63 Magazine - Issue 1

Before I train, I like to feel:
Calm. When I feel like everything is ready, I feel calm.
When I train, I like to feel:
Energized. During a training, I know it’s important to be enthusiastic and
motivational. The tone you set is the tone the volunteers will take away. They’ll
remember that tone every time they do that activity for the duration of the campaign.
Be upbeat, engaged, and set a tone of urgency.
To consider a training a success, I need to:
1) Lead with enthusiasm.
2) Set a proper tone of urgency.
3) Involve the volunteers during the training.
4) Conduct a proper debrief.
After a training I make sure to:
Follow up with the volunteers. Is the organizer or volunteer able to elevate their work
with a full understanding and knowledge of what I trained them on?
I also look at specifi c actions. For example, if someone came to our caucus
convention and doesn’t come out to caucus, that’s a failure. If someone came to our
caucus convention and didn’t sign up for a canvass shift, then that’s a failure.
My last advice on training is:
The truth of the matter is, as an organizer, you’re essentially being asked to do the
impossible. You are getting people to work for free – to work hard for free, knocking
on doors in 115-degree heat. As an organizer, you wouldn’t be as good of an
organizer if someone hadn’t trained you. As an organizer, you have to train the
next class of progressive organizers because they’re going to continue the work that
you’ve done after you leave.