This past weekend, as a Fellow in Rhode Island’s chapter of the New Leaders Council, I participated in the 3rd training institute which was focused on Communications.  (To learn more about the New Leaders Council click here or check out my post about the first experience with the Council).  We had a number of great speakers that presented on topics such as Public Speaking, Messaging and Framing, Press Skills, Advertising, Speech Writing, and Public Relations and Crisis Communications.  It was a weekend packed full of learning and growth, which ended in some serious insomnia for me on Sunday night as I was suffering from information overload and couldn’t make my brain stop thinking or my pen to stop writing.  The positive part of this overload is that it has resulted in lots of reflection for me on not only what are ways that I can improve my communication publicly and individually, but also how us Progressive’s as a whole can tweak our message so it is better received by those who might not understand what we’re about.  Want to know what I learned?  Here are my 6 ways Progressives could better frame their message:

1. Don’t adopt right-wing language when talking about the Progressive movement

The Republican’s like to use language such as “gay marriage” instead of “marriage equality” and say they’re “pro-life” instead of “anti-choice”, and as Progressive’s, we tend to use that same language when trying to spread our view of the issues.  I can’t say exactly why that is but I think because we hear these terms so frequently in regular media that we think it will be easier for people to understand what issues we’re talking about if we use that wording.  But these terms were crafted by Republicans for a reason.  Using the term “gay marriage”  is a way to make it sound like it’s a specific kind of marriage, and not the same as a marriage between straight people.   It also sounds better if someone is “pro-life” because it implies that they are simply trying to protect life, as opposed to anti-choice (which is what they really are), meaning they don’t believe that individuals have a right to choose what is right for them.

2. Don’t always be the angry messenger of  doom and gloom

Most Progressives that I know and talk to seem angry, (myself included) because we just don’t understand why we have to fight so hard to defend rights that seem to be common sense to us.  It aggravates us that today we are fighting the same battles that the founders of our country fought in order for us to have the freedoms which were guaranteed to us in the Bill of Rights.  Although I understand that it’s frustrating to have these conversations, and push for these rights, we need to stop talking about how angry we are and how the country is doomed if we follow the path we have been on for years, we need to start communicating it differently.  So let’s re-frame our message.  Tell stories about how amazing this country will be if the goals of the Progressive movement are achieved, and use that as a motivator to get people to join forces with you.

3. Recognize your victories, even the little ones

I get it.  I know, it’s not easy to be happy when you were aiming for complete equality, and that you only got a portion of what you were working for, or only one of the five candidates that you supported won the election.  But these little victories are important, and might be the start of something bigger, so they should be recognized accordingly.  When we make headway on a Progressive cause, we need to shout it from the rooftops, telling everyone we can about it and why it’s so important, not only for the good of society, but also for the movement as a whole.  How do these victories fit into the master plan?  People naturally want to be a part of the winning team, and if we as Progressives don’t publicize our victories, even the little ones, we will continue to be seen by others as the underdogs, and risk losing the support we need from the public.

4. Use more personal stories than logic

People respond to people.  Plain and simple.  We are more responsive to personal stories rather than to the numbers and the logic behind why something is or isn’t ethical.  In my opinion, the Progressive party is the party of the people, because we are pushing for equal rights and a better quality of life for all.  Many of us are familiar with the causes we are rallying behind because we have some kind of personal experience and connection to those causes.  Yet when we talk politics, we forget those experiences and focus on why certain actions are rational or fair, instead of describing real-life examples of how these politics are detrimental to real people’s lives.  Meanwhile the Republican’s tell stories about “Joe the Plumber” and such, then get masses of people on their side from it, because people hear the story about someone that sounds like them.  These stories are ours and the Progressive issues are real, so let’s talk about them like they are in order for the public to better understand not only why a certain change makes sense, but also how making the change will dramatically improve the lives of our community members.

5. Focus on the plan, not just the cause

We all have certain issues that push us to be on the side of Progressives, which are causes that many other people believe in as well.  But it’s not enough to talk about the cause, or the “why” of what we are doing, we need to talk about the plan of how we are going to get there.  Causes, like ideas, are nothing without a realistic plan about how to achieve them.  I believe we spend too much time as Progressives trying to convince people why they should support a cause, but we need to spend just as much time devising a plan on how to reach our goals, and sharing that plan with potential supporters.

