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The introduction - tips and techniques from a decade of campaigning

This campaign tip (no. 0) was published on Monday, 31st December 2018
You're at the home page of my 2019 "tips and techniques" blog. To read all about it, see [[here]]

The following articles are already published (click on the bullet to go to a particular tip):
• #0 Introduction and index
• 1900 *** Use Graphics (of Thursday, 14th March 2024)
• 1890 *** Santa ALWAYS chats with the children longer than you expected (of Monday, 4th March 2024)
• 1880 *** Plan surveys and team operations well in advance and have a chain of command. (of Friday, 23rd February 2024)
• 1870 *** Be sensitive with wheelchair users and other minority comments (of Tuesday, 13th February 2024)
• 1860 *** Be safe (of Saturday, 3rd February 2024)
• 1850 *** House Style (of Wednesday, 24th January 2024)
• 1840 *** Offer help in public, but beware of their fear and your safety (of Sunday, 14th January 2024)
• 1830 *** Keep out of other campaigner's business (of Thursday, 4th January 2024)
• 1820 *** Be aware of budget and franchise cycles (of Monday, 25th December 2023)
• 1810 *** Don't get drunk at posh networking parties (of Friday, 15th December 2023)
• 1800 *** Ensure your message is understandable (of Tuesday, 5th December 2023)
• 1790 *** Wear your badge and advertise with pride (of Saturday, 25th November 2023)
• 1780 *** Be nice even to the bringer of bad news (of Wednesday, 15th November 2023)
• 1770 *** Build your street cred (of Sunday, 5th November 2023)
• 1750 *** Beware unintended consequences (of Monday, 16th October 2023)
• 1740 *** Always have an eye for opportunity (of Friday, 6th October 2023)
• 1730 *** Rules and suggestions are there for a reason - look behind them to decide what to apply (of Tuesday, 26th September 2023)
• 1720 *** never ask someone to do a job you would not do, but remember each has time values (of Saturday, 16th September 2023)
• 1710 *** budget and don't ask for more (of Wednesday, 6th September 2023)
• 1700 *** give something in return for donations (of Sunday, 27th August 2023)
• 1690 *** remember those you pass on the way up may be needed on the way down (of Thursday, 17th August 2023)
• 1680 *** beware abbreviations and technical terms (of Monday, 7th August 2023)
• 1670 *** Speech length check (of Friday, 28th July 2023)
• 1660 *** Keep paper in your pocket [also ...] (of Tuesday, 18th July 2023)
• 1650 *** Be careful of being misquoted (of Saturday, 8th July 2023)
• 1640 *** Beware media sharks and appreciate media friends (of Wednesday, 28th June 2023)
• 1630 *** Good news is qucikly forgotten - bad news lives withyou for years (of Sunday, 18th June 2023)
• 1620 *** You are not looking to be loved - you are looking to change the world! (of Thursday, 8th June 2023)
• 1610 *** Be confident (of Monday, 29th May 2023)
• 1600 *** Don't be afraid of your shortcomings (of Friday, 19th May 2023)
• 1590 *** Remember names and faces (of Tuesday, 9th May 2023)
• 1580 *** Use a langauge comprehension test (of Saturday, 29th April 2023)
• 1570 *** Review in the morning (of Wednesday, 19th April 2023)
• 1560 *** Have a searchable archive (of Sunday, 9th April 2023)
• 1550 *** There are surpsies in the daily routine (of Thursday, 30th March 2023)
• 1540 *** Protest when you must. Partner whenever you can (of Monday, 20th March 2023)
• 1530 *** Let your ideas be used by others and let them have credit (of Friday, 10th March 2023)
• 1520 *** Don't preach - suggest not instruct (of Tuesday, 28th February 2023)
• 1510 *** Make it a game (of Saturday, 18th February 2023)
• 1500 *** Be observant (of Wednesday, 8th February 2023)
• 1490 *** Be fun (of Sunday, 29th January 2023)
