Afraid of going canvassing with my local politicians

antimatterx · 09-01-2020 10:28PM #1

Hi

I'm in my local FG branch, and the candidates are starting to prep for the general election. I want to go canvassing but I'm terrified of talking to people at there doors. I've gone leaflet dropping recently, but never full on canvassing. I'm really keen to try pursue a political career in the future, and I know I have to do this to build a reputation.

A bit of background, I'm a 23 year old software engineer working and living in Dublin. I have always been a shy and anxious person, I don't know how to shake it. I have no reason to be anxious, my life is easy.

Any advice?

pwurple · 10-01-2020 12:02AM

I think this could be tough if you are nervous and shy. There is a colleague of mine who ran for local elections as councillor in the last one and got elected. Salt of the earth this guy, a dote. A massive community worker, so helpful.

He ran with FG, and was spat at, called a blue shirt, roared abuse at. Blamed for homelessness. He really said it was an eye opener, and he is quite calm and hard to ruffle. People just treated him like crap.

Some people with extreme political views think it's ok to openly abuse politicians... Like they are not people. Dehumanised somehow. Not sure how you can prepare for that, you need a thick skin.

10-01-2020 01:07AM

from the personal characteristics you describe in yourself OP, it's really unlikely that politics would be a viable career for you tbh.

is there another end of the machine that you could participate in that wouldnt provoke your anxiety, if you wanted to help?

Padre_Pio · 10-01-2020 01:09AM

FG canvassers are going to get a tough time this election. Plenty of scandals in the recent months to provoke people's ire.

I wish you the best of luck OP, but you'll need a thick skin.

Caranica · 10-01-2020 01:23AM

In a General Election you build kudos within the party for work put in to support a candidate. That will only help you externally if you go down the local area rep or local elections routes.

Canvassing isn't everyone's thing but if you've aspirations it has to be, just not essentially right now.

Learn from the people on the doorsteps now and don't rush yourself. There's plenty more to be done on a campaign than just canvassing.

banie01 · 10-01-2020 01:43AM

As a FG canvasser given the party's recent performance you should be nervous.

Honestly, expect vitriol on the doorsteps.
Not even Coveney pulling Stormont from the fire will dampen the anger many voters fell towards FG currently.

The usual Health, Housing and Infrastructure groups, are going to be bolstered by Leo's lack of cop on.
Bailey, Madigan and Farrell, and the absolute shít show that FG have presided over the last 18months.

The tone deaf reaction of Leo and Flanagan will cost a lot of votes and the patronising response regarding setting back the cause of Irish Unity....
Well that has rankled a large swathe of the electorate.

suicide_circus · 10-01-2020 05:37AM

It will be tough OP. The nature of democracy is that you have people who would never dream of getting up off their arse and make an effort to get involved in politics but who expect "the government" to fix everything for them.

my advice is to go out and try it, a baptism of fire. you'll find out quick enough if you can hack it.

LegacyUser · 10-01-2020 05:43AM

Canvassers go in two normally, one experienced who can talk and one who can takes notes of issues raised/feedback. You can just be the note taker. I wouldnâ€™t worry about running in the future, just do the canvassing for now and see if you enjoy it. Donâ€™t feel any pressure either, if one night a week is all you can do, just do that.

Wanderer78 · 10-01-2020 06:02AM

Deal with your anxiety issues first of all, make sure you're regularly exercising, jumping into the deep end, which this situation would be, doesn't always work, in fact it could make things much worse, fg are gonna get a roasting this time around, canvassing is gonna be hell for them. You can still remain in the party, but remain in the background, until you are ready for the front line, as I'd say it's dreadful, voters think they have the right to abuse politicans and their staff, people can be right arseholes in such situations. Best of luck

ted1 · 10-01-2020 08:00AM

[Deleted User] wrote: »

from the personal characteristics you describe in yourself OP, it's really unlikely that politics would be a viable career for you tbh.

is there another end of the machine that you could participate in that wouldnt provoke your anxiety, if you wanted to help?

