Workshop on Key Messages and a Communication Strategy
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The EC agreed the proposed agenda for this event yesterday (see below) . Hopefully there will be a good turn out of ADM attendees and other interested members.
There have been suggestions for video-conferencing events at Head Office but we don't have anything in place as yet. Any Comrades wishing to contribute who cannot attend are welcome to email me and I can pass on your suggestions. Sorry the formatting has gone wrong in copying from MS Word. I can send an original copy on request by post or email.
Rob Cox [on behalf of the EC]
EVENT: Workshop at SPGB Head Office
TITLE: Key Messages and a Communication Strategy
DATE: Sunday 25th October 2015 – 10:30am to 1pm
This follows discussion which took place at Conference 2015 and on the SPGB Forum (see more details below) and the resolution of the July EC: “That a workshop be held to discuss ideas for key messages and a ‘communication’ strategy for deployment by the party in future campaigning. Branches to be asked to discuss ideas ahead of ADM with a view to some definite suggestions arising from the workshop being made to the EC/Outreach Department. To be convened to co-incide with ADM and facilitated by Cde Rob Cox”.
PROPOSED AGENDA
10:30 Introduction and Discussion/Agreement on Agenda
10:35 Our Strategy
There has been a discussion on the SPGB Forum on what should be the aim of our campaign strategy. Before we take the main business of the workshop do we first need to ensure we have a consensus on a strategy [hopefully for growth rather than plodding along or stagnation]?
Namely – what are we in business to achieve:
A) Make Socialists [and encourage some of them to become politically ‘self-replicating’]
Attract ‘socialists’ not yet here to muster to our banner [current and future self-developed ones]C) A combination of A + B [if so in what ratio?]
D) None the above – i.e. Something Else.
10:45 Key Messages: Discussion/Brainstorm
What should be the key messages of The Socialist Party in its campaigning? There was a clear consensus from the discussion at Conference this year on this subject (see notes below) that we should have them.
We need to take our strategy [A/B/C/D] and think carefully about how we can maximise the potential of whatever resources we have to get across our ideas in a way that will positively encourage people to support our case and join our struggle.
11:45 Key Messages: Next Steps
How should we move forward from the discussion?
- Do we have enough we agree on to make a worked-out proposal and how can we win a mandate in the Party for implementation (see wording of the EC resolution above)?
- How do we take this work through to finalisation?
12:00 Communication Strategy Discussion
When we have our Key Messages:
- How do we deploy them?
- Can we make some definite recommendations to the EC/Outreach Department?
12:45 Roundup/Feedback/Adjournment
RECOMMENDED READING IN ADVANCE OF DISCUSSION/ATTENDANCE
SPGB Forum Discussion:
Home» Forum» World Socialist Movement» SPGB COMMUNICATION STRATEGY
http://www.worldsocialism.org/spgb/forum/general-discussion/spgb-communication-strategy
CONFERENCE DISCUSSION ITEM (2015):
“What should be the key messages of The Socialist Party in its campaigning?”
Supporting Statement (abridged version): “Despite (our) efforts … we remain a relatively small and likely unknown Party to most of the general public… when we do get heard, what do we want to be heard saying and how can we make it more likely that it will be considered and absorbed?
Should we think about having few key points we wish to get across; whether in public speaking, interviews, leaflets or letters/statements/adverts to the press – then stick to them until we have the opportunity to review them and come up with something better or more suitable moving forward. Maybe about three points which we could hang our basic case to, then expand or tailor to the situation in which they are used. We should ensure we got these messages across in whatever opportunity is available, in spite of what forum or questions we face.”
REPORT OF CONFERENCE DISCUSSION (extract)
Source: SPINTCOMFilesConferencesConference_2015Conf_report_2015.pdf
“Cox (Kent & Sussex) What do we want people to take note of? Foster (West Midlands) Question of where we place emphasis. As a candidate he got asked if he backs more pay for nurses. A couple of angles distinguish us “abolish money” and “democracy.”
Craggs (Yorkshire) ads to appeal to younger people. Cited recent case of Meningitis drug held up by cost. Johnson (Swansea) How to get message across. Advertising was directed at particular market. Party case was not a commodity – should not compartmentalise the message.
Otter (West Midlands) Supports ‘money’ versus ‘moneyless’ society as key message. Perrin (non-delegate) gave ‘leadership’ as example of topic that could be used. Could have a floor resolution giving two or three themes.
Shodeke (non-delegate) hearing about getting rid of money had brought her into Party.
Foster (West Midlands) raised question of a floor resolution. It was agreed that this should be left until after lunch.
Cox (Kent & Sussex) winding up on the discussion. Question of how to build up to a majority from a minority. Think about politicians on Today programme who were not bothered about answering questions. Members could use key messages must agree how to apply them. (Meeting adjourned for lunch).
Floor resolution moved by Foster (West Midlands) and Otter (West Midlands): “This Conference recommends that 'key messages' which can be made during the election campaign should focus on our rejection of leadership in favour of democracy and our aim for a moneyless world of free access”.
Foster (West Midlands), opening, the motion sums up what had come out of the discussion before lunch.
Cox (Kent & Sussex): it was too late in the campaign to change things. Buick (West London): how could it or would it be enforced
Johnson (Swansea) and Dee (North London) moved: “Replace 'the election campaign' by 'future election campaigns'”.
Dee: emphasising a “moneyless society” wouldn't distinguish us as we weren't the only people campaigning for this. The Money Free Party was too.
