Effective Information Distribution for Activists

Transcription

1 Effective Information Distribution for Activists An activist's guide to making signs, giving speeches, and convincing others they should support your cause. By the Rad Cat Press *** August 8, 2013

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3 Table of Contents Introduction (1) Human Psychology and Reception of Information (2) -Knowledge -Appeal Emotionally to People -Non-Violent Communication -Logical Fallacies -Color Psychology -Respect Culture -Advertising Techniques Making a Flier (15) -Things to Keep in Mind -Symbols and Images -Audience Giving a Presentation (18) -Auditory (Hear) -Visual (See) -Kinesthetic (Touch) Conclusion (20) Bibliography (20)

4 1 Introduction This guide is written in response to a very common problem that we have seen within the activist community bad fliers, bad advertising, bad speeches, and bad knowledge about human psychology and how to appeal to people. If you can't convey information to people effectively, or if you can't get them to attend your events, you're not going to convince anyone to join in your movement, let alone care about it. This booklet is also written in response to media bias. A mixed blessing of modern media is the pure amount of diversity it contains. On one hand this allows for many different types of information and perspectives to be available. On the other hand it allows the viewer to be biased in what they see, especially with the corporatization of news media. Viewer bias creates a situation where information many should learn about is not viewed at all. This is why distributing 'alternative' information in the form of fliers, speeches, stencils, and other forms of physically present information that the viewer cannot ignore is very important. This guide mostly covers the psychology behind advertising, the activist mindset, and basic reminders and pointers for presenting information. There are many books and online tutorials available on graphic design and giving speeches, so please seek those out for specifics in the art of information distribution. This is the first edition of this work and we would love your feedback. Please RADCATPRESS@RISEUP.NET with questions, comments, and additions. Thanks! Updates will be made available on <

5 2 Human Psychology and Reception of Information Knowledge New knowledge sticks best to already existing knowledge. When presenting information, relate it to commonly known concepts, beliefs, pop-culture, or images. The brain remembers sexual, silly, or humorous information better than it does other types. Different people learn better with different senses. This is explained later in 'Giving a Presentation.'

6 3 Appeal Emotionally to People Let's face it: People are often selfish when dealing with strangers They care a whole lot about themselves, their friends, and their family, and not a whole lot about you and your movement. This is why it is essential that while trying to convince a person to support your movement, that you connect it to their wants and needs in some way. How does it impact them, their health, money, land and loved ones? A common assumption activists make is that their strong emotions toward a cause will be shared by everyone else. They believe this to the extent that they think yelling or aggressively attacking others will win allies. What these activists forget is that it took themselves a very long time to arrive at their current set of beliefs. Perhaps it was growing up in a certain environment such as the forest or city. Perhaps it was being the black sheep within a family. Perhaps it was facing oppression growing up. Whatever it was, realize that convincing people that your movement is worth their time is an involved task and takes time. Non-Violent Communication Yelling, or speaking violently, rarely, if ever, convinces a person that they are wrong in an argument. Try your best to call people in, not out. Positive reinforcement is more effective than negative reinforcement. It is counter-intuitive, but rewarding a person for good behavior gives them a reason to exhibit a new behavior, whereas punishing someone for a bad behavior does nothing toward showing them an alternative. A person who enters into an argument with you in anger or violence should first be mediated with. Your goal is to calm them down by openly listening to their needs without reacting in argument, criticism, or judgment. Ask questions. You can state your side once they have calmed down. If you do need to call a person out, do so speaking from your needs and observable facts, not with guilt, humiliation, shame, blame, coercion, or threats. Know exactly what you want to say to them, and

