VOICE’s winning strategy
VOICE and our sister IAF organizations have earned a long track record of success because we have always started with deep listening to determine the shared interests we want to act on and then built the relational power needed to get officials to work with us to ensure real results, using this five-step process.
1. Deep Listening: What is it?
There are two components to deep listening: (a) building relational power based on one-on-one meetings which build trust among VOICE leaders; and (b) holding deep listening sessions to learn what are the burning issues affecting people’s lives.
- To find out more about the what, why, and how to hold relational meetings
Click here for the Relational Meetings slide deck. - To find out more on how to hold deep listening sessions:
Click here for the VOICE Listening Session Guide.
Click here for the Builders of the New Dominion briefing sheet.
2. What is a leader and how do we identify new leaders?
Text to be added here???
- To learn more about what is a leader:
Click here for the Qualities of a Leader slide deck. - To see examples of leaders:
Click here to see Hanif’s something or other
Click here to see Amy’s something or other
Click here to see Carol’s something or other
3. Identify Winnable Issues
Listening campaigns provide the general problems which affect people’s lives and where people want to see changes made but don’t individually have the power to affect systemic changes. They are generally broad and not actionable. Research is needed to pinpoint what issues are actionable and which winnable changes that can be made.
VOICE research teams conduct this research and reach out to experts, staff and leaders in organizations that could make or help make the systemic changes, and eventually narrow down the action that VOICE has the power to affect change.
The rest of (3) needs to be brought over from JdR’s document and rewritten to follow this format, or a different format needs to be chosen and used consistently for all these headings.
4. Take Action
Taking action by using organized people to exert power to influence and change decisions.
Two prior steps have been completed: 1. The interests of people have been identified (and the closer these interests correspond to their self-interest, the more eager they will be to participate in the action); and, 2. A specific action which is winnable as well as those who hold the power over being able to affect the change have been identified.
5. Accountability
At Actions, we ask decisionmaking holders to commit to carry out their promises and VOICE asks for accountability.
If changes are not made in accordance with the promises, VOICE may follow up with other public Actions to hold decision makers accountable.