Activism briefing | Events and outreach

Make your stall stand out

Most WDM groups hold stalls at local events, talks and fairs as a way of engaging new people in WDM campaigns and attracting new members. You can often get lots of action cards signed quite quickly, as well as getting the opportunity to talk about our issues with new people.

Before you start, in your group think about who your audience is and what the aim of the stall is. Are you trying to get people interested in joining your group? Or are you publicising a specific event? Or perhaps you are trying to put pressure on a campaign target or get people to take action on a specific campaign?

Where to hold your stall

Local festivals and fairsPeople will usually have more time to stop at your stall. More people are likely to be sympathetic to your stall, especially if it’s a green fair. Look into events with a relevant link; farmers’ markets for example, can provide good opportunities for campaigning on food issues.

At other people’s eventsIf another local group is holding a talk or an event, ask if you can hold a stall. If you can’t hold a stall, you may be able to display some WDM materials.

Town centresYou do not need permission to set up a stall on publicly-owned land (i.e. all ordinary streets), you

just need to ensure that you aren’t blocking the pavement by doing so. If you run a stall during shopping hours, you can reach lots of new people. The down side is that people may be in a hurry and disinclined to stop.

Outside a campaign target If you hold a stall outside a campaign target (e.g. outside a bank or a target business) you can use the target as a hook for drawing people in.

Easy ways to make your stall look great:

• Use a WDM tablecloth or a piece of coloured material to cover the table. This will hide any boxes under the stall as well as making it clear who you are.

• Use leaflet holders to make key resources stand out. These will also give a stall more height and make it more visually interesting.

• Keep it focused: Stalls work best if they have a clear campaigning ‘ask’. Think about which campaign is most appropriate for the occasion and use it to theme your stall.

Man

ches

ter W

DM

Shro

pshi

re W

DM

• Keep it simple: Don’t over-clutter stalls and display all your materials at once. Having too many resources can be overwhelming and put people off. But once you’ve chosen your focus you can fill out the space on the stall with several piles of the same material – this can help to make it look striking. You can keep other campaign materials behind the stall and bring them out if someone seems particularly interested.

• Be creative: Make your stall stand out using props, photos and banners. Some groups have previously blown up headlines of WDM news stories, or laminated photos of actions and events. You could decorate a box with WDM posters for people to put action cards in.

Easy steps for running a great stall

Take time to prepare: who’s your audience?Think about what kind of event or action it is. Who are you likely to be talking to: students, local shoppers, people interested in green issues? Which campaign materials would be most suitable for your action or event?

Find out where your stall will beWill you be inside or outside? Is there a wall behind the stall so you can put up posters? Will you need electricity? What will you do if it rains?

Give people something to doMake sure there’s an action people can take at the stall, whether it’s signing an action card or taking part in a game.

Something for people to come toHave information about an upcoming event or action you can invite people to. Make sure you publicise your next meeting.

Listen to what people say to you All good communication is to some extent two-way. You’ve got key information you want to communicate, but you’re not a robot. Listen to what is said to you, and engage in a dialogue.

Be enthusiastic!It sounds obvious, but being approachable and enthusiastic can make a big difference to how

• Current WDM materials - you can check with the WDM office if you have the latest materials

• Sign up sheets - you can download these from the activism resources page on the WDM website, or order them from the office

• A rota for who’s helping out on the stall

• Three key facts about the campaign – you can sound confident and catch people’s attention with them

• WDM tablecloth - you can order one from the office, or use a piece of coloured fabric

• Posters and photos - you can order our current posters from the WDM office

• Pens, blu-tak, sellotape, scissors, weights (for windy days), leaflet holders, WDM banner or flag.

CHECKLIST

Oxford WDM put together a handy checklist for stalls, including a rundown of materials; the main actions which will be on the stall, plus key messages. This is a great way of dividing up responsibility within a group. One person can put together the checklist and ensure that all materials are ready, and then others can run the stall on the day, feeling very well prepared! You can find the checklist in the activism section of the WDM website.

GROUP EXPERIENCES

Nor

th a

nd E

ast L

ondo

n W

DM

people engage with you. If you’re positive and friendly, you’re more likely to encourage people to come along to any meetings or events you are organising. Try not to use jargon or acronyms and avoid lecturing or sounding like you’re telling the listener how to live their life.

You can also try standing in front of the stall, or approaching passers-by, as standing behind a stall can sometimes act like a barrier.

Act confident, even if you don’t feel itIf you appear confident about what you’re saying people are more likely to take you seriously, and you’ll probably start to feel it too. Think about how your body language makes you approachable, and try to stay open and relaxed.

Share your experiences and keep morale highTalk to others in your group and encourage them if things are difficult. Share your experiences and any tips with other group members.

Use local examplesThink about ways of making the campaign relevant to people. For example: “have you been affected by the rise in food prices recently?”

Follow up

• Write a short report about the event – what you did, how the stall went, and include a photo – upload this to your group’s WDM website. Send it to the groups officer at activism@wdm.org.uk so they can include it in Think Global and share it with other groups.

• You could write to your local paper with a short report of the stall and the campaign you focused on.

• If it worked well, or you had a bright idea, share your experience with the local groups email list. Email: wdmlocalgroups@lists.riseup.net

Opening linesThe hardest thing when first running a stall is working out what your opening line will be – what will you say to draw people into your stall. What’s the simplest and most interesting line you can use?

Ask a question: This is an easy way to start a conversation, as most people will reply and you can then follow it up with more information about the campaign. For example, ‘Have you heard of the World Development Movement?’ works well as you can then either explain what WDM is, or if they have already heard of us, you can talk about our current campaigns and ways to get more involved.

Common worries or fears

What if someone asks me a difficult question?You don’t have to be an expert on the issue: If you do not know the answer to a question, either take their details and say you’ll get back to them with the answer or refer the person to WDM’s website or telephone number.

What if someone is being awkward or antagonistic?Have a closing strategy: Remember your objectives for the action. If you spend 30 minutes debating with one person, you won’t be able to speak to many people and get them to take action. Thank people for their interest, offer them a leaflet or ways to get more information, but don’t get cornered.

What about the ‘that’s all very well, but we can’t do anything about it’ attitude?Talk about WDM’s past campaign successes - these are listed on the website and on the general leaflet about WDM. Refer to major social change such as the civil rights movement and votes for women which were only achieved through movements and people power.

Encourage people to have different roles on stalls. Some people like to dress up and stand in front of the stall, others like to be behind it.

You can wear a mini sandwich board with text on it (more on your back so people won’t feel embarassed reading it) which can explain the campaign to people and get them interested in what you’re doing.

Manchester WDM

GROUP EXPERIENCES

Bexh

ill a

nd H

asti

ngs

WDM

The World Development Movement campaigns against the root causes of poverty. Our network of local groups and activists keeps global justice on the agenda in towns and cities around the UK.

WDM’s activism team supports local campaigning. Contact us: World Development Movement, 66 Offley Road, London SW9 0LS 020 7820 4900 • activism@wdm.org.uk • www.wdm.org.uk/activism

A free lucky dip always works really well to draw in kids, and quite a lot of adults (particularly younger adults) too. Whilst kids do the lucky dip, we talk to their parents, tell them about the campaign and ask them to sign the petition. As some parents tend to hang back a bit, we have one person outside the stall with the petition on a clipboard, so that we can talk to them too.

It also works really well to have someone in a costume further away from the stall who can direct people towards the stall and/or hand out a few leaflets. We have borrowed costumes from the local Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace groups - it’s worth finding out what resources other local groups have got!

Glasgow WDM

GROUP EXPERIENCESW

orth

ing

WDM