• 1480 *** 60% relationships 40% real work (of Thursday, 19th January 2023)
• 1470 *** Have a good admin (of Monday, 9th January 2023)
• 1460 *** Maintain a quality contact list (of Friday, 30th December 2022)
• 1450 *** Take time off (of Tuesday, 20th December 2022)
• 1440 *** Have all political parties on board (of Saturday, 10th December 2022)
• 1430 *** Striek while the iron is hot yet don't peak too early (of Wednesday, 30th November 2022)
• 1410 *** Look to your terrioritor but learn from the world (of Thursday, 10th November 2022)
• 1400 *** If you ask for survey or consultation inputs, appreciate and use them (of Monday, 31st October 2022)
• 1390 *** Check readability (of Friday, 21st October 2022)
• 1380 *** What works for them? Would it work for us? (of Tuesday, 11th October 2022)
• 1370 *** The power of 3 and of English (of Saturday, 1st October 2022)
• 1360 *** Keep on your territory (of Wednesday, 21st September 2022)
• 1350 *** It's probably not about you - it's about the cause (of Sunday, 11th September 2022)
• 1340 *** Keep sentences short (of Thursday, 1st September 2022)
• 1330 *** Write with surprise (of Monday, 22nd August 2022)
• 1320 *** Make yourself easy to support (of Friday, 12th August 2022)
• 1300 *** Question your motivation (of Saturday, 23rd July 2022)
• 1290 *** Look at what others have done (of Wednesday, 13th July 2022)
• 1280 *** Listen to others (of Sunday, 3rd July 2022)
• 1270 *** Keep up to date with news feed; (of Thursday, 23rd June 2022)
• 1260 *** Make multiple uses of a single acrivity (of Monday, 13th June 2022)
• 1250 *** Give feedback ... and to me too. (of Friday, 3rd June 2022)
• 1240 *** Go to opposition and other view meetings (of Tuesday, 24th May 2022)
• 1230 *** Be lightheared but never at other's expense (of Saturday, 14th May 2022)
• 1220 *** Have your partner's support (of Wednesday, 4th May 2022)
• 1210 *** Call the protester's bluff - kill with kindness / join us (of Sunday, 24th April 2022)
• 1200 *** Establish a personlal connection (of Thursday, 14th April 2022)
• 1190 *** Limit meetings, control the talkers, don't run out of time (of Monday, 4th April 2022)
• 1180 *** The 9 O'Clock rule (of Friday, 25th March 2022)
• 1170 *** Use each volunteeer for what they're best at and enjoy (of Tuesday, 15th March 2022)
• 1160 *** 95% giving and 5% taking (of Saturday, 5th March 2022)
• 1150 *** give yourself thinking time; go for a walk; rescue a greyhound (of Wednesday, 23rd February 2022)
• 1140 *** Accept that there are ways other than yours (of Sunday, 13th February 2022)
• 1130 *** Keep the politicians on board (of Thursday, 3rd February 2022)
• 1120 *** Survey your custmomers (of Monday, 24th January 2022)
• 1110 *** Once is an accident ... by the time you get to 3 it's a pattern (of Friday, 14th January 2022)
• 1100 *** Map out life; know when to stop (of Tuesday, 4th January 2022)
• 1090 *** Good trolling, hanging on hooks and offering hooks (of Saturday, 25th December 2021)
• 1080 * TWSW / ACoRP / Rf / CRP / TF - who / how to join (of Wednesday, 15th December 2021)
• 1070 *** Historic, current, near future, far future; local, regional, nationak; all comers; experts only (of Sunday, 5th December 2021)
• 1060 *** A picture paints 100 words (of Thursday, 25th November 2021)
• 1050 *** Three elements in saying know (of Monday, 15th November 2021)
• 1040 *** Don't be afraid of "I don't know" - I will find out though (of Friday, 5th November 2021)
• 1030 *** Be a pleasure for the radio / TV to interview (of Tuesday, 26th October 2021)
• 1020 *** Remember others will not be so well imformed (of Saturday, 16th October 2021)
• 1010 *** Acknowledge emails / reply on time (of Wednesday, 6th October 2021)