It’s not a career he’s after, you obviously don’t understand canvassing.
He would be promoting a candidate, leaflet dropping , door bell ringing etc

wiggle16 · 10-01-2020 08:34AM

Mod:

The OP hasn't asked what the general reaction to FG canvassers is going to be. The OP has asked for advice about a personal issue. This is not the thread to have a go at a particular political party and any politicised posts will be deleted, and some already have been - if you don't have constructive advice for the OP, don't post.

OP I think it would be helpful if you elaborate on your issue a bit more, if you can.

Call me Al · 10-01-2020 08:42AM

ted1 wrote: »

It’s not a career he’s after, you obviously don’t understand canvassing.
He would be promoting a candidate, leaflet dropping , door bell ringing etc

That's not correct. Poster says they want to pursue a career in politics:
"..... I want to go canvassing but I'm terrified of talking to people at there doors. I've gone leaflet dropping recently, but never full on canvassing. I'm really keen to try pursue a political career in the future, and I know I have to do this to build a reputation."

My advice is that you will need to build up your resilience and develop a thick skin. Have you ever done public speaking? Toastmasters maybe? Debating would be a good place to start from. You've mentioned you're an anxious type of person I think. You will definitely need to focus on managing this before embarking on a political career.

the_pen_turner · 10-01-2020 08:48AM

This is a tricky one. Your going to have to just try it.
Could you have a chat with your fellow canvassers and see could you go with a seasoned one . They might go to a few houses that are going to vote favourably anyway with you so you can experience it without the fear of abuse etc
When you get a bit of confidence you can try a few houses that are open to a debate etc

If you go to the bad houses first your going to get demoralised and hate it.

You really need a thick skin for that job and the ability to let the insults etc running of and not effect you.

You also need to have your answers ready to the hard questions. Maria balley for example. How would you explain that away and spinit to your advantage

Mooooo · 10-01-2020 08:51AM

You will be unlikely to be going out on your own, I'd assume it would be teams of 2 particularly in a case where it would be your first time out. All you can do is state your case for the candidate and thank them for their time at the end. There may be various levels of responses, from calm questions and policy issues to people more agressively asking something and try respond as calmly as you can. If someone loses it just thank them for their time and walk away. Possibility of most responses being no thanks when you ask for a moment of their time

seamus · 10-01-2020 12:28PM

Deleted User wrote: »

from the personal characteristics you describe in yourself OP, it's really unlikely that politics would be a viable career for you tbh.

Nah. It's a matter of experience.

Nobody is born confident, nobody is born knowing how to knock on doors and talk to people or how to take part in a heated discussion while keeping your head.

These are all skills that one has to learn, and a lot of it is simply immersing yourself into it. Public speaking, standing on a stage and talking to lots of people makes virtually everyone nervous the first few times, but do it 10/20/30 times and while you still feel the adrenaline rush, you don't get the same brain-blanking nervousness.

This is also true of knocking on peoples' doors canvassing. The first 20 doors will be scary and weird and you'll be flustered. But it'll also be exciting and will get easier with every door you knock on.

As said, the OP won't be going out alone. He'll be paired with someone who's experienced and will know what to do if the situation becomes tense. He will be given some coaching, a script to try and stick to, and pointers on how to recognise when is the best time to disengage - listen to the person, thank them for their time and walk away, i.e. don't get involved debating someone who's just looking to rant; and don't react to abuse, just walk away.

You will find it exhilarating OP. Scary, but also uplifting. You'll be extremely glad of yourself for doing it, you'll be proud of overcoming your own demons to do it, and by the end of you will feel yourself noticeably more confident talking to absolute strangers.

Another thing that can be useful are debating societies. Discussing politics and other social issues in a face-to-face situation; away from Google and wikipedia and other sources; is a totally separate skill in itself. Someone like these guys can help you develop these skills.

10-01-2020 02:48PM

ted1 wrote: »

It’s not a career he’s after, you obviously don’t understand canvassing.
He would be promoting a candidate, leaflet dropping , door bell ringing etc

literally written in the first post- seeking a career.

ILoveYourVibes · 10-01-2020 02:54PM

Just do it. Get the first time over with.

Good luck op. You won't be GREAT at it the first time.

But you will get better with practice most people do.

Purgative · 10-01-2020 07:42PM

Hi OP.

Never felt any special passion for any particular party, so I've never done it. I have done door to door and enquiry type work though.

