t engage in butt-covering conversations, they are secure enough to be candid and openly discuss what’s working and what’s not, they are willing to challenge each other, think differently, and take prudent risks to move forward (not that I feel strongly about that or anything).

The results of the following research have been featured in many of my advocacy workshops, as well as various national and regional publications.

In our initial research review, we saw that the specific word “grassroots” was the second highest response as one of the habits of an effective advocacy group. However, upon further review of the responses, we noted that there were numerous responses such as: “active membership,” “lots of members”, and “regular people” that refer to grassroots.

The Edelman Trust Barometer has been released, and I am always intrigued by the findings, as they have implications for grassroots influence professionals.

A change in the findings from past years is a decrease the trust people place in “people like me.”

Here is Dr. Kelton Rhoads’ take on that finding:

I read with interest Harris Poll® results from a cross-section of adult Americans. The survey asked them who they admire and call their “heroes.” President Obama was number one, followed by Jesus Christ and Martin Luther King. Others in the top ten, in descending order: Ronald Regan, George W. Bush, Abraham Lincoln, John McCain, John F. Kennedy, Chesley Sullenberger and Mother Teresa. The heroes were named spontaneously, and participants were not given a list to choose from.

I’m worried when I see PAC recruiters open their talk by apologizing for having to ask for PAC contributions. This is one of the weakest ways to start a PAC pitch. It can open the door to some hostile objections because you are subtly communicating that you are not positive about what you are asking your audience to do. If you don’t approach the audience with a positive attitude, they certainly won’t feel good about your message. Rest assured that your audience catches whatever attitude you are sending.

I’m biased. I believe that Gallup produces some of the most solid, unbiased, bleeding edge management research. I also believe that we as government affairs professionals have a responsibility to encourage and motivate our PAC and grassroots members beyond congratulatory emails and plaques.

We’re going to explore the common obstacles to trust and how to overcome them.

Regular grassroots and PAC underperformance

Success motivates. People want to be on a winning team. When successful grassroots leaders are asked why they volunteer so much of their time to their organization’s cause, they often respond with the following: “I thought we could win,” “I saw our victories and wanted to be on a winning team,” or “I heard the organization has a good reputation.”

1. Enlist the organization’s change agents (the survivors!) to your cause.
2. Become a spin doctor.
3. Follow up on all rumors and questions. Let nothing go unanswered.