1

MAKING ELECTIONS FUN

A GUIDE FOR CANDIDATES AND THEIRTEAMS TO HELP MAKE ELECTIONCAMPAIGNS ENGAGING FOR EVERYONE

SABBATICAL ELECTION 2015

CONTENTSIntroduction to the training – pages 2-5How to make elections fun – 6-10Delivering fun within a campaign – 11-13Social Campaigning – 14-16Physical Campaigning – 17-19Team Training – 20-21Personal Checklist – 22

2

We generally teach campaign methods through the C.A.M.P.A.I.G.N. acronym – that stands for Create,Aim Message, Produce,Assess Impact, and Grasp the Nettle.

For elections, there’s only three phases – you’ll probably only run for Sabb Office once, so you won’t have a chance to Assessthe Impact you had, nor will you get an opportunity to Grasp the Nettle and take on board the elements of your campaignthat needed to be stronger or better managed.Election campaigns are short-term; they need to be high impact to win; and they need to reflect the kind of person you areand the kind of elected officer that you intend to be – there’s a lot to communicate to a lot of people in very little time!This year we’ve Grasped the Nettle on your behalf, before you even begin – that’s what this training is intended to do.We’veseen and evaluated what has gone right in the past – and also what has gone wrong (sometimes unexpectedly, sometimesfairly predictably.)

There are therefore three things you have to do for your campaign:-• Create your message• Aim your Message• Produce your campaign

Both Education and Game Design start from the same perspective.To be effective any message must reach all three main‘learning styles’ simultaneously and in an engaging way.• Visual – the visual depiction of information, or the visual spectacle of your campaign• Auditory – what you say; presentation and conversations• Physical – the “hands on” participatory parts of your campaign where you demonstrate your capacity and skills

All three elements have to be included for a campaign to work and ‘click’ with enough students – most campaigns include thevisual and auditory element very well; what goes wrong in a University environment is the physical element...Too manycampaigns are not inclusive and do not engage students – campaigns are directed at students; they don’t include them aswilling participants in the campaign.

This doesn’t mean attempting to induct whole halls or subjects into your campaign; it means including voters within the visualand auditory experience; allowing them to take part in your campaign without being a campaigner on your behalf.In other words; your campaign needs to be more like a game that includes students when they want to be included, andallows them to disengage at their own pace – that means changing your own behaviour to put fun right at the front of yourcampaign style; even where you have a completely serious message and task ahead of you.

The first session in the training series is a discussion of game design theory; to demonstrate the ways that games and gameexperiences have been brought into democracies over the past 40 years to increase participation and fun.

The second session in the training series focuses on the specifics of delivering fun within your campaign; and covers someexamples of campaigns that have included games or game mechanics and fun elements to great effect.

The third session focuses on social media and getting your communication right while not falling into traps or alienatingvoters.

INTRODUCTION TO THE TRAINING

3

The fourth session focuses on physical campaigning – getting fun into physical spaces without being obtrusive or obstructiveand giving students a real chance to participate in something in order to build trust, engagement and participation.The final session focuses on getting these elements right for your own team; making sure that your individual campaign hasthe best support it can have right on the ground so that your planning works when it comes to election week.

The Learning styles as delivery styles...• Visual – the visual depiction of information, or the visual spectacle of your campaign• Auditory – what you say; presentation and conversations• Physical – the “hands on” participatory part of your campaign where you demonstrate your capacity and skills

Visual Elements• Photography /Videography• Posters• Stash• Banners• Visual elements – The whole ‘theme’ of your campaign

Auditory (and written) Elements• Social Media• Manifesto• Slogan• Debates and Media Interviews• Word Elements – All of the ‘words’ that you use during your campaign

Physical Elements• Performance – anything that entertains• Display / Play – anything that happens around, and with people• Talking directly to students• #SabbSelfie – interacting with students using smart phones and tablets• Game elements – anything that engages and brings people in to your campaign

Making everything part of the whole thingIt is very important that you draw themes or elements through all the parts of your campaign – there are a couple of don’tshere; they aren’t absolute don’ts but it’s very difficult to make them work.

Film “theme” Campaigns – although film is a visual media it is also in some ways a passive medium; unless you are willing toreally embed a narrative theme deeply throughout your campaign and really bring people into that particular world with you,then films are not a good method of engagement. People remember films in their own way, and your interpretation of the filmhas to fit that ideal in order to work.

‘Vote for Me’ – although you obviously want people to vote for you this is a passive way of going about the whole process;you’re not including potential voters in your message, you’re spending your whole time issuing instructions at them.Superman – only one ‘Superman’ costume has won in the last decade – Sam Miles when he ran for Education; and that’sbecause he made a game out of wearing the costume by having an alter-ego villain (Plagiarismo) who ‘attacked’ studentsduring the campaign week so that Sam could save them...This was to emphasise Sam’s focus on improving the Universityprocesses around educating students about referencing, exam conduct and disciplinary procedures.