• 1000 *** Beware incentives and false targets (of Sunday, 26th September 2021)
• 990 *** Know wht the rules are set; 2 sales calls a day (of Thursday, 16th September 2021)
• 980 *** Sales technique - not oversell / hotrock (of Monday, 6th September 2021)
• 970 *** good bad good; bread meats bread (of Friday, 27th August 2021)
• 960 *** Don't be put off by one other group member (of Tuesday, 17th August 2021)
• 950 *** Set your stall clearly among other organisations (of Saturday, 7th August 2021)
• 940 *** Don't be arrogant / assume you're OK - police example (of Wednesday, 28th July 2021)
• 930 *** Talk to people about other things too (of Sunday, 18th July 2021)
• 920 *** Be enthusiastic and enjoy yourself (of Thursday, 8th July 2021)
• 910 *** Use euqllity and discrimination to your advangate (of Monday, 28th June 2021)
• 900 *** Health and safety and other difficuly arguments (of Friday, 18th June 2021)
• 890 *** Match funding (of Tuesday, 8th June 2021)
• 880 *** Pull in funding sources (of Saturday, 29th May 2021)
• 870 *** Know your organisations (of Wednesday, 19th May 2021)
• 860 *** Have backups (of Sunday, 9th May 2021)
• 840 *** Sandwich criticisms in good news (of Monday, 19th April 2021)
• 830 *** Confront the objections of criticm (of Friday, 9th April 2021)
• 820 *** Publish results openly even if not perfect (of Tuesday, 30th March 2021)
• 810 *** Get others to enjoy working the cause (of Saturday, 20th March 2021)
• 800 *** Always set the way ahead (of Wednesday, 10th March 2021)
• 790 *** Less may be more (of Sunday, 28th February 2021)
• 780 *** Management overview and summary (of Thursday, 18th February 2021)
• 770 *** Be trustworthy (of Monday, 8th February 2021)
• 760 *** Avoid asking for something that sets a precendent (of Friday, 29th January 2021)
• 750 *** See if thers's a precennt (of Tuesday, 19th January 2021)
• 740 *** See which doors are open, closed and locked shut (of Saturday, 9th January 2021)
• 730 *** Invasive contact - the telephone (v messages, post, etc) (of Wednesday, 30th December 2020)
• 720 *** OO design preached one consistent way of doing each thing (of Sunday, 20th December 2020)
• 710 *** Keep webisted current (of Thursday, 10th December 2020)
• 700 *** Don't forget the markeing to the unresponsive visitor (of Monday, 30th November 2020)
• 690 *** Stick with it. Blog, Lisa's year (of Friday, 20th November 2020)
• 680 *** Care in senior people (of Tuesday, 10th November 2020)
• 670 *** Is "free" a step towards "not worth it"? (of Saturday, 31st October 2020)
• 660 *** A picture paints 1000 words (of Wednesday, 21st October 2020)
• 650 *** Handlig negative comment on social media (of Sunday, 11th October 2020)
• 640 *** When to use the press and when not to (of Thursday, 1st October 2020)
• 630 *** See where the inputs go - direct or multistage diluted? Quantity or Quality? (of Monday, 21st September 2020)
• 620 *** Why am I wrinitng TO selfpublich? (of Friday, 11th September 2020)
• 610 *** Be humble - schooolkid tells you tour oen story (of Tuesday, 1st September 2020)
• 600 *** Keep in the press (of Saturday, 22nd August 2020)
• 590 *** Avoid campaign fatigue; keep your tinder dry (of Wednesday, 12th August 2020)
• 580 *** Use social media (of Sunday, 2nd August 2020)
• 575 To wish everyone Merry Christmas, Happy New Year (of Tuesday, 28th July 2020)
• 570 *** Marketing material for a purpose (of Thursday, 23rd July 2020)
• 565 Insurance and limitation of liability (of Saturday, 18th July 2020)
• 560 *** See who is in the field already (of Monday, 13th July 2020)
• 555 Don't chair the meeting if you're the major contributor (of Wednesday, 8th July 2020)
• 550 *** Three good ideas not 7 of which 3 are good (of Friday, 3rd July 2020)