7 4 say it calmly and politely, When you said/did, it made me feel because I needed. Or, It makes me uncomfortable when you, could you instead? You can also frame questions, What was your aim when you? Or, Could you explain more about what you said the other day about? Questions are good because it shows that you want to understand the other person and makes it less likely they will go into a staunchly defensive mode of speaking. Many times people are unaware of how their actions impact others, and just need a friendly wake up call. Those who ignore or mock your desire for change probably will not alter their behavior. It may be best to not waste your time on these individuals. Logical Fallacies Fallacies are defects that weaken arguments (Writing) The Writing Center at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill published this guide regarding logical fallacies: [See online for examples] Hasty generalization: Making assumptions about a whole group or range of cases based on a sample that is inadequate (usually because it is atypical or too small). Stereotypes about people ( librarians are shy and smart, wealthy people are snobs, etc.) are a common example of the principle underlying hasty generalization. Missing the point: The premises of an argument do support a particular conclusion but not the conclusion that the arguer actually draws. Post hoc (also called false cause): Assuming that because B comes after A, A caused B. Of course, sometimes one event really does cause another one that comes later

8 5 for example, if I register for a class, and my name later appears on the roll, it s true that the first event caused the one that came later. But sometimes two events that seem related in time aren t really related as cause and event. That is, correlation isn t the same thing as causation. This fallacy gets its name from the Latin phrase post hoc, ergo propter hoc, which translates as after this, therefore because of this. Slippery slope: The arguer claims that a sort of chain reaction, usually ending in some dire consequence, will take place, but there s really not enough evidence for that assumption. The arguer asserts that if we take even one step onto the slippery slope, we will end up sliding all the way to the bottom; he or she assumes we can t stop partway down the hill. Weak analogy: Many arguments rely on an analogy between two or more objects, ideas, or situations. If the two things that are being compared aren t really alike in the relevant respects, the analogy is a weak one, and the argument that relies on it commits the fallacy of weak analogy. Appeal to authority: Often we add strength to our arguments by referring to respected sources or authorities and explaining their positions on the issues we re discussing. If, however, we try to get readers to agree with us simply by impressing them with a famous name or by appealing to a supposed authority who really isn t much of an expert, we commit the fallacy of appeal to authority. s biased. Ad populum: The Latin name of this fallacy means to the people. There are several versions of the ad populum fallacy, but what they all have in common is that in them, the arguer takes advantage of the desire most people have to be liked and to fit in with others and uses that desire to try to get the audience to accept his or her argument. One of the most common

9 6 versions is the bandwagon fallacy, in which the arguer tries to convince the audience to do or believe something because everyone else (supposedly) does. Ad hominem and tu quoque: Like the appeal to authority and ad populum fallacies, the ad hominem ( against the person ) and tu quoque ( you, too! ) fallacies focus our attention on people rather than on arguments or evidence. In both of these arguments, the conclusion is usually You shouldn t believe Soand-So s argument. The reason for not believing So-and-So is that Soand-So is either a bad person (ad hominem) or a hypocrite (tu quoque). In an ad hominem argument, the arguer attacks his or her opponent instead of the opponent s argument. Appeal to pity The appeal to pity takes place when an arguer tries to get people to accept a conclusion by making them feel sorry for someone. Appeal to ignorance In the appeal to ignorance, the arguer basically says, Look, there s no conclusive evidence on the issue at hand. Therefore, you should accept my conclusion on this issue. Straw man One way of making our own arguments stronger is to anticipate and respond in advance to the arguments that an opponent might make. In the straw man fallacy, the arguer sets up a weak version of the opponent s position and tries to score points by knocking it down. But just as being able to knock down a straw man (like a scarecrow) isn t very impressive, defeating a watered-down version of your opponent s argument isn t very impressive either. Red herring Partway through an argument, the arguer goes off on a tangent, raising a side issue that distracts the audience from what s really at stake. Often,

10 7 the arguer never returns to the original issue. False dichotomy In false dichotomy, the arguer sets up the situation so it looks like there are only two choices. The arguer then eliminates one of the choices, so it seems that we are left with only one option: the one the arguer wanted us to pick in the first place. But often there are really many different options, not just two and if we thought about them all, we might not be so quick to pick the one the arguer recommends. Begging the question A complicated fallacy; it comes in several forms and can be harder to detect than many of the other fallacies we ve discussed. Basically, an argument that begs the question asks the reader to simply accept the conclusion without providing real evidence; the argument either relies on a premise that says the same thing as the conclusion (which you might hear referred to as being circular or circular reasoning ), or simply ignores an important (but questionable) assumption that the argument rests on. Sometimes people use the phrase beg the question as a sort of general criticism of arguments, to mean that an arguer hasn t given very good reasons for a conclusion, but that s not the meaning we re going to discuss here. Equivocation Equivocation is sliding between two or more different meanings of a single word or phrase that is important to the argument. So how do I find fallacies in my own writing? Pretend you disagree with the conclusion you re defending. What parts of the argument would now seem fishy to you? What parts would seem easiest to attack? Give special attention to strengthening those parts. List your main points; under each one, list the evidence you