Think about yourself as an observerWhen planning your campaign think about seeing it from the outside – is what you’ve planned visual, auditory and physical –

4

would you, as a total stranger to what you’re seeing feel in any way engaged by, or a part of, what is being done?

If the answer is ‘no’ or ‘I’m not sure’ then rethink the concept – what can you change, add or take away to make what you’replanning more inclusive, engaging or fun?

Remember that your friends might well have the same unconscious bias that you do – if you need to ask different people inorder to get a better idea, then do! That doesn’t need to be anything as complex as focus groups – just float an idea in aconversation with someone from a different background or culture to your own and see how they react.

Think about the messageAlthough we’ve collectively voted to “Put a Dick in your Guild” and then followed that with “Put a Johnny on it” there wasn’tsuccess for “a B.J.” two years later, and each of the campaigns raised (rising numbers of) complaints from female studentsabout the message being sent in a wider sense, and it takes a very efficient team on Public Relations to keep a campaign ontrack when there’s a potential controversy right at the heart of it.

Also think about your voter base – can you afford to disengage female students (55% of the student population) orpostgraduate students (10%) or International students (25%)?

Being wise is not the same as being politically correct and there are very good reasons during an election not to upset hugeswathes of students by excluding them from your potential voter numbers.

Think about the methodEvery year we point out that no-one likes being shouted at; and yet every year there’s always at least one team of canvassersstood holding a banner just yelling “VOTE” in the ears of passing strangers.

Do you honestly think, from your own perspective, that this method engages anyone at all in voting for you?

Every year I overhear at least one canvasser talking loudly to another canvasser – one that particularly sticks in my memoryis (and I quote) “that girl just ignored me – what a total bitch!” – does anyone honestly think that this is a method forengaging and capturing the interest of a passing student?

If you think I overheard this because I was close by, and it was whispered, then you’d be wrong... It echoed up and downStreatham hill for what felt like forever (and we were on the path between DH1 and Queen’s)!

Needless to say – the teams that just shout at people, or make cutting remarks to one another about passing strangersalways lose - usually quite badly.This kind of behaviour is never a one-off incident; it’s a pattern of behaviour across the wholecampaign, and it has a massive negative effect.

Video Materialshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oszwOIXOXCM – Josh Lerner leading a seminar on the examples used in his book: Howto Make Democracy Fun: How Game Design Can Empower Citizens and Transform Politics. (1 hr 10 minutes)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLjFTHTgEVU – GoogleVentures video on how unconscious bias can influence decisionmaking.The point of working towards game design theory is to eliminate (as much as possible) the unconscious bias we learnin order to deliver far more inclusive and widely appealing election campaigns. (1 hr 2 minutes)

5

Theme“Is it true that you want it? Then act like you mean it.With everyone watching, it's truth or dare, can you feel it?” (3 min 30)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-7knsP2n5w

WE DAREYOU TO HAVE AN #EPICWIN

6

Presentation of Session• Visual – video from TED of Jane McGonagall – games will save the world...• Auditory – reading aloud, lecturing, talking – Flip charts• Physical – demonstrations and ‘hands-on’ approaches

Content of Session

Game Design TheoryThis is how we’re changing how we deliver democracy at the Guild –• Stage one was Student Ideas; that’s still ongoing and developing.• Stage two is shifting our election processes up a gear in order to include more of our members in elections thatthey want to be a part of.• Stage three – well, you’ll see it when it happens, and you’ll know what’s going on...

Why Game Design Theory?Games teach individual focusYou learn the assumption that everyone can eventually succeed. Games teach you that there is always an answer, no matterthe size of the problem. Games involve experimentation through trial and error, you try something and it fails but it doesn'tmatter because you can try again.Players learn from their team, not from their ‘boss,’ so games teach you to expand yoursocial connections and work together toward common goals.

Business WorldThe business world is changing to create clear achievable company progression, something that used to be reserved forBoard-level only. Games have introduced the formation of working parties with decision-making powers at all levels toempower staff. Business has also changed to present clear performance measures and outcomes, and encourages linksbetween teams to foster cooperation and allow star players to emerge.The idea that someone else succeeding holds youback is beginning to lose ground.

ArchitectureArchitects now work with clear goals for people movement, create adaptable spaces and build in narrative themes that givespaces and buildings more meaning. Buildings are designed with incentive structures to encourage certain behaviour. In somecases, experimental forms of play have been used to lead into the design process.This allows many people to visualiseinteractions before physical building begins, so that the spaces work in practice.