• 540 *** Beware Campaign creep (of Tuesday, 23rd June 2020)
• 530 *** What's wrong with the truth? (of Saturday, 13th June 2020)
• 525 *** Don't get irritated and walk off in a huff (of Monday, 8th June 2020)
• 515 *** Take an honest look at your proposed solutions (of Friday, 29th May 2020)
• 510 *** Have a campaign with wide support (of Sunday, 24th May 2020)
• 505 *** Who it hurts and who it harms (of Tuesday, 19th May 2020)
• 500 *** Undertstand your issues (of Thursday, 14th May 2020)
• 490 *** Don't share too many irellavelnt posts (of Monday, 4th May 2020)
• 480 *** Talk at the top (of Friday, 24th April 2020)
• 480 *** Do not steal credit (of Friday, 24th April 2020)
• 470 *** Never leave a meeting early (of Tuesday, 14th April 2020)
• 465 *** Watch your back (of Thursday, 9th April 2020)
• 455 *** Use of humour (of Monday, 30th March 2020)
• 445 *** Beware bid on bid (of Friday, 20th March 2020)
• 435 *** Be thankful (of Tuesday, 10th March 2020)
• 430 *** Appearing at the WI, TG, Probus and other clubs (of Thursday, 5th March 2020)
• 425 *** Tell them three times (of Saturday, 29th February 2020)
• 420 *** Stalls at supermarkets and in the street (of Monday, 24th February 2020)
• 405 *** You are as strong as your weakest link (of Sunday, 9th February 2020)
• 400 *** Technical interlude - ORR, RAIB, RSSB, GWR, NR, TWSW, TWCRP, TF, WECA, WC, BTP, DfT (of Tuesday, 4th February 2020)
• 395 *** Have a clear vision and push it (of Thursday, 30th January 2020)
• 390 *** Be REALLY nice to the awkward Jobsworth. (of Saturday, 25th January 2020)
• 375 *** Avoid councillor takeover (of Friday, 10th January 2020)
• 370 *** Look at the evidence - be a detective (of Sunday, 5th January 2020)
• 365 *** Picking the meeting day and time (of Tuesday, 31st December 2019)
• 360 *** Develop your team (of Thursday, 26th December 2019)
• 350 *** Use the skills of your team (of Monday, 16th December 2019)
• 340 *** Sttanger Danger and the kids in Liverpool (of Friday, 6th December 2019)
• 335 *** Positive discrimination (of Sunday, 1st December 2019)
• 330 *** Remote case study - e.g. Thornhill (of Tuesday, 26th November 2019)
• 325 *** If at first you don't succeed .... try try try again (but ask why you failed and tune your tries! (of Thursday, 21st November 2019)
• 315 *** If in doubt - ask. Including source (of Monday, 11th November 2019)
• 310 *** Triangular service (of Wednesday, 6th November 2019)
• 305 *** Limit your involvement / be aware of personal life (of Friday, 1st November 2019)
• 300 *** Why? are yo doing this (of Sunday, 27th October 2019)
• 290 *** Do it the way works for you personally (of Thursday, 17th October 2019)
• 285 *** Be friendly and personal even with those with whom you don't agree (of Saturday, 12th October 2019)
• 280 *** Enter awards (of Monday, 7th October 2019)
• 275 *** Do not back people into corners (of Wednesday, 2nd October 2019)
• 270 *** Reward your volunteers (of Friday, 27th September 2019)
• 266 Look at what motivates people (of Monday, 23rd September 2019)
• 265 *** Make campaign for the widest possible support and acceptance (of Sunday, 22nd September 2019)
• 260 *** Appreciate your supporters (of Tuesday, 17th September 2019)
• 255 *** Consider your correspondence (of Thursday, 12th September 2019)
• 240 Leave yourself an exit (of Wednesday, 28th August 2019)
• 235 Know when to go (of Friday, 23rd August 2019)
• 225 Who sold you THAT? (of Tuesday, 13th August 2019)
• 223 Date of next meeting (of Sunday, 11th August 2019)
• 217 Exhibition Stands (of Monday, 5th August 2019)
• 215 Is "do nothing" an option? (of Saturday, 3rd August 2019)
• 211 Carnivals, Fetes, street parties (of Tuesday, 30th July 2019)