There will be a script, either from the training course or the "auld sweats" you tag along with.

- Get comfortable with the script, so you can say it naturally.
- Give yourself a pass on the first few
- After a while it gets easy.

Seamus post was very useful. I think you could gain confidence from doing it.

Best of luck.

Rubberchikken · 10-01-2020 07:42PM

I think if you can manage to go on this campaign trail, you will build a skin like hide and few things will phase you.
Good luck

HildaOgdenx · 10-01-2020 09:25PM

OP, make the most as well of any training that might be available in the organisation, in relation to public speaking and the likes, as you have said you would like to pursue a political career.

As others have said, watch and learn when you are going door to door, you will most likely be with someone who is an old hand at canvassing.

Best of luck.

pq0n1ct4ve8zf5 · 10-01-2020 10:24PM

The good: You'll almost certainly be paired with a seasoned canvasser, be drilled in your talking points. What's often helpful with anxiety is to rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. Given my experience with canvassing for the referendum on the 8th amendment, while there may be many people who clearly vehemently disagree with what you're doing, relatively few will actually engage aggressively with you, most of them will want you to just go away.

The bad: some person or persons will probably (verbally!) lay into you at some point. It's very unpleasant, but it's not personal and it comes with the territory, unfortunately. During my canvassing there was always a "depressurising" session at the end, if anyone had anything they needed to vent about or ask advice about how they should have dealt with a conversation. It's likely there'll be something similar in place, which is something you can find out about ahead of time.

If you want to make your career as a party politician with FG, presumably you have reasons for that. You believe in their ethos, ideology and policies. You think their performance in government merits their reelection, and that it is in the interest of the people whose doors you'll be knocking on to vote for them, based on those policies and performance. You must feel this deeply.

Have a think about why you support your party, where you feel they've been successful in government, what the candidates you're canvassing for are going to bring to the table. Write it down, practice it in the mirror.

Good luck.

wiggle16 · 10-01-2020 11:18PM

Mod warning:

I've deleted some posts which still made a party-political issue out of the OP's post in spite of the mod instruction above. Any more politicised posts and I'll be infracting, not just deleting.

wiggle16 · 11-01-2020 12:18AM

I don't have a lot new to add, you've got some great advice from other posters.

As others have said, you will not be put on your own with another newbie or expected to be the main act at this stage. If it is looking like you will be paired up with someone who is also inexperienced, speak up and say that you haven't done this before and you'd be more useful paired with someone who has. They'll not risk losing potential votes, so they won't turn you loose like that. So I wouldn't worry about that aspect of it.

As for what you do when you're canvassing, just nod along and agree with what your canvassing partner is saying - let them do the talking. If a person makes a point about something they are angry about, don't try to correct them if you think it's wrong or if it's a matter of interpretation, as you're not going to sway them and they will feel you're not listening, which would be a fair assumption on their part. If a person does lose the head with either of you, don't take it personally and don't react - thank them for their time and take your leave.

If you do have an unpleasant experience, don't dwell on it, don't ruminate on what you think you should have said - people will be angry at the system, not at you. It might seem like it's easy to say "don't take it personally", but a lot of people don't think about what that really means. A person who rails at you about their own grievance with how things are run does not know anything about you, is not impugning your character or your own integrity and could not care less if you are the nicest person in the world or a complete snake. You're a face to have a go at, in their eyes, and it wouldn't matter if it were you or some other Jaysus, they would behave the same way - so don't take it as a personal insult or attack or let it knock your confidence.

Electro~bitch makes a really good point about telling yourself over and over again why you're doing this and practise saying it. Honestly this will really help.

As an aside, I work in the public sector and my particular racket is not very popular with the general public. I man a public helpline for part of my day and I get person after person who is furious about something or other or very upset, often legitimately. It's probably more useful over the phone than in person, but one thing that I find really helps is to speak very calmly and softly, rather than in my usual loud Northside hack - it tends to have a calming effect on people, don't really know why. That might help if you are on the receiving end of a tirade and have to answer it.

mikemac2 wrote: »

I do not know your constituency but if there is a commuter rail station in your area you should be there instead of knocking on doors while people are cooking dinner. Several hundred people can go through these stations in the mornings and evening. Well you are a rookie and that is not your decision, just saying. I saw one candidate do this last time and the others didn't at all

