Conduct research
In addition to connecting with and understanding your intended audiences, other research is required for effective message development. It is imperative that organizers understand the issues that are relevant in the campaign, and the opposition's positions on those issues. This may seem obvious, but many campaigns and organizing drives suffer serious setbacks because they don't do their homework on themselves and their opponents.
For an issue-based campaign, organizers should carefully research all aspects of the issue and be aware of any evidence that contradicts the campaign's position. Understanding your opponents' arguments and their weaknesses will help you prepare a substantive and effective response to any attacks from your opponents. Issue-based campaigns should also research the opposition for any inconsistencies in their positions.
For an electoral campaign, candidates should extensively research their own records (if one exists) and the records of their opponents. In legislative races, a state party or caucus might provide issue research on the most prominent issues in the state. Many organizations will publish voter scorecards that highlight key votes. Campaigns should have a staff person or volunteer conduct basic issue and voting research. If you are a candidate for office whose past activities or previous statements on issues could potentially become a liability, chances are good that this information will come out at some point. Be prepared for that possibility and know how you will respond.
Campaigns must also research their opponents. The intent is not to find information that can be used in a sleazy attack, but rather to gain an understanding of the opponent's background, history, votes, and statements in order to help frame the debate and the issues and hold them accountable for past words and actions.
Where can you find this information? There are a variety of excellent resources available, but the most useful resource is a computer with an internet connection. For most campaigns or organizing drives, simple internet searches (using Google or other search engines) can yield significant amounts of information and help you build a solid foundation of information on which to develop your message.
Larger campaigns, like a statewide referendum or a U.S. Senate campaign, need to rely on similar mechanisms, as well as useful research tools like polling or focus groups.
Polling offers a way of finding out what is on people's minds, what they want changed, and why. It is often misused, when instead of asking, "How do we improve people's daily lives?" a campaign begins exclusively with the question, "How can we win?" Instead of asking what people care about and want changed, this type of polling begins with the differences between the candidates and asks, "How can candidate A maximize their advantage over candidate B?" The result is frequently a campaign that is disconnected from voters or community members.