11 8 have for it. Seeing your claims and evidence laid out this way may make you realize that you have no good evidence for a particular claim, or it may help you look more critically at the evidence you re using. Learn which types of fallacies you re especially prone to, and be careful to check for them in your work. Some writers make lots of appeals to authority; others are more likely to rely on weak analogies or set up straw men. Read over some of your old papers to see if there s a particular kind of fallacy you need to watch out for. Be aware that broad claims need more proof than narrow ones. Claims that use sweeping words like all, no, none, every, always, never, no one, and everyone are sometimes appropriate but they require a lot more proof than lesssweeping claims that use words like some, many, few, sometimes, usually, and so forth. Double check your characterizations of others, especially your opponents, to be sure they are accurate and fair.

12 9 Color Psychology Colors influence our emotional, physical, and behavioral states. They are a powerful tool as shown in corporate advertising, and should be used for drawing attention and stimulating feelings (Susan). Emotional Physical Behavioral Passion, Love, Strength, Anger Raises Blood Hot, Aggressive, Pressure and Heart Danger, Stop Rate, Stimulates Appetite Happy, Energetic, Pleasant, Social Encourages Movement, Provides Energy, Vigor Movement, Fast Food Yellow Warm, Cheerful, Solitary, Irritable Poor Skin, Reflection, Bright, Reflective Lively, Secure, Caution, Slow Green Friendly, Calming, Neutral, Balanced Concentration, Focus, Attention Jealousy, Envy, Money, Avarice Blue Isolated, Peaceful, Cool, Distant Lowers Blood Calm, Pressure, Decreases Conservative, Loyal Appetite Trusting Spiritual, Enlightened, Creative, Artistic Calming, Relaxing, Surprise, Magic, Helps Insomnia Regal, Royal, Rare Brown Reliable, Seriousness, Warm Trust, Nature Connection, Heaviness, Solid, Genuine, Lack of Humor, and Sophistication Black Powerful, Prestige, Non-Emotional Thinner Look, Timeless, Stylish Power, Authority, Submission, Independent Red Orange Purple White Neutral, Spiritual, Strains Eyes, Enlightened, Cold, Heightened Unfriendly Perception of Space, Cleanliness Innocence, Stop, Untouchable

13 10 Respect Culture: Many activists have their own culture separate from the mainstream identity. This difference in culture can create a level of disapproval between parties which immediately weakens the communication bridge. Be sure that when making an argument for your cause, you are communicating in respect to the other party's cultural identity. As much as many people might not like it, your appearance and choice of words are BOTH part of your argument. Some people simply should not be a spokesperson for a group, and some words and images should simply not be used when spreading information. Part of a person receiving information you impart to them, or communication, is that person's ability to listen to and relate to what is being said. If you have a mow hawk and are wearing a tutu, you probably won't have good communication with a politician in a business suit. Divisions do exist in this world. People feel more comfortable and trusting of others when they appear and act similar to themselves. While not always necessary to follow strictly, here are some things to be aware of: Clothing : Match the occasion. If you are speaking with politicians, dress formally. Avoid any clothing that can be stereotyped as alternative, hippie, anarchist, dirty, or poor. Avoid political statements through clothing. Do not wear clothing depicting images unless they are formally designed for a specific cause. Intention is key. Tattoos: Hide tattoos, or at least any that are visually distracting. Piercings: Remove piercings except for single earrings. Hair: Wash it! Get a hair cut! Braid it! Comb it! Words: Use language that is grammatically correct and fluent. Silence is better than 'ummm' or 'like.' Have your speaking points rehearsed so you don't fluster up.