PoliticsParticipatory democracy is being developed on a global scale, allowing meaningful outcomes from fun engagements.Thisengages people in real decision making at micro-level, thus moving participation from passive (spectator) to active(participant.) The best examples globally encourage rule making and rule changing by participants which leads to collaborativecompetition rather than negative or destructive behaviour.

Communication in Game Design TheoryGame Design Theory: CommunicationAny communication you engage in should first use the least information required.

HOW TO MAKE ELECTIONS FUN

7

GAMING CAN SAVE THE WORLD!

Gaming can save the world!https://www.ted.com/talks/jane_mcgonigal_gaming_can_make_a_better_world - JaneMcGonigal explains why gaming is necessary to save the world; a slightly tongue-in-cheeksession which looks at what skills gamers get, and what that means contextually. (20 minutes)

8

For example - using game design directly; Pac-Man (Tablet version) Intro Screen has one simple direction to begin play –Touch screen to start.

On the older arcade games (i.e.) Galaxian, the arcade box had a simple graphic 'sticker’o number of players,o price for games ando brief introduction to game-playo brief overview of the “look and feel” – artwork examples.

At each stage (level) a game will develop the 'up front' informationo This is “just in time” information, given at each ‘stage’ of playo the basic instructions for the immediate tasko including any reward given for completion.

Game Design Theory:Why people play gamesPeople play games for many reasons - whilst the list here is exclusive (one reason at a time) that doesn't mean that peopleplay for one reason alone - most games have elements of several or many of these.• Sensation: Game as pleasure• Fantasy: Game as make believe• Narrative: Game as unfolding story• Challenge: Game as obstacle course• Fellowship: Game as social framework• Discovery: Game as uncharted territory• Expression: Game as soapbox• Submission: Game as mindless pastime

Game Design Theory: Mixing Experiences and subjectivityMost games of any kind are a mixture of the various game experiences, and what each player takes from the game issubjective based on their personality or preferences. It must be remembered that fun is not the opposite of work;• Shovelling snow can be subjectively fun• Chess strategies can be subjectively fun• Competitive sport can be subjectively fun• Fun is also a way to change people’s behaviour.

Games are the epitome of fun!Games are also models of inherent democracy - each set of players in a long-running game might establish their own localisedrules, even on something like Scrabble or Monopoly there are variations that everyone in the family knows that confuseanyone who vists them at Christmas (usually leading to arguments about the rules.)o Artificial conflicto Defined by ruleso Which result in measurable outcomeso They are designed – games rarely happen by chance

Engagement MechanicsGames contain core engagement mechanics to get people involved and participating; these can beVisual, Sound (effect ormusic), Core Mechanics (i.e. throwing the bowling ball), Points of choice (decision making), use of resources (Farmville orcrafting in Warcraft), hidden information (Easter Eggs or other tricky to find bonus material), interaction and narrative, ormeta-gaming.

o Meta-gaming is where most of the focus goes in designing fun political systems

9

o Debates, campaigns, polls – everything surrounding an election/debate that isn’t the voter actually votingis meta-content… It has nothing to do with the core mechanic (voting) but informs everything around it!

o Without meaningful and engaging meta-game content, democracy is boring and disengagingo “Serious” doesn’t mean deadly dull – the human spirit needs fun, and even serious ideas can be presented

in fun ways

Game Design: Debates as one example

Game Design: Fun as end goal and engagementIf the intended outcome of student engagement is to have fun... (i.e. ExeQuest results in 2012; more than 60% of studentssurveyed chose ‘to have fun’ as a reason they engage with the Guild,) then every stage of engagement has to lead to that funas the outcome.

This doesn't mean packing the place with clowns and people laughing - something as tedious as queuing at a bar can be fun ifthere are interesting conversations around you. Concentrating on a task can be fun, if it’s a part of the game (i.e. Chess.)However, fun is a part of why students are engaging and is also the ‘end goal’ sought from the engagement. If your campaignisn't fun, doesn't include fun and you and your team aren't having fun then you won't be engaging to more than 60% of thestudent body.

Game Design: Keeping people interestedRemember game design - from the very beginning your campaign should have clear goals and objectives,with measurable outcomes.There should be some element of uncertainty or chance.You need to include points or otherrewards, and potentially also status indicators, levels and progress - all of this will make your campaign engaging.

