ABOUT DEEP CANVASSING
Deep Canvassing is a method to elicit emotionally significant experiences and encourage reflection. Canvassers use active listening to build trust so voters can feel comfortable share their personal stories and explore alternative perspectives. At it’s best, it works with lots of training, trial and error, and iterative learning.
In most elections, voters are barraged with impersonal tactics – one-way communications that try to tell them how to think and are based on polling and issues. These messages often fail to sway voters’ behavior. Deep canvassing may be the first time a voter has a two-way conversation about experiences, with someone who wants to truly engage with the voter. Research indicates this approach can have a lasting impact on voters, volunteers and campaigns.
Beyond election cycles, deep canvassing can help pull voters together to find a shared way forward.
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