6. Remind your audience that Progressive does not mean Anti-American

America has always been about progress.  In our history we have always wanted to be the first and the best, declaring an end to slavery when many other countries were still operating as slave drivers,  and working to prove that we can develop the best space programs or the most advanced technology.  Personally, I love America and I have no interest in living anywhere else.  But I know and see that there are changes that need to be made to make this country even better, and that’s why I support the Progressive causes and issues that I do.  I want to live in a country that is for the people, and by the people, and I dream of a country where no one goes hungry, or homeless, and kids living in the inner city have the opportunities to be just as successful as the kids growing up in the suburbs.  A country where we are more worried about people than we are about money, and corporations.  This is my dream, this is the reason why I align with the Progressive movement, and hopefully those that believe with me will join us to fight for that dream.

I think as a whole, the people involved in the Progressive movement understand that there are clearly some issues with our messaging, which could be why we don’t have more people on our side and more support for our causes.  This weekend, I was able to finally internalize the fact that it’s not always what you say, but how you say it.  This concept refers not only to the non-verbal and para-verbal, but also the language that you use overall and how it translates to the person(s) you are speaking to.  I challenge all Progressive’s to pay closer attention to how we communicate with others, to use some of the tips outlined here, and to see if the way they word the message changes the way it is received.

“Once we have a clearer sense of who we are and what we need and value, we become more awake to the opportunities that may arise that resonate with what we want to do with our lives… When we do we often find ourselves suddenly, in the right place at the right time, surrounded by the right people, thinking about the right things.”         - from the book Life Entrepreneurs by Christopher Gergen and Gregg Vanourek

This quote is the perfect expression of the way I felt after my first weekend session of the NLC Institute, fittingly held on the weekend in January that we celebrate the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King Junior.  We spent the weekend focusing on life entrepreneurship, which is the idea of purposely creating a life of significance for yourself rather than just taking whatever happens to come your way in life.  Much of the content of this training came from a book called LIfe Entreprenuers, written by Christopher Gergen and Gregg Vanourek.  On the first day we conducted a self-assessment of where we are currently at in different areas of our lives and where we want to be in those areas.  We also took the time to determine specifically what our strengths, values, purpose and available opportunities are as well as to reflect on our personal life history, and our long-term goals as a professional and for our personal selves.  This was an enlightening excercise that I believe every professional should do repeatedly throughout the phases of their career, to ensure they are leading the life they want to lead and that they are happy with the choices they are making.

 We were put in small groups which was a great way to get to know the other fellows better and to get feedback and ideas from other young professionals, and it was recommended that we all meet with our groups frequently between Institute sessions.  We also had the opportunity to have a round table discussion with local community leaders and elected officials which enabled us to ask questions of them about their career paths and the challenges of their roles.  We were able to discuss issues with these leaders informally as well during a group dinner and a night of duckpin bowling which was a great opportunity to network with these officials and to get insight into their lives and careers that we might have never got otherwise.

I’m grateful to be a fellow in the New Leaders Council for a number of reasons, one of which is that I am at an interesting point in my life right now, as I’m not an inexperienced college grad who is new to the field but I’m also far from a seasoned professional.  This training was designed specifically for those in the middle of these two extremes such as myself and will provide not only great professional development opportunities but also introduced me to a group of peers with similar values and ideology that I can learn from and grow with.  I’m also thankful for this opportunity because during the first weekend, the time for reflection has helped me to realize that with a lot of hard work and just as much luck, I’ve actually achieved a lot of the goals of set for myself.  They weren’t goals done the traditional way – they were not given time limits and were not written down on paper – by instead were just things I thought about and talked about constantly.  Some of them I set a long time ago, like graduating with a bachelor’s degree and going skydiving, and some of them became goals along the way, like getting married and buying a house.  I don’t say this to brag, but just to make the point that since I’ve achieved these things, it’s now time to start thinking about and planning new goals for myself and my life.  The Institute has helped me to start dreaming bigger than I ever have before, both for my personal and professional life, but also for my community as a whole.