There is never "A Single Answer."There is no single answer to every situation - I stood for election twice and used to opportunity to experiment withcampaign forms and formats.You can do the same thing in different years and lose once but win the next, end up with abigger share of the vote or a smaller share and fewer second preferences.Things change with every passing year as newstudents arrive and old ones leave. Just remember that;• Reward and Recognition is a part of game play, and game design• Provided a reward is achievable, it does not have to be universal

Debates are a prime example ofartificial conflict

Just because someone believes aposition doesn’t make the act ofdebating any less artificial

Just because someone believes theopposite of their argument doesn’trender their argument invalid

Belief in fact becomes irrelevant to thedebate itself – it is the strength of theargument and the passion with which itis delivered that will bring the finalresult

Debates are a prime example of ruleadherence

When you can speak, and for how long

What you can assert without challenge

What use of fact or materials you areallowed

Format of speeches, and number ofspeakers

Debates are a prime example ofmeasurable outcomes

The point to a debate is a direct vote,to decide which team/speaker won

There can also be feed in to politicaloutcomes like a vote or an election; andthe results of that are also a measurableoutcome

10

• Rules must always be clear• Students must be able to change the rules (within the rules that exist)

What does this mean to candidates?The next session – delivering fun within a campaign; focuses on what that means in the Guild sense of what we’re staging tohelp you, and how you can incorporate fun in your campaigns leading on from past examples. In terms of game design theorythis also means the training has changed this year and also that you’re being included and engaged in more decisions so thatyou feel that the election represents you in the personal as well as political sense.

ContextFor all of this to work, there are a few additional changes this year...

BudgetsWe’re avoiding the ‘gaming’ of budgets which has been a major problem in recent years – there will be £100 for full-timeOfficer Candidates and £25 for part-time Trustees and Officers as a campaign budget.

This budget will be centrally controlled; will be the only source of spending you can access, and everything bought will beasset tagged, and recorded in a register.• If we find you using anything that is not asset tagged and registered we will confiscate it.• If we find you doing this twice you will be heavily penalised using a vote margin sanction of 10% of the votes castfor your post at the time of the second offence.• There will be no mitigation accepted for the second offence.

How you spend your money is up to you – but you may not spend outside the rules.

Rewards for Participation• There’s a chance for voters to be recognised through the #SabbSelfie competition going on all week.• There’s a chance for you to nominate and vote on your ‘star performer’ campaign team member.• There’s a chance for all candidates to have some of their manifesto promises taken forward through Student Ideasthis year so that you all have a direct chance to influence and change the Guild before you leave; even if you don’t win.

We’ll build the rules for each of these things around you – you’ll get a chance to feed your thoughts into these three thingsand vote on the outcomes so that whatever we do, it’s a democratic decision that you’ve helped to shape.

11

Presentation of Session• Visual – visual depiction of information• Auditory – reading aloud, lecturing, talking• Physical – demonstrations and ‘hands-on’ approaches

Content of SessionHelping you in the widest sense• http://www.democraticaudit.com/?p=9696 – what performance means, within the construct – i.e. what is a studentpolitician, given the lack of direct engagement with traditional student politics?

#SabbSelfieAll weekWe’re running the #SabbSelfie tag to get as many students as possible taking selfies with you as a part of your campaign, andalso for students to have (another) reason to find you.This can be a friendly soft-target meeting, or a potential point of contact for a first preference vote. Be nice to everyone!

St. Luke’s DayMonday of Campaigns WeekThe Monday of campaigns week sees 25% of the votes come in – these are the votes from campaigners and their teams, andtheir friends who have already decided who to vote for. No campaign is necessary to reach these voters – they will be awareof the election before it starts and be aware of the selections they are making before they start.

In recent years the votes cast by students on St. Luke’s has dropped considerably – in order to correct this fall and give St.Luke’s students a chance to meet the candidates in person it is proposed that all candidates will be in attendance on St. Luke’sfor the Monday of campaigns week.

You’ll be shown around the campus (some of you may never have been before) and will get to know where students are, thefacilities etc., so that you can experience the campus for yourself and begin to see the responsibilities you’ll have if you winfor bringing this campus back to life.

#PaperRockScissorsTuesday of Campaigns WeekTraditionally in voting terms a slump day – just over 12% of all votes cast were cast on Tuesday for the past three years; giventhe number of students on campus on Tuesdays for teaching this demonstrates that the Tuesday is where we begin to losevoters...

A wide game potentially covering the whole of campus; if you want this to happen then it can – the final decision is yours.Voting on this game will take place on the Friday after nominations close at the three compulsory meetings.

This is a Wide Game, based on Raiders... but taking the elements of Rock, Paper and Scissors as the basis of the challenge inthe game for a foundation that every student should be familiar with.

Equipment:• Wrist bands – coloured for each team.

DELIVERING FUN WITHIN A CAMPAIGN

12

• A number of cards, with Rock, Paper or Scissors on

The Candidates will be split into 5 teams, by Post – this eliminates competition between candidates based on the role theyare running for and demonstrates how they work with people who may well be ‘opposed’ to them in real life.

