In community work, there's almost always someone opposed to whatever it is you're doing. Even if your goal is something everyone can agree on, there will be those who disagree with your methods for achieving it. When your opposition starts fighting your efforts, it's best to be familiar with what tactics they might use to do so and how your group might most effectively respond. Show
What are some general ways to fight these tactics?There are a variety of tactic-specific ways to deal with each of these forms of attack. Some strategies that apply no matter what tactic is being used include: Understand your opponent and his/her/their strategyIf knowledge is power, ignorance is weakness. An opponent you understand is much weaker than an opponent whose every move baffles you. Understand your foe's beliefs, background, and position. This will put you in a stronger position to respond to attacks. It can also increase your organization's image as an intelligent, rational group. What does your opponent believe and want? Does your opponent come from a cultural or ethnic group different from your own; and if so how might this affect dealings with your organization? Does your opponent have a history of acting (or reacting) in a certain way? You may be able to determine some of these things from your own history with the person or organization in question, from the experiences and personal knowledge of friends and colleagues, from newspaper articles, from corporate PR materials (if you're dealing with a company), or from campaign literature (if you're dealing with a candidate or elected official). Turn negatives into positivesAs the saying goes, when the opposition gives you lemons, make lemonade. The ability to turn any negatives you are given into positive situations is a very powerful ability for your organization to have. For example, you might use the utility company's opposition to a program to provide heat subsidies to poor people as an excuse to set up a review of the company's records of utility shut-offs to heighten awareness of the problem. Set the agendaIf you are meeting with the opposition, your organization should establish or influence the agenda. This way, it will be your group that controls the meeting; you, and not the opposition, will have the chance to be on the offensive, which is always the stronger position to be coming from. Further, if you allow the opposition to set the agenda, chances are good that some of the important points you wanted to discuss won't even be brought up.The opposition will naturally use their "home court advantage" to talk about their strengths, rather than points they may be weaker on. Publicly state the opponent's strategyThis makes the opposition's tactics seem clearer to all of the members in your group (and therefore easier to fight). It is also a great way to win sympathy and respect from the general public. This is particularly true if you are a relatively small group fighting a larger agency or corporation in a just cause. Everyone wants to root for the underdog; giving your battle a "David and Goliath" image can do a great deal to further your cause. Some of the information you should consider making public:
Be judicious when it comes to going public. You shouldn't do this every time; it can make your group look reactionary and whiny. Keep your opponents off balanceDon't rely on the same approaches all of the time. Instead, constantly take the opposition by surprise. This can not only can help in your current battle, it will help your group avoid stagnation. If you tried to privately negotiate a solution last time you butted heads with the opposition, this time you might go public with the situation. Or, you might ask for a third party to act as a facilitator. Be creative, and don't be afraid to try something new. Leaving your opponent in a cloud of uncertainty of what your tactics will be this time is a powerful strategy on it's own, and gives you an advantage over the opposition before you even start. Learn from the pastIf an organization has a history of responding in a certain manner, chances are that's how they will respond again. Know the history including the preferred tactics of the people you are battling - and know how your organization has traditionally responded. That way, you'll be thoroughly prepared for what is likely to happen, and you'll be more likely to avoid any pitfalls you've fallen into in the past.
Be willing to compromiseYour opponents may be willing to work with you in good faith, particularly if you have run a good advocacy campaign. Keep an eye open for situations that might turn into a chance to work together. Be careful that by saying cooperation, your opponents don't really mean capitulation to their interests. But be careful, too, that you are open to any legitimate possibilities for making a deal that come your way. If an opposition leader states publicly that some of your ideas have merit, that could be the olive branch you've been waiting for to achieve peace, and also reach some of your goals. What are the ten D's?The ten D's of opposition tactics are:
Specific strategies for responding to opposition tacticsSome of these tactics can be dealt with in similar ways; these are grouped together. Deflect and DelayDeflection happens when your opponents try to shift the focus of the debate from the real problem to other issues, or when they try to "pass the buck" to a group with little or no authority. Delays occur when the opposition says it is working on the problem, when the reality is that nothing has been done. Sometimes they do this by claiming that they don't yet have enough information to move on the problem, when there is already plenty of information. Often the opposition will form a committee or commission to study the problem, putting things off for as long as possible. Your opponent is most likely hoping that the public will lose interest if the issue can be put off indefinitely.
Responding to deflection and delays Be persistent! If you feel you must address whatever other issue your opponent may have thrown out, do so, but try not to spend too much time on it, and always bring the focus back to your primary issue.
The consumer group in the above delay example provided the press with numerous studies and reports backing up their claims about the danger of flammable furniture upholstery. They also provided television stations with dramatic footage of safety tests