I couldn’t be more excited about the chance I’ve been given to go through the NLC Institute where I will grow, be challenged, build my skills and network.  I look forward to continuing to form relationships with the other fellows, and also the people on the advisory board, those who are leading the trainings, and the mentor that was assigned to work with me throughout the Institute.  I will write more about my experiences in this program as the time goes on, but if you would like more information about the New Leaders Council, check out the links below:

The NLC Website      NLC RI’s Facebook page      Follow NLC RI on Twitter

More info on the book Life Entrepreneurs and life entrepreneurship

The awesome peeps that make up NLC RI's Inaugural Class

Those of you who are in or near Rhode Island know that Occupy Providence is not over, and is as active as ever.  It has been over two months now that the 24 hour a day protestors set up camp in Burnside Park, and they are still there, growing and evolving as the time goes on.  Occupy Providence was the lead of another successful rally and march through Providence on Saturday, December 10th in which they collaborated with more established community groups and agencies to organize an action to bring attention to the issues of homelessness and affordable housing in RI.  At least a couple of hundred people came out to participate in the march through downtown and onto the State House steps, after which campers set up tents on the State House lawn and spent the night.  It was yet another effective tactic that not only mobilized Occupy Providence’s supporters, but also got the attention of many media outlests and sparked numerous conversation about the subjects. 

Though I would love to do so, I can’t exclusively write about Occupy Providence on this blog, as this blog is about more to me than this movement alone, and is to be focused on what can be learned from different experiences.  Although it is still going on, I thought it would only be fitting to end this 3 part blog post on Occupy Providence by discussing the lessons learned from this particular section of the Occupy movement.  For me, there are 3 major takeaways from what Occupy Providence has done:

Occupy Providence (as well as the entire Occupy movement in itself) has really showcased the growing power of social media in community organizing and social action.  When I first heard a rumor that the Occupy movement was coming to Providence, I was instantly intrigued and wanted to learn more about if this was true and how to get involved.  So I took to Twitter and searched #occupyprovidence.  Sure enough, I found numerous tweets informing me that it was in fact true, and meetings were being held in Burnside Park to plan a kick-off march and occupation of the park.  In the days following, I continued to read on Twitter about the continued planning process, and found out a huge march and rally was going to be held that weekend in support of the Occupy movement, and that afterwards, people would be setting up camp in the park.  I took to Facebook and put a status update with the information I had learned about the march and used it as a way to recruit friends to join me in participating in the march.  I also found the Occupy Providence Facebook page and liked it in order to continue getting updates on the status of the occupation.  Since it began, Occupy Providence (as well as the rest of the Occupy movement) has been diligent about using social media to organize supporters, educate people about the movement, share stories, as well as to acquire necessary donations and supplies.  The last time I checked, Occupy Providence alone had 8,459 people that have liked their Facebook page and thus see their continuous status updates and calls for action.  People who are involved with Occupy Providence have also been steadily reporting their thoughts and experiences through social media like Facebook, Twitter, and blogs.  And supporters as well have been using these avenues to start conversations about the movement and to recruit their connections to get involved with Occupy Providence.

A non-violent movement is possible and can be coordinated with the help and support of city officials.  One thing I was truly surprised by when I participated in both of the large Occupy Providence marches and rally’s was how well the organizers of the march and the police worked together during them.  Both parties were very respectful of each other, and seemed to have a good grasp of their roles in the situations.  The police knew exactly the route the protestors were taking through the city, and assisted by holding off traffic and closing down the streets for us to march through.  In the weeks following the march, there were constant rumors that the city would be taking action to evict the occupiers from Burnside Park, something that was happening to occupations throughout the country.  Eventually, this action did come and the protestors at Occupy Providence were told they had 72 hours to leave the park, and if they didn’t, legal action would be taken.  When eviction day came, I braced myself for what might happen as there had been such ugly confrontations between police and occupiers in other cities when these “evictions” were enforced.  Though I wasn’t at the park, I found myself glued to my varius social media outlets awaiting the notification of what was happening to the occupation.  What actually happened that day came to a huge surprise to me, as I’m sure it did to many other people who were paying attention to the situation.  The mayor sent out a statement which declared that the city was going to let the courts decide whether or not this occupation was within the rights of the protestors involved.  The mayor did not want to see the violence that was rampant in other evictions, so rather than ordering the police to go in and remove the occupiers, he was allowing them to stay until the courts ruled otherwise.  In addition, a member of the Providence City Council actually introduced legislation to allow them the right to stay, which was supported by 5 of the 11 councilman and will be decided on later this month.  Overall, Occupy Providence has been a peaceful movement, and credit for making this happen goes not only to the organizers in Providence and the people involved in the occupation, but also the city officials for establishing dialogue and working together effectively despite their differing points of view.  This alone makes Providence stand apart from other cities who have been “occupied” and should be a precedent for other cities and nonviolent movements in order to keep everyone involved safe while allowing people to excercise their rights to protest.