Play• Each Team will have a base-camp. No challenges are allowed within 3 metres of a base camp.• Teams go to their bases and each team member is given one wrist band to wear (to show what team they are on)and a Rock, Paper or Scissors card.

Rock beats Scissors | Scissors beats Paper | Paper beats Rock

• Each player then goes out to try and get a band off opposing team members, but the Card players hold decides whowins each meeting according to the system above.• If Cards are the same (a draw) then nothing happens and players go to find another of the opposite team.• The winning player gets the other’s life band and returns with it to their base.The looser returns to their base tocollect another life band, and to change Cards if they wish.

At the end of the game the winning team is one that has most life bands.

PurposeThe point to the game is not just to have Candidates and their campaign teams playing, but to engage students in joining inthe game; getting to know the Candidates and perhaps having more casual and friendly conversations than might otherwisebe possible – therefore allowing an interaction that might not happen under ‘campaign’ conditions.

Helping you allRedesign of the Debate formatLocation: Forum StreetChair: Student Media

Dates:• Sunday 8th Feb – Athletics Union Presidents – to be finalised and confirmed with AU Candidates• Monday 9th Feb –VP Education candidates• Tuesday 10th Feb –VP Activities candidates• Wednesday 11th Feb –VP Welfare & Diversity candidates• Thursday 12th Feb – Guild President candidates

Times:To be confirmed and finalised.

Event Format:• Opening – 1 minute intro speech from each candidate.• First Section:To be decided by the Candidates for each post, on a daily basis and agreed by democratic vote bymajority decision based on a physical choice between pre-designed suggestions (those so far), plus direct candidatesuggestions. Conversation to be started at the Compulsory meeting on Friday 30th January and confirmed with 7 days notice.• Second Section:A Debate between all candidates, on a topic suggested by the Sabbatical Officer who currentlyholds the post.• Third Section: Each candidate is allowed 1 minute per question where they wish to answer. Questions will be live,from Twitter, by Text, or from participants in the Forum Street – Chair to direct questions where necessary (i.e. addressed toa specific candidate.)

13

• Closing – 1 minute speech concluding from each Candidate

Opening/Closing – 10 minutes each.The candidates may (democratically) choose to drop one section of speeches if theycollectively feel one summary speech each is sufficient and to focus more time on questions.

Each Section – should be 1/3 of the available time – Student Media and Comms to liaise on the best timeframe for debate sothat it is neither too short nor too long; but remains engaging and participative throughout.Including you in a democratic sense

Clear Rules and Being Able to Change ThemYou will have input and democratic voting on:-• How sanctions are applied for rule violations• How Rules are interpreted before and during the election• Whether three proposed events take place• Whether Manifesto Ideas will happen, and how many will be taken forward – this is so everyone who takes partgets a contribution towards policy even when they don’t win.

1. Manifesto Ideas:Taking a proportionate number of pledges from every manifesto based on first preference votesand putting them through Student Ideas to be voted and acted upon this year.2. Winners: you get a year to carry out your whole manifesto anyway.• Community agreements between all candidates to help create an atmosphere of calm rather than stressYour Campaign

Examples...• Rach for the Stars – from the star flow chart through to S-Club flash-mob in the Forum Street• Vote for Welshy – very sheep related, including the sheep ‘flash mob’ (field)• Take the Bate – Take the Bate fishing game• TheYork Pirate – pirate theme, language, costumes, props• Damian “The Jeffries” Jeffries – impromptu speaking on student suggested topics• Grace Hopper – Space Hopper rides and races at the entrance to campus

Helping you specificallyAs well as the 1-to-1 session for planning, budgeting and expenditure, we’re here to help you plan if you want us to.

Aims and Objectives: Setting Aims and Objectives – planning,, budgeting, strategy and sticking with it.

14

Session AimsSocial Media and getting your communication right, while not falling into traps or alienating voters.

Presentation of Session• Visual – visual depiction of information – feeds from Facebook,Twitter, Instagram• Auditory – reading aloud, lecturing, talking• Physical – demonstrations and ‘hands-on’ approaches // material itself in terms of the phrasing (i.e. demonstratinguse of hash-tag inappropriateness)

Content of SessionHow to make Social Media a part of the fun, not part of the problem

Using Social Media well• Assessing what you want Social Media to bring you...• What is the point or purpose to your communication?• How are you getting your message across?• How are you interacting, using your message?

Social Media is a tool – not an end in itself – you don’t go on facebook or twitter because it exists; you go there because youhave friends or an audience in that space.

Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn | Pinterest | Tumblr | Snapchat

Social Media is social and fun – however you get the word out that you’re on instagram then that’s what it takes. If you needto ask everyone for their mobile number to snap-chat them then that’s what it will take.

Audience – voters, students who you want to be votersChannels – if everyone you know is on Facebook then do you need Twitter (and vice versa)Theme – how are you engaging students in your message?Action – how will your engagement going to lead to people voting for youIntegration – No Tool works ‘from the box’ – Social media takes management and response; plan ahead how you willintegrate your social media into your overall plan so that it’s worth your time.Planning – what do you need Social Media to achieve? Set clear goals that feed into the whole campaign. Make sure youachieve those goals.Numbers game – it’s more than how many followers you have – it’s being present, active and responsive; everything you sharereflects on you and your campaign.Live Tweeting, Coverage – where does your Social Media presence enhance what’s already happening, and where does it needto be ‘live’ activity which fits into something else?Schedules - HooteSuite / TweetBuffer / TweetDeck – use a tool that allows you to monitor hash-tags, general conversations,and (when scheduled) allows you to buffer tweets in advance so that people can still attend lectures and respond to dynamicinteraction rather than spending time doing ‘grunt work’

Social Media is (quite simply) social... It relies on interaction and response – if you don’t have a team member to put onresponding to incoming messages then use your resources better.

SOCIAL CAMPAIGNING

15

Style and Content• Plain English• Don’t abuse explanation points – they aren’t exciting!!!!!!!• Avoid language / idioms that might alienate postgraduates, international students or mature students• Think brief – tweets with 80-100 characters ‘perform’ the best – get to the point as quickly as you can

Hash-tag• Slogans – remember hash-tags can’t contain punctuation• Search your hash-tag first – not going to enhance your campaign if it’s currently in active use or has been used forpanda slaughter• Simplicity – make it easy to type, short on character use and reflective of you and your campaign• If you are using a tag, make sure you use it – don’t be random or inconsistent

Instagram• Ties straight into Twitter (no preview – live tweeting is still better)• Pictures tell human stories – photo, video and repost opportunities that will really bring your campaign visuals tolife• Visual is the most engaging method for human interaction – in terms of reach, posts with pictures go further andget more likes• You won’t build followers as fast; but you can share outwards from Twitter/Facebook – cross-platform messages willgo further – engagements face-to-face and tagging people into your photographs (as well as #SabbSelfie) will get the mostinteraction...• Get people’s names, tags or handles when you talk to them – make sure you can engage them on social media aswell as in physical spaces – you can reach them and all of their friends without too much effort.

The dangers of social media• Setting Up

o Remember that Facebook and Twitter have terms and conditions – on Twitter you can be suspended forsharing an email or phone that is not your own. On Facebook make sure there’s no “nudity” or sexually suggestive content.

o Don’t spend the first five minutes online following 300 people – on Twitter your account will besuspended for two weeks because that’s ‘bot’ like behaviour.

o It’s more than a numbers game – get people to follow you then follow them back; interacto If you’re using Facebook you might need to adjust your privacy settings – and make sure that picture of

you talking to God on the porcelain phone is hiddeno #susanalbumparty – hash-tags can turn out to be inappropriateo Remember your Social Media is a presentation tool for the duration of the campaign – what do you

intend your audience to take from your interaction?

• What might Social Media bring you that you had not planned for?o Unwanted attentiono Criticismo Valid points of critique that you weren’t expecting

• Going off pointo Deliberate Trolling – someone coming after youo Dragging – someone trying to make you look bad and get you negative attentiono This is why there’s a Block function. Report it to us so we know about it then Block and try to forget

16

• Don’t compete on Social Media...o Your competition is for votes, not for attention (of the wrong sort)o Everyone could be followed by all students and it might not affect the outcome at allo Someone not on Twitter might wino Someone who says nothing directly but responds to every enquiry or messages a lot of students might

get better returns than someone tweeting every 5 seconds (annoying)

It’s not about ‘winning’ at Social Media – it’s about winning at being a Sabb

17

Presentation of Session• Visual – visual depiction of information• Auditory – reading aloud, lecturing, talking• Physical – demonstrations and ‘hands-on’ approaches

Content of SessionHow to bring physical spaces into fun

Using physical space wellWhat does physical space give you?Visual,Auditory, Physical – physical spaces are human spaces.Although you can run a campaign entirely online, the turn-outsfor those campaigns are lower than might be expected; not because people aren’t trying, but because there’s nothing ‘human’going on.

Human beings are embodied creatures – although we have minds, those minds live in physical bodies with senses thatinterpret the world and a desire to find narrative in everything that we encounter and touch.