• 210 Look for hooks to write on (of Monday, 29th July 2019)
• 205 Bad News Sandwich (of Wednesday, 24th July 2019)
• 200 Take up people's problems to a degree (of Friday, 19th July 2019)
• 195 Think first (of Sunday, 14th July 2019)
• 190 Do not make life difficult for other campaigns (of Tuesday, 9th July 2019)
• 185 *** Share best practice and don't be insular (of Thursday, 4th July 2019)
• 175 *** Don't re-invent the wheel (of Monday, 24th June 2019)
• 160 Appreciate others (of Sunday, 9th June 2019)
• 141 If it's systemic (of Tuesday, 21st May 2019)
• 140 Presentation Checklist (of Monday, 20th May 2019)
• 137 Aim High (of Friday, 17th May 2019)
• 135 Don't re-invent the wheel (of Wednesday, 15th May 2019)
• 125 Always consider your safety net (of Sunday, 5th May 2019)
• 117 Keep your helpers informed (of Saturday, 27th April 2019)
• 115 Threaten wisely - (of Thursday, 25th April 2019)
• 113 Reply to Consultations (of Tuesday, 23rd April 2019)
• 112 Important, urgent, both, neither? (of Monday, 22nd April 2019)
• 111 A compromise may be better than your initial idea (of Sunday, 21st April 2019)
• 110 Appreciate the technical people (of Saturday, 20th April 2019)
• 109 Look ahead not behind (of Friday, 19th April 2019)
• 108 Ask humbly for help (of Thursday, 18th April 2019)
• 107 Angry? Write and delete! (of Wednesday, 17th April 2019)
• 106 10 questions to ask yourself on a community project (of Tuesday, 16th April 2019)
• 105 Go for a steady state (of Monday, 15th April 2019)
• 104 Balance your elements (of Sunday, 14th April 2019)
• 101 Push or pull (of Thursday, 11th April 2019)
• 100 Checkpoint (of Wednesday, 10th April 2019)
• 99 Give things names (of Tuesday, 9th April 2019)
• 98 Are petitions worthwhile? (of Monday, 8th April 2019)
• 97 Making your petition attractive (of Sunday, 7th April 2019)
• 90 You are not in this to be liked, nor for money, nor for glory! (of Sunday, 31st March 2019)
• 73 In a crisis there can be opportunity (of Thursday, 14th March 2019)
• 71 Avoid the long grass (of Tuesday, 12th March 2019)
• 70 Respect those ahead (of Monday, 11th March 2019)
• 69 Make it memorable (of Sunday, 10th March 2019)
• 68 We're just volunteers (of Saturday, 9th March 2019)
• 67 Lead by example (of Friday, 8th March 2019)
• 66 Beware latent gender discrimination (of Thursday, 7th March 2019)
• 62 A burkha contains a person just like you and me! (of Sunday, 3rd March 2019)
• 61 The minister and your MP come and go (of Saturday, 2nd March 2019)
• 60 Break down to manageable pieces (of Friday, 1st March 2019)
• 59 GIve yourself easy targets (of Thursday, 28th February 2019)
• 58 Entering for awards (of Wednesday, 27th February 2019)
• 56 Press - friend or foe? (of Monday, 25th February 2019)
• 55 Ensure your facts are right right RIGHT (of Sunday, 24th February 2019)
• 54 As it becomes bigger it become mostly management (of Saturday, 23rd February 2019)
• 53 Use colour (of Friday, 22nd February 2019)
• 52 Attend the wrong meeting (of Thursday, 21st February 2019)
• 51 Strategy and tactics (of Wednesday, 20th February 2019)
• 50 Welcome to new members on social media (of Tuesday, 19th February 2019)
• 49 Controlled anger (of Monday, 18th February 2019)
• 47 Have a constitution (of Saturday, 16th February 2019)
• 46 Don't take on too much / exhaust yourself. (of Friday, 15th February 2019)
• 45 Yours not to be liked - yours to be effective (of Thursday, 14th February 2019)
• 44 Move with the times (of Wednesday, 13th February 2019)
• 43 Move on to cabinet responsibility (of Tuesday, 12th February 2019)
• 42 Have a fallback plan if a voluteer goes AWOL (of Monday, 11th February 2019)
• 41 Don't sign up for other petitions or campaigns unless you're 110% sure. (of Sunday, 10th February 2019)