People still believe in social change and will strive for it when given the opportunity.  Throughout my years I’ve been aware of the injustices that are plentiful in our society today, and have sometimes felt victim of these injustices, as I’m sure many others have.  So many times I’ve thought to myself “Why is this okay and how can we change this?”.  Yet many times I’ve felt alone in these thoughts and believed I’m in the minority in my thinking and that people don’t care to make change.  My personal experiences with Occupy Providence and the actions of the Occupy movement collectively have opened my eyes to the fact that there are many people in my home state and world wide who are willing to stand up and fight against the powers that be to make positive change for themselves and their community members.  It is easy to feel alone when oppressed, or when you have a different point of view than those around you about a particular issue, and you can start to feel powerless to make changes, and not bother to voice your opinion.  But through the Occupy movement it has become evident to me that we are not alone, there are more of us out there, and it takes the energy and effort of all of us to come together to bring attention to society’s injustices and to help change them.

I hope you have enjoyed reading my thoughts and feelings about Occupy Providence, and perhaps you have even learned something.  For more information on the Affordable Housing and Homelessness rally held by Occupy Providence, and particularly how these issues affect the women and children of Rhode Island, please pop over to the National Organization of Women RI website and read my blog post there:  http://rinow.org/blog/

On the day before Thanksgiving I spent my afternoon at Occupy Providence, observing the scene and talking to people that were involved in the movement.  It had been raining most of the day and was as windy and cold as you would typically expect in late November in New England.  Nevertheless, Burnside Park was busy with activity.  The information booth had a regular stream of people coming by, some who were Occupiers, seeking or sharing information about the various activities taking place that day, and getting fliers to give to passers-by outside the park.  Plenty of people were dropping off donations of food, warm drinks, and blankets.  And some were people such as myself, who were curious about the Occupy movement and wanted to learn more about the people who had been living in the park for the past couple of months.  I brought a box of joe and left it at the information booth to show my support for the Occupiers and help keep them warm.  I spoke in depth with the young woman who was heading the booth when I got there, and spent time walking around and talking to the various people in the park.  Some of these conversations were formal, in which I asked specific questions that I had thought of before my visit, and some were just casual discussions about Occupy and the various issues it is seeking to address. 

The people that I talked to in Burnside Park were all very different, but the answers I got were mostly similar.  Though everyone explained things their own way, the general ideas were the same.  Here are some of the questions I asked and a summary of the answers given:

            Why are you the 99%?

I got many answers about being unemployed or underemployed and not being able to make a living wage, falling victim to school loan debt, people who had experience working with those in our state who are living in poverty or homeless and didn’t want to see fellow human beings live like that anymore, as well as individuals who often go to the state house to support legislation and have seen first hand the corruption that is tainting our government. 

            How did you come to be involved in the Occupy movement and what is your level of involvement?

Most of the people that I talked to heard rumors about Occupy coming to Providence through social media or word of mouth, then came out to see for themselves what was taking place and were happy to get involved.  I talked to some people that had lived in Burnside Park since the beginning and others that didn’t live in the park but were a part of Occupy Providence’s various working groups and helped to organize actions and grow support for the movement.

            How do you handle the opposition, in particular those people who are part of the 99% and yet don’t support the movement or talk negatively about it?

From the people that I talked to in the park, the overwhelming responses included an understanding that many people are scared by the movement because they don’t get why it’s being done or why they are included as part of the 99%, and whose only information is coming from the reports on media and other outlets that paint the picture of dangerous and violent people instead of groups of citizens engaging in a peaceful movement.  The biggest way Occupiers were dealing with this negativity was by educating others about what Occupy Providence is, what it stands for, and what they are fighting for. 

            What have you learned so far from your experiences with Occupy Providence?

For many of those involved in Occupy Providence, they have learned through this process that there is in fact still humanity in the world, and that numerous people from all walks of life can be sympathetic to the plights of others, and want to stand up and make a difference to correct these injustices.  Many of the older people that I talked to at the park reported that they were excited and suprised to learn that so many young people today still care about these issues and are willing to sacrifice and work hard in order to make change.

            What do you hope to see happen from this?

The answer to this question ranged from wanting to see people treat each other better, to having a government that is designed for all people, for people to stop being complacent and start standing up and taking notice, to much more.  Overall, the commonality in these answers had to do with people coming together to ensure that the rights and needs of all are being met.

            What do you think the next steps should be?