This is not to say that physical campaigning is the only thing you should be doing – but it is the keystone to human contactswhich can then be replicated or repeated online.Actually meeting someone first will make every contact afterwards mucheasier – engage in real space to lead into everything else...

How do you interact with people in physical spaces?They see you, you see them – the first thing you’ll do is evaluate them using your own perceptual filters.This is unavoidable –it’s how humans act – the important thing is that for the length of voting week you’re going to have to push through yourordinary perceptions and engage (or attempt to engage) every single student on campus.

• What age do you think students are – do you ever talk to older/younger students?• What study/time commitments do students have – do you ever talk to student parents or carers, mature students,postgraduates, people doing different courses to yourself?• What does an average student look like – do you have international student friends, or from another differentstudent ‘group’ than yourself? Do you know people who do, who could bring that experience to your campaign and assist ingetting past the unseen barriers you have to meeting as many students as possible?

How do you engage the contact you make?Why are students talking to you – you think you winning the election is important (obviously) – but why should they care?• What have you done for them, that will help them

o decide to vote at allo decide that vote should be for you

• If you haven’t engaged them, they’ll walk away

How do you meet people for the first time?First contact with people is something that you do a lot right at the start of your university experience – in a matter of aweek you meet a load of people you’ve never met before who happen to live near you, or do the same course as you.Election week is just like that; on a bigger scale – you’ll be meeting a lot of people you’ve never met before because you want

PHYSICAL CAMPAIGNING

18

them to vote for you.• Your flat or hall-mates had an interest in meeting you and getting to know you – you were living together andtherefore had a good reason to get along• Your course-mates had an interest in meeting you – you’re on the same course and therefore (kind of) interested inthe same subject, and had a reason to meet and collaborate

People you’ve never met before who are not directly taking part in the election have absolutely no reason to want to get toknow you, get along with you or vote for you unless you supply them with a reason.

The best reason you can give another human for spending any time with you at all, is a guarantee that they will enjoy the timethey spend with you. In other words; make your encounter fun.

Physical spaces are open to anythingGames, sports, dancing, running around, theatre – all human experiences which serve both for entertainment but also toinform, to educate, to engage – all require physical spaces and locations. Some locations are given over entirely to beingintended for a single purpose – a ball park or stadium for example, a theatre, etc.These ‘golden’ spaces attract specific crowdsof people for a single purpose.

The problem of a University campus is that the ‘golden’ purpose is (or would appear to be) Education – teaching spaces,lecture theatres, seminar rooms, libraries – all focussed on education.

The problem of course, is that although the institutional objective (or one of them) is education; that has a context ofresearch-driven education and research knowledge transfer... From a student perspective (apart from certain subjects, and PGresearch students) the education is alongside those purposes, and living on campus, doing sport, or taking part in somethinglike an election is completely outside the ‘golden’ purpose of the space.

The context you are campaigning within is that of a Higher Education institution where what you are doing, and what you areaiming for (Sabb Office) is outside the normal purpose that these spaces are used for.That’s why students tend to stick withfamiliar, repeating patterns of behaviour in terms of the ways that they campaign in the physical space of campus.

That’s also the reason why you have to break this chain of repeating behaviour – before you even start as a Sabbatical Officeryou have to become expert (in a very short time) at communicating with, and engaging students in the education spaces theyinhabit without impacting against their education experience in a negative way.

The dangers of physical encountersVisual overload:Too much going onBeing distinct doesn’t mean a slightly different shade of fluorescent stash – it means distinguishing yourself as you.

Unless you’re the jolly green giant then the colours you’re using are just random – your favourite colour has no meaning incontext unless everyone knows it’s your favourite colour. In terms of matching against that colour, you might engage somepeople who also like that colour, but what are you doing for people who don’t like that colour?

Again – planning is everything – what is your spectacle, and why is it being performed? In what way are you engaging studentswithin your campaign to encourage them (as total strangers) to speak to you, to engage with you and to vote for you?

Audible overload:Too loud, and intrusiveDancing is a great thing to collaborate in – when you’re engaged and participating in it.Watching people dance is not normallyconsidered interesting – although a ballet is an entire performance, it is not the dance score of the ballet alone that conveysthe meaning – there is a narrative flow, a storyline, and music as well as the dance; all staged together for the experience.

19

If you’re using music; why are you using it – does it indicate something; does it serve a purpose, have a theme or reason? Ifyou’ve just started playing your personal favourites ‘because,’ then what exactly do you think people are taking away fromthat?

Also consider the education purpose of the space – do you enjoy sitting through lectures during which there’s an irritatingnoise distracting you from what your lecturer is saying? Even if you do enjoy the distraction; do you think that studentsuniversally enjoy having their education disrupted?