14 11 Advertising Techniques According to Mr. Geib, an English Teacher, common advertising techniques include: AVANTE GARDE The suggestion that using this product puts the user ahead of the times e.g. a toy manufacturer encourages kids to be the first on their block to have a new toy (Geib). FACTS AND FIGURES Statistics and objective factual information is used to prove the superiority of the product e.g. a car manufacturer quotes the amount of time it takes their car to get from 0 to 100 k.p.h. WEASEL WORDS Weasel words" are used to suggest a positive meaning without actually really making any guarantee e.g. a scientist says that a diet product might help you to lose weight the way it helped him to lose weight. MAGIC INGREDIENTS The suggestion that some almost miraculous discovery makes the product exceptionally effective e.g. a pharmaceutical manufacturer describes a special coating that makes their pain reliever less irritating to the stomach than a competitor`s. PATRIOTISM The suggestion that purchasing this product shows your love of your country e.g. a company brags about its product being made in America and employing American workers. DIVERSION Diversion seems to tackle a problem or issue, but then throws in an emotional non-sequitor or distraction. e.g. a tobacco company talks

15 12 about health and smoking, but then shows a cowboy smoking a rugged cigarette after a long day of hard work. TRANSFER Words and ideas with positive connotations are used to suggest that the positive qualities should be associated with the product and the user e.g. a textile manufacturer wanting people to wear their product to stay cool during the summer shows people wearing fashions made from their cloth at a sunny seaside setting where there is a cool breeze. PLAIN FOLKS The suggestion that the product is a practical product of good value for ordinary people e.g. a cereal manufacturer shows an ordinary family sitting down to breakfast and enjoying their product. SNOB APPEAL The suggestion that the use of the product makes the customer part of an elite group with a luxurious and glamorous life style e.g. a coffee manufacturer shows people dressed in formal gowns and tuxedos drinking their brand at an art gallery. BRIBERY Bribery seems to give a desirable extra something. We humans tend to be greedy. e.g. Buy a burger; get free fries. TESTIMONIAL A famous personality is used to endorse the product e.g. a famous basketball player (Michael Jordan) recommends a particular brand of skates. WIT AND HUMOR Customers are attracted to products that divert the audience by giving viewers a reason to laugh or to be entertained by clever use of visuals or language.

16 13 SIMPLE SOLUTIONS Avoid complexities, and attack many problems to one solutions. e.g. Buy this makeup and you will be attractive, popular, and happy. CARD STACKING The propaganda technique of Card-Stacking is so widespread that we may not always be aware of its presence in a commercial. Basically, Card-Stacking means stacking the cards in favor of the product; advertisers stress its positive qualities and ignore the negative. For example, if a brand of snack food is loaded with sugar (and calories), the commercial may boast that the product is low in fat, which implies that it is also low in calories. Card-Stacking is such a prevalent rational propaganda technique that gives us only part of the picture. GLITTERING GENERALITIES The glittering generalities technique uses appealing words and images to sell the product. The message this commercial gives, through indirectly, is that if you buy the item, you will be using a wonderful product, and it will change your life. This cosmetic will make you look younger, this car will give you status, this magazine will make you a leader-all these commercials are using Glittering Generalities to enhance product appeal. BANDWAGON Bandwagon is a form of propaganda that exploits the desire of most people to join the crowd or be on the winning side, and avoid winding up the losing side. Few of us would want to wear nerdy cloths, smell differently from everyone else, or be unpopular. The popularity of a product is important to many people. Even if most of us say we make out own choice when buying something we often choose well-advertised items- the popular ones. Advertising copywriters must be careful with the bandwagon propaganda technique because most of us see ourselves as individuals who think for themselves. If

17 14 Bandwagon commercial is to obvious, viewers may reject the product outright. REPETITION The repetition of words or images to make something memorable. For instance a brand name or logo (Hudgins).

18 15 Making a Flier The most important factor in making information aesthetically pleasing and effective is time. Take it slow. You can't make a Mona Lisa in five minutes. If possible have someone with an art background work on the aesthetic parts, or at least give you pointers. ALWAYS have someone else familiar with the group or event double check and critique your work. Don't be offended if they tell you to redo it or to hand the project over to someone else. It is better to have a good flier than for no one to look at it. It can also be a good idea to look at other fliers you find appealing. Get inspired, or even copy the basic design. This is a great way to learn what works and what doesn't.