• 40 Plan robustly (of Saturday, 9th February 2019)
• 39 Be there for the long term (of Friday, 8th February 2019)
• 38 Look back to learn not to emulate (of Thursday, 7th February 2019)
• 36 Know each volunteer's commitment (of Tuesday, 5th February 2019)
• 35 Just publish 1 in 1000 (of Monday, 4th February 2019)
• 34 Do not show or suggest danger (of Sunday, 3rd February 2019)
• 33 Let the lunatics bid to run the asylum and set the agenda (of Saturday, 2nd February 2019)
• 32 If you won't do something yourself, why should you expect others to do it? (of Friday, 1st February 2019)
• 31 Make it work for everyone (of Thursday, 31st January 2019)
• 30 Don't go back and edit social media (of Wednesday, 30th January 2019)
• 29 1 in 10 ideas only (of Tuesday, 29th January 2019)
• 28 It's all about how you cast it - (of Monday, 28th January 2019)
• 27 Be Noticed (of Sunday, 27th January 2019)
• 26 Choose Marketing words and names carefully (of Saturday, 26th January 2019)
• 25 Reach the right people and reports (of Friday, 25th January 2019)
• 24 Required quality not perfact (of Thursday, 24th January 2019)
• 23 You have two ears and one mouth (of Wednesday, 23rd January 2019)
• 22 Have some originality / difference (of Tuesday, 22nd January 2019)
• 21 Correct, not at all, or with caution? (of Monday, 21st January 2019)
• 20 Transport meetings times (of Sunday, 20th January 2019)
• 19 Should you not answer too early? (of Saturday, 19th January 2019)
• 18 Capital asks - not revenue (of Friday, 18th January 2019)
• 17 If you find yourself repeating things (of Thursday, 17th January 2019)
• 16 It's a small world (of Wednesday, 16th January 2019)
• 14 The campaign not the campaigner (of Monday, 14th January 2019)
• 13 Don't dilute other campaigners (of Sunday, 13th January 2019)
• 12 A time of change - a time of opportunity (of Saturday, 12th January 2019)
• 11 literature life (of Friday, 11th January 2019)
• 10 Poor english? (of Thursday, 10th January 2019)
• 9 Welcome newcomers at meetings (of Wednesday, 9th January 2019)
• 8 Statistical Presentation (of Tuesday, 8th January 2019)
• 7 Set a threshold (of Monday, 7th January 2019)
• 6 If you can't say it ... (of Sunday, 6th January 2019)
• 5 Campaign fatigue (of Saturday, 5th January 2019)
• 4 Strategy and tactics (of Friday, 4th January 2019)
• 3 Learning from the history (of Thursday, 3rd January 2019)
• 2 4 stages (of Wednesday, 2nd January 2019)
• 1 Before you start ... (of Tuesday, 1st January 2019)

Contact details

These pages are written by Graham Ellis of Melksham, Wiltshire. Overlapping a life in IT and IT training, with running a hotel and campaigning for improved public transport, Graham has never been quiet - though he's starting to wind down gently now. He no longer takes overnight guests and has stepped doen from the "Community Rail Officer" role which he accidentally aquired. So he now has more time to write pages such as these and to travel in the UK. He'll be delighted to speak with your group or take a look through your case or camapaign, but be alerted that his time is not limitless even now, and he still has to keep the wolf from the door.

Postal: 48, Spa Road, Melksham, Wiltshire, SN12 7NY
Phonal: 01225 708225
Emailal: graham -at- wellho.net
Or reach me on the Coffee Shop Forum (User Grahame) facilities


What a difference a campaign makes!

It probably wouldn't have happened without a strong community campaign with which I have been involved. Most days through 2019 I'll be sharing a thought, an idea, a way of working or an experience. Come back here for the links. Discussions via the Coffee Shop Forum - Graham Ellis, 31st December 2018


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