It might only be for a week; but the point is to have students remember you for the right reasons – and because of that, tovote for you – if the only thing they take away from the week is that all candidates are selfish, intrusive, noisy and aggressivethen they won’t have voted.They certainly won’t remember you with any fondness.

Physical exclusion:Too many people in too little spaceThe most excluding part of campaigns week is quite often the combination of garish spectacle (without any inclusion ofstudents within the spectacle), abnormal noise levels, and lots of people stood around in groups doing nothing but shout ATstudents about ‘notes for weasel’ (which is about the only thing you can make out when a group of people all shout “Vote forLisa”)

Don’t stand around in groups, talking to one another and occasionally remembering to scream “VOTE” right into a passingstudent’s ear and expect anything except grumpy silence and people trying as hard as they can to ignore you, run past you oravoid you...

Remember that most students attempt to avoid campus when they don’t have lectures or seminars for the duration of theelections – that’s because historically the elections turn campus into a nightmare scenario from one of Dante’s circles of hell.

Campaigning for student votes should include those students within the election as willing participants who are engagedbecause they are having fun, and will vote because the whole process is engaging and fun.You are the candidates in thiselection – you are the people who have to provide entertainment and participative engagement for the student voters – ifyou don’t, then no-one else can!

20

How to help your team be a part of the fun

Preparation –Your Campaign• What roles does your campaign need?• What things are you expert in?• What gaps are there in your knowledge?• What skills do your friends have?

Presentation at the Session• Visual – visual depiction of information

o Role cardso Flip Chart paper / pens to “mind map” the team created in the session- “Mind mapping” your team... roles and preparing your campaign delivery- Time management – deadlines, meetings, preparation

• Auditory – reading aloud, lecturing, talkingo Seminar style presentation – presenters to talk; conversations during ‘task’ groups

• Physical – demonstrations and ‘hands-on’ approacheso Reporting back...o Thinking about what makes a good Team Leadero Everyone to report on their roles

Content of Session• Getting a Team - PUTTING TEAMS TOGETHER IN THE SESSION

o Recruitment – getting involved, getting commitment, getting timeo Retention – what do people get from your team?

• Leading a Team - “ELECTING” A TEAM LEADER FOR THE SESSIONo Training your Teamo Letting your Team do what they are already good at doing

• Working as a Team - ROLES, RECOGNITION, COOPERATIONo Motivation – expertise and trusto Reward & Recognition – keeping people engagedo Conflict management and democratic decision-making – making sure there’s no additional stress at an

already stressful timeo Roles and people development – letting people develop their interests

• Tips and Tricks - KEEPING IT GOING...o Working well with a small teamo Keeping consistent messages goingo Networking – spreading the message widero Handling changes and last-minute drop-outs

TEAM TRAINING

21

o Learning Styles – make sure you include all forms in your campaign so that everyone can engage with youo Keep it fun for them – friendship is more important than this – if it stops being fun then you’ll hit more

drop-outs and crisis pointso Your team add to your campaign – they don’t make or break it, you could do it alone if you needed too In a year when there were 9 candidates for Guild President the second-placed candidate lead for 7

rounds, only loosing at the end because he picked up fewer second preference votes. His team consistedof him and his girlfriend. He was in a “300” costume most of the week campaigning directly from a rockoutside Peter Chalk, using student suggestions for subject material.

22

Presenting Information to your teams / voters

Remember the three styles of presentation for your teams too...• Visual – visual depiction of information

o Index cards to prompt themo Charts, diagrams, pictures

• Auditory – reading aloud, lecturing, talkingo Tell them – have a meeting for them all and make sure you have gone over everythingo Any videos onYouTube or TED that might help you?

• Physical – demonstrations and ‘hands-on’ approacheso Role play or other interactive learning – act out meeting an interested candidate, and also act out meeting

someone who doesn’t want to engage with you...o This will also assist you in shaping the ‘fun’ element of your campaign to engage these ‘hard to reach’

students

What information do your teams / voters need?• Information for Teams... (i.e. for Candidates to pass on)

o Election Ruleso Spending Ruleso Your Message(s)o Your brand and campaign direction

• Make sure your team is briefed on exactly what it is that you are doingo Make sure they ‘bring the fun’ in the right wayo Make sure they don’t act in negative ways

• Remember that you can nominate your team for ‘best team support’o We’ll let you know where/how in Prep Week

Mental Checklist• What are you doing?• Why are you doing it?• How are you communicating what you’re doing?• How are you engaging students in what you are doing?

Have you planned it?• Timetable yourself, and your team• Timetable or schedule communications, including social media• Plan events and build momentum around them• Make sure you know what you’re doing, with whom, and when – for the entire week

PERSONAL CHECKLIST

23

24