Siamak (non-member): free access was not a good thing to emphasise as access might have to be work-based. Perrin: it wasn't too late as it could be applied in our 17 April interview on the BBC2 Politics Show. Emphasis on anti-leadership was if anything more important than on a moneyless society.
Buick (West London): it was too late for the manifesto and stickers but could still apply to online material.
Amendment lost 5-5, with 6 abstentions. Motion (Floor Resolution) carried 12-3, with 1 abstention
WORKSHOP HELD AT HEAD OFFICE – 25 OCTOBER 2015 The EC agreed at its last meeting that in order to encourage further consideration of the issues raised, this report be made available to Branches and others interested.Report to the EC:WORKSHOP HELD AT HEAD OFFICE – 25 OCTOBER 2015 SUBJECT: ‘KEY MESSAGES AND A COMMUNICATION STRATEGY’The workshop agenda was in three main parts covering:Our StrategyKey MessagesA Communication StrategyThe first item really was to clarify an issue that arose in an SPGB forum thread called ‘Communication Strategy’: whether it was the role of the Party to encourage others to become socialists or rather just to provide a vehicle for them to join if they agree without case. It quickly emerged that the latter view was not held among the workshop attendees. I am afraid I allowed the discussion to go on to communication strategy before a discussion on key messages. However, when we got more onto that territory it didn’t appear that Comrades had brought worked-out suggestions along with them, so spending more time discussing ideas for what they could be may not have been that useful. Therefore the session was mainly a brain-storm on communication methods (rather than communication strategy), but some useful ideas did emerge.Here are some of the points/suggestions made and discussed. I have grouped these in themes.1) ObstaclesThe Party has an “effectiveness” problem – but is it our fault in failing to communicate or the fault of the working class in not hearing?Suggested that the working class suffers from an inertia which we need to break throughThere are too many other more interesting things to distract workers from hearing usMost workers have a too short term focusThe ‘S’ word problem: Prejudices and misconceptionsSuggestions that the Party can be too academic, needs to be less ‘wordy’ and is ‘dated’Candidate Hustings meetings etc: Problem when answering specific questions of just falling back onto saying that socialism will provide a solution (i.e. to every question).2) Doing Things DifferentlyWe need to get to know the audienceFamiliarise people with our caseTry using t-shirts, posters stickers – rather than just leaflets [others suggested this had been tried before]Going on Demos with placards was suggested (though also suggested that we have too few members to do this effectively – counter-suggested maybe just two members with a larger banner could have more impact)New terms of communication were now around – we need to use themNew communication methods – dittoQuality not quantity?Try using less words on leaflets etc [others suggested the leaflets we put out were not too long and besides there needs to be enough content to be able to explain our message]Leaflets: Suggested that we could try just putting the Object on a leaflet (obviously with contact details too)We have to find methods to engage workers in discussionHow to raise socialist consciousnessfocus groups: Could we use them to find out how best to get our message over and convince peoplePlace Survey/feedback forms in pamphletsTarget local issues in different versions of leaflets (but keep same key messages)In Elections, try different versions of leaflets (but keep same key messages)Bigger range of leaflets in general?We can learn from Corbyn (Corbynistas?)More use of A-board outside Head Office. Does that need planning permission – ask the EC to apply?2) What we say/Key MessagesNeed to relate our messages to persons livesDo we/should we try not to use ‘S’ wordUse the team “Real Socialism” instead?Against capitalism, not against Corbyn as a personSome things [e.g. UK steel industry crisis] are more illustrative of capitalisms problemsSay “Vote for the Socialist Party”Say “a vote for the SP is a vote for socialism”Candidate Hustings meetings etc: When answering specific questions rather than just saying that socialism will provide a solution, we need to say things that won’t lose the audience (especially when there is little time to develop an argument) – like why tax is not a working class issue – but that will still answer the question but move people towards our way of thinkingTalk about democracyTalk about putting people in chargeYou can also find a PDF copy at https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/spintcom/files/ADM/ADM_2015/YFSRob Cox – EC Member
Simply to repeat the message i sent on Spintcom having not notied this post.
Quote:Having read the report, i can't say i was overly impressed by the work-shop or any conclusion, if any, it reached. Please don't take this criticism personally and it is not to diminish the effort put into it and purpose people wished for it. I simply do not think it added to the discussion anything more than what we already knew and failed to present clear recommendations for the EC and branches and individuals to take as demonstrated by the number of rhetorical question marks used in the report, plus exacerbated by the lack of priority or importance in the suggestions it did make. I'll find it difficult to imagine the EC doing little more than remarking "noted" and moving on to next business. People are aware that my position is "Let a 1000 flowers blossom" and support a diverse strategy of campaigning and that "no one model fits all" . Or in other words "horses for courses"…But that does require defining a certain amount of models and pin-pointing specific appropriate circumstances to apply them to get us off the starting line and towards the first fence to jumpSome observationsJust when we were questioning using words like 'socialism' 'communism' and 'revolution' , Brand and Corbyn attracted millions by openly using the words. They concentrate on attacking capitalism and people listen to them In my humble opinion our key message should be.1. Capitalism is causing a, b and c horrors and we need a revolution now.2. The society without money and states is the end product and is nice to theorise about it.3. We need to be attacking capitalism and encouraging workers to take the power of the state to dispossess the capitalists. We don't need to dress it up. Marx and Engels did not spend a lot of time on the 'end product' there is a class struggle to win,4. We are not utopians, we are a revolutionary group. Shout it out loud, "we have nothing to lose but our chains'
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