Organizing Nuts & Bolts

One-on-ones: one of the most effective things we do

The city of Montrose, Colorado is in the process of formulating a comprehensive plan to guide its land use policies for the next ten years. Several public meetings have been held, and the city staff has expressed concern about the lack of residents under 45 years of age in attendance. The city has tried to cope with this problem by holding one meeting on Saturday but has had little success. What to do?

Or consider this example. Public opinion polling has shown that most people are aware of climate change as a problem but they do not view it as a priority. How can a significant number of Americans be inspired to take action in their own lives and demand that decision-makers tackle this crucial challenge?

One approach that can help in both of these situations is to get out and talk to people face-to-face, one-on-one.

In this high technology age, there are clearly many other ways to “talk” to another person, including by telephone, text messaging, email, and video conferencing. But the experts are finally coming around to what community organizers have known all along – there’s no substitute for face-to-face contact.

A one-on-one is a deliberately planned face-to-face meeting with another person, not an email correspondence, a telephone call or a chance encounter, although all of these methods of communication are important too.

A commitment to conducting one-on-ones sets WORC and its member groups apart from most other non-profit organizations, and is truly one of the most effective things that we do.
A one-on-one is:

• Professional, not personal.
  
• An agreed upon and arranged meeting.
  
• A meeting for which the organizer or leader has a clear purpose and objectives.

We need to bring two attitudes to our one-on-ones: courage and curiosity —the courage to discover what matters to people, and the curiosity to be genuinely interested.
Why conduct one-on-ones?

• To build relationships and trust.
  
• To identify self-interests.
  
• To find a point of connection.
  
• To identify skills and talents.
  
• To move to involvement and participation.

The best way to grasp what the point is of a one-on-one is to do it. Practicing with a friend, leader or co-worker can help.

We also need to be disciplined about who we talk to (there’s never enough time to talk to everyone), and engage volunteer members and leaders (not just paid staff) in conducting one-on-ones whenever possible.

When Cesar Chavez was asked how to organize people he said, “The only way I know to organize is to talk to one person, then you talk to another person…that’s the only way that I know to organize people.” Are you ready to get started?

—Kevin Williams