19 16 Questions to ask yourself: Is it visibly eye-catching from 10 feet away? Is there a good balance of text to images? Do the images used provide information to the viewer? Are there any assumptions about the audience made? What audience does the flier's images correspond with? If you are trying to get people to do something, are there positive incentives for them to do it? Food, coffee, laughter, health benefits, happiness, or whatever else? Does the flier conjure emotions? Excitement? Sadness? Hardship? Happiness? According to Mark Hughes, author of Buzz Marketing, some things to keep in mind with print media include: People like offers made to them. Things like a discount, a sale, and free food appeal to viewers (Hughes). Well-used white space is powerful, especially when the rest of the publication lacks it. One of the best advertising techniques is using a photo of a person looking directly at the viewer. A drop cap is a graphic letter at the start of a paragraph. These draw the reader's attention better than plain text does. Lists are easier for people to read than paragraphs. If the first thing a person sees is a photograph, then the next thing they will likely read is the caption. Make the caption captivating. People like reading news, and ads that contain news value are more likely to be read. Don't use white text on a black background, it is difficult to read.

20 17 Symbols and Images Some symbols, like the anarchist A, are extremely confusing and simply should not be used. This is because they don't convey any solid information to the viewer, and therefore are just a waste of space. Think of how else you can convey a symbol in a form that creates information without confusion. For instance, anarchy might be better represented with gardens, community, worker collectives, and the like. Furthermore, images should resonate with the audience's interests and culture. You are trying to create comfort, trust, and familiarity to win them over. Audience Keep in mind the pool of people you are drawing from within your location, as well as what you want these people to do. If you are throwing a benefit show/party, have a strong emphasis on the party and bands playing. Unless your activist group or cause is very popular already, most people just don't care. Period. Again, directly connect what you want people to do with how it will affect them positively. Draw them in with incentives they care about, like, social interaction, drinking, dancing, good music, food, entertainment, and the like. Also only use symbols and images that your audience can relate to.

21 18 Giving a Presentation There are auditory, visual, and kinesthetic learners (Learning). A truly effective presentation will appease all three learning styles through narrative, visuals, and hands-on activities..

22 19 Auditory (Hear) A good public speaker uses their voice and memory effectively. They memorize part of, if not all their speech. Memorizing a speech can be a lot of work, but just go through it, from start to finish, preferably in front of a mirror, a couple of times. Be familiar with the information you are going to present. Alternate the emotions and vocal tones you present to listeners as well. If appropriate, use humor or imagery to give the audience a break in technical or dramatic information. Just be careful with the type of people in your audience and the humor you try to use. Their age, culture, and sobriety makes a difference in what is and isn't funny to them. Visual (See) To appease visual learners create signs, handouts, power point presentations, or even just an outline of your talking points. Use hand and facial gestures, and have paper and pencils available for people to take notes. Kinesthetic (Touch) Hands-on learners need to actively do something to learn. Make your speech hands-on by asking your audience questions, allowing them to ask you questions throughout the presentation, breaking into groups for discussion, or by playing a game.

23 20 Conclusion Society is changed through information that creates awareness. So get out there and spread some knowledge! Bibliography Geib, Mr. "Advertising Techniques." Foothill Technology. No Date. Web. 17 Aug Hudgins, Catherine. "5 Most Common Advertising Techniques." Chron Small Business. No date. Web. 18 Aug Hughes, Mark. "Advertising Techniques - Do's Don't and Simple Tips from Years of Learning." 6. Print Advertising Techniques (newspaper, Magazine, etc). No Date. Web. 17 Aug Learning Rx. Types of Learning Styles. No date. Web. 25 Apr Susan. What does your color choice say about you? Home Goods. 23 Sept Web. 25 Jul < Writing Center, The. "Fallacies." The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. No Date. Web. 25 Jul

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28 In an age of media bias and over-stimulation, a call for a revolution in information distribution. RADCATPRESS@RISEUP.NET FACEBOOK.COM/RADCATPRESS