This is quite true. I met Bertie Ahern on my way home from work one evening after getting off the train as he chose to do this. You could get some brownie points if you suggest it, even.

leggo · 11-01-2020 09:21AM

For a start, try not to see any negativity you get as personal. YOU didn’t make the decisions they’re angry about. Also try contextualise it in that there are some people out there just looking for someone to blame because life didn’t work out their way, and politicians are the frontline of this. So if someone was to get angry or abusive, for a start it wouldn’t be based around anything you personally did, but also it’s probably just because they’re unhappy themselves and need someone to blame because looking in the mirror and taking responsibility is difficult.

Empathy is a powerful tool that people have in their locker that they don’t even realise too. When someone comes at you, they’ll prepare for you to reel back at them with a counterpoint, and if you say something like “I understand” or “I’m sorry you had to go through that”, it immediately disarms them. When you get seasoned at this stuff, you realise that in that moment you then control the flow of the conversation because they were prepared for an argument, and when they didn’t get it they’ll generally be like “What now?” So you’ve acknowledged their concerns, disarmed them with empathy and now they’re 100x more likely to listen to you and have a reasonable conversation.

Prepare for all scenarios. I have what I can a ‘red team’ for potentially difficult/important presentations, interviews, Q&As etc I’m going into: people I tell to come at me with the hardest questions or issues I’m likely to face, I’ll tell them to argue with me and keep pushing until I’ve got an answer for everything. You’re interested in and involved in this stuff, so you know the issues that are likely to come up and can prepare as such. Once you do this, you may come across a story or question phrased differently to how you prepared, but the core issues will all be the same and you can just adjust your answers to suit.

Lastly remember that not everyone is politically engaged and going to be angry or aggressive towards you. Most people aren’t. The ‘mad’ people or stories you’ll come across will be notable because they’re in the minority, chances are the people that will actually engage you will be people who don’t know the issues and want you hear your pitch because they need to make their mind up, bored/lonely people just looking for someone to chat to, or just disinterested people who are too polite to tell you to go away because they don’t care about politics. Not everyone is aggressive and starts fights with people who knock on their door, most are sound. It’ll be fine and, whatever happens, it’ll be an experience and story you’ll have to tell.

wylo · 11-01-2020 10:04PM

OP, I would say its fear of the unknown, I was helping a friend before and I felt the exact same way to the point that I told him he needed to do the talking at all times.

However after a few doors I started butting in more and more as I realised its just people.

You'll be fine once you take the first step. Also I wouldnt let boards posters that suggest it may not be for you put you off as being afraid is not a problem, its not willing to push on that would be a problem if you aspire to be a politician.

splinter65 · 11-01-2020 10:43PM

Redser87 · 12-01-2020 09:06AM

I think the advice given above about leafleting at a local train station is good. Or would you go to the count centre after the election, or do behind the scenes work in the candidate's constituency office? There are lots of ways to build up a profile within the party other than canvassing, if you really and truly don't feel ready this time around. However, if it is something you'd like to do and you're just nervous, feel the fear and do it anyway. There's some very good advice on this thread already about how you can overcome your fear. Like any new experience, once you've knocked on a few doors it will no longer feel so daunting.

antimatterx · 13-01-2020 10:04PM

Thank you so much everyone for all the encouragement. I'm going to go for it. I figured I'm better off starting when I'm young, and if people have a go at me, so be it.

HildaOgdenx · 13-01-2020 11:24PM

antimatterx wrote: »

Thank you so much everyone for all the encouragement. I'm going to go for it. I figured I'm better off starting when I'm young, and if people have a go at me, so be it.

Go for it. It takes a lot of courage, in my opinion. Fair dues to you.
Best of luck.

Redser87 · 14-01-2020 08:39AM

Good for you OP. Hopefully it will be a quick process and you'll get the experience of canvassing without having to do it for weeks. Good luck.

marieholmfan · 14-01-2020 12:06PM

antimatterx wrote: »

Thank you so much everyone for all the encouragement. I'm going to go for it. I figured I'm better off starting when I'm young, and if people have a go at me, so be it.

I hope you get just what deserve!

Afraid of going canvassing with my local politicians

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