Today, I am again standing in a coffee shop. But now I'm wearing my doctor's coat to emphasize that organizing can occur during work, during coffee breaks, and lunch, as well as after hours. Now let's talk about the fundamentals of organizing. Connecting with others through one-on-one meetings is a fundamental skill required for beginning any campaign. Samuel Adams, who's extremely effective at one-on-one meetings and in his role as a tax collector, he was able to share his ideas and visions with others and learn of their concerns and aspirations. And just like Samuel Adams, we all can become effective one-on-one campaigners. In all effective interpersonal relationships each person must be willing to share something to the other person. This exchange can only take place if the person initiating the interaction first attracts the other person's interest. Calling someone by his or her first name and showing genuine interest in the other person are among the most effective ways of accomplishing this goal. Once both people are attentive, an exploratory phase can begin. This critical phase serves to establish mutual trust and creates emotional, as well as intellectual connections. The two way sharing of person details about one's life, and life choices, is not only helpful for establishing trust, but also for determining shared interests. What were your life's challenges, and how did you overcome them? These stories tell us about how the individual deals with adversity, and are likely to predict how a person will react the uncertainties that commonly arise during campaigns. As your first conversation comes to a close, you must determine if there is a basis for a relationship. If there is, then you both must commit to meet again. One-on-one interactions must always be honest and forthright. And from the very start, it is important to inform the other person that you are interested in recruiting him or her to join you in a campaign. Personal relationships within a campaign should be relatively loose in nature. These relatively weak relationships create less confining interpersonal bonds that result in stronger action-oriented campaign organizations. One-on-one meetings can take as little as 10 to 15 minutes. They are often invigorating and enjoyable, because the sharing of stories with others is a fundamental activity of humans. We are very social by nature. These activities will not only lay the foundations for your campaign, but will also improve your interpersonal skills. Organizers can view one-on-one recruiting like fishing, the fisherman baits the hook and waits for the fish to bite. Sometimes the fish ignores the bait, other times it will nibble, and every now and then it will bite. Fishermen rarely take the lack of interest by the fish personally. They simply change the bait to make it more appealing to the fish. That is exactly what the effective organizer must do. Many fellow healthcare provider's patients and patient families will provide excuses for why they do not want to become involved. One common reply may be, this is the way it is, and it will never change, no matter what I do. You need to assure them that using organizing methods has, by based on history, proven over and over again that you can make a difference. A second common reply may be, our health system is excellent. I have not seen these errors you keep talking about. The Story of US and the Story of NOW should answer this second objection. By creating a sense of urgency through personal narrative, I will describe in the next slide, you can overcome their apathy. Probably the most common reply will be, sorry, but I simply don't have time. Time is a precious commodity for everyone, and effective campaigns respect time by being highly organized with regards to meeting agendas and task assignments. One effective response is to promise that the campaign will make effective use of the participant's valuable time. Suggest that the recruit participate in one event, and if dissatisfied he or she is welcome to withdraw. As the potential recruit actively participates, commitment naturally increases. By providing an escape clause in the personal contract, the perception of being strong armed Is reduced. As we discussed earlier, there are three basic components in all campaigns, heart, head, and hands. Personal narrative is about the heart, about creating emotions that motivate the listener to become involved. Effective personal narrative has been the hallmark of many of our most revered orators, including Martin Luther King, Robert Kennedy, Barack Obama, and Ronald Reagan. Each of these orators knew how to effectively touch the heart and each inspired listeners to take action. Where do emotions that touch the heart and change the mind arise? Emotions are generated in multiple areas of the brain. One of the most important regions is the amygdola. This structure connects to the prefrontal cortex, the region of the brain just beneath the forehead, that is responsible for decision making. A recent understanding of neurophysiology emphasizes the importance of emotion in changing opinion and stimulating us to act. There are three components of personal narrative that can be combined to motivate goal directed commitment. The Story of SELF, the Story of US, and the Story of NOW. In most effective narratives, the Story of SELF leads seamlessly into the Story of US, followed by the Story of NOW. The Story of SELF explains why you have been called to serve. Many of us have had a personal experience related to a dramatic and frightening illness, or a frustrating encounter with a healthcare provider or system. If properly described through effective personal narrative, these stories can touch the heart of the listener and provide strong motivation for change. All effective narratives require three basic elements, an unexpected challenge, a choice, and an outcome. In the case of healthcare, as exampled by Mary's story the patient and family encounter unexpected challenges when they enter the healthcare system. In describing these events offer personal details of how you cope with uncertainty and challenge. You need to create a moment where the listener can enter. Such stories usually describe needless pain and suffering, and like Mary's story, too often end with serious injury or death. Narrating a Story of SELF takes practice and repeated rehearsal. Through diligent practice, each of us can progressively improve our ability to personally touch the heart of the listener. I've told Mary's story over and over in speeches to motivate physicians to improve our systems of care. And my hope is that my description of Mary's story in the first week captured your heart and will motivate you to take action. The Story of US relates our personal story to the conditions in our entire community. This story should justify why, we as a community, need to act. In the case of healthcare, statistics about deaths due to preventable errors, general experiences related to lack of access to care, dramatic differences in the cost of care in different geographical regions, and overall surveys of quality, can all serve to motivate our community to action. What are our shared aspirations, values, and commitments? We all share a common and very strong desire to improve the health and wellbeing of patients, and this should serve as our central theme. A quote that I personally return to again and again is, the secret of care of the patient is caring for the patient, by Dr. Francis Peabody, 1927 at Boston City Hospital. I think everyone can agree to this important piece of advice. The Story of NOW describes an urgent, specific condition that we, as a group, can correct or improve. The speaker needs to challenge the audience to take action by joining the campaign!. The goal of the campaign needs to be focused and outcomes must be measurable. Also, the goal must have a meaningful impact and specifically address the problem or problems described in the Story of SELF and the Story of US. By joining, you can right this wrong, correct this deficiency, save lives. A well-crafted personal narrative has a far greater likelihood of motivating health care providers and patients than sending email requests or placing posters. The creation of a personal narrative is an iterative process and will change over time depending on the audience, prevailing attitude, and current conditions. The speaker should avoid a thick script, and allow the narrative to evolve and improve over time. As you become a more skilled and perceptive narrator, you too can change the world. Thank you.
