Some of the most effective tools in any effort can be the simplest ones: like a nametag. Some campaign offices have blank peel-n-stick nametags for big volunteer events so that people can talk with each other over the course of an afternoon or evening and not have to remember the names of 20 new people they just met.
But take that one step further and realize that in going door-to-door and canvassing in neighborhoods, having your name where someone can see it while they are speaking to you helps make a connection. As volunteers, we have an advantage in having a sheet of paper in front of us with the full name of the people we are looking for. But after we say our name once in the first three seconds of our introduction, what is the likelihood that the person standing there is going to remember it?
I am proposing that volunteers make a name tag using the simple tools available at any local office supply store. We've all been to conventions or conferences where we are handed a name tag in plastic sleeves that we either pin on or hang around our necks for the duration of the event. A lot would be gained if volunteers would simply wear a nametag when working in the campaign office, attending events or going door-to-door to canvass. It allows us to better connect with each other and the voters we meet in the field. Even in a high tech world, low tech solutions can be very effective. Consistently wearing a name tag gives us an identity that transcends being just one among a throng of volunteers and helps us to make the human connections that will drive this campaign.
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