Effective Outreach Is Practiced Outreach

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Recently, I’ve been asked to appear on a weekly(ish) podcast called We Are Libertarians on a rather regular basis.

We’ve discussed a variety of topics, including Making A Murderer, homeschooling, gun control, and the Paris attacks.

Late last summer, we also sat down to discuss effective outreach, and they were gracious enough to cut down a lengthy discussion to under an hour.

I wish I’d brought this up for those who are new to libertarianism and unsure about outreach. No one is good the first time. No one is a natural talent. Like everything else, outreach takes practice.

For me, the key was finding someone that I thought does a great job communicating the ideas of liberty and picking their brain about their thought process.

Once I had a foundation for effective communication, most of which I based on Michael Cloud’s Libertarian Persuasion books (both available in the Advocates Online Store) and audio, I needed practice.

Trying different techniques, like The Magic “If” or Conversation Judo, as well as the Ransberger Pivot,  where you find common ground with the person you are trying to persuade, I found what worked for me.

Next, I needed to practice. While I didn’t hit the 10,000 hours that Malcolm Gladwell references in Outliers: The Story of Success, I practiced A LOT. Getting out there to discuss political issues is the best way to become better at doing so. I started with family and friends (the people I knew would love me no matter what), and found what worked and what didn’t.

As I noted here, I’ve personally given The World’s Smallest Political Quiz more than 3,500 times. That is A LOT of conversations with strangers about libertarian ideas.

Conversation #1 was probably not as effective as #3,498 or even #212.

The best part about each of those conversations?

I learned something to bring to a future discussion about libertarian philosophy.

Bottom Line: Find an effective communicator, find what works for you, and PRACTICE!