Most of the answers to this question regarded a change in government.  Not neccesarily an overthrow of government, but the hope that elected officials will start paying more attention to the people they serve and will be held accountable for the actions they say they are going to take.  In addition there is a lot of hope that from the success of this movement, new individuals that understand why people are occupying will step up and be able to serve in the government, to help make the changes that Occupiers believe need to be made.

I am happy I was able to take the time to hang out at Burnside Park, and meet the variety of people who were living there or were helping out in other ways.  I left Burnside Park evening feeling more bonded to the Occupy movement and energized by the people that I had met and the ideas that were shared with me.  I was armed with more information about who these Occupiers were, their hopes and goals, and why they are participating in this movement.  I also had learned about some upcoming actions that were being organized by Occupy Providence and supporting organizations.  Hopefully I also left behind some encouraging words for the Occupiers as I gave each individual I met and talked with a thank you card which sums up my feelings about the movement and those involved.  

For more Voices of the People, check out the following links:

http://wearethe99percent.us

http://occupyprovidence.com

http://www.occupytogether.org/

Stay tuned for the 3rd part of this post:  Occupy Providence – Lessons Learned

On October 15, 2011 nearly 1,000 people gathered in Burnside Park in Providence, Rhode Island to participate in a march as part of the Occupy Providence movement, which is connected to the Occupy Wall Street protests that began in September of 2011.  I was happy to join this march along with a couple of my friends and the hundreds of other Rhode Islanders that share my dissatisfaction with many aspects of our society (and specifically government) today.  The ages and nationalities of the participant in this march was as diverse as the reason people were engaging in it.  These reasons were reflected on signs and included everything from corporate tax loopholes, bank and corporate bailouts, student debt, the Iraq war, getting money out of government, jobs and more.  It was empowering to be a part of such a large group of citizens walking through the city streets and congregating around places of significance such as the City Hall and the State House, and to see police and protest organizers working together to guide the march and keep us safe.

We walked through the city streets with a marching band playing music as protestors danced and chanted rhymes such as: The people, united, will never be defeated; Banks got bailed out, we got sold out; and my personal favorite – Show me what democracy looks like, this is what democracy looks like.  We stopped traffic as we marched through the city and onlookers from sidewalks and cars cheered, honked horns, and took pictures of us.  I felt like I was transported back in time to the marches for civil rights and those against the Vietnam war, which I had only seen in documentaries on television.  Young people were all around coordinating the march, keeping chants going, and passing out water to protestors as we marched around the city for nearly two hours.  The part of the march that will stick out in my mind for years to come is when we gathered on the steps of the State House, chanting “Whose house?  Our House!”.  Once everyone got on the steps we listened to a speech given by an Occupy coordinator, detailing his experience as a state worker who is being blamed for the state’s budget crisis because of his pension.  He proceeded to defend those in his position as he discussed the amounts of money we spend annually on war, unfair tax credits to the wealthy and corporate tax loopholes.  Following his speech we circled back around to Burnside Part where we bagan and where the Occupy protestors were setting up camp and food was being served to anyone who wanted (or needed) it. 

There are many people who do not agree with the movement and are saying that it doesn’t make sense because there are no true organizers or goals of the actions they are doing.  Honestly, this is a part of why I am so intrigued by and supportive of the Occupy movement.  I love that it is simply large numbers of people nationwide and worldwide coming together to say that they are unhappy with what is happening in our country today.  In being so broad, it gives everyone the freedom to stand up for their specific issue, while standing together with like-minded individuals.  There is not one single reason why people are participating, nor one specific action that those people are being asked to do.  I think that is the reason why so many people came out, and what contributed to the diversity of the group, the fact that it was so general and open.

The Occupy Providence movement is obviously more than just the march held on October 15th, and there are still people occupying Providence and many other cities around the country today.  I am inspired every day when I drive home from work and see the signs and tents all around Burnside Park, knowing that there are people living there uncomfortably just to stand up for justice and what they believe in.  We have yet to see what will come of this movement in the future as it faces eviction in Providence and many other areas.  But I think they made their point: We see what’s going on and we don’t like it.  We have a voice and rights and we want to be a part of the conversation.  The biggest question is who’s listening and will address our concerns?

This is part one of a three part series on Occupy Providence.  Thanks so much for reading my first blog post!  Feel free to comment and I hope that you will come back to read more in the coming weeks.

My friends Josh, Shawna and I at Burnside Park before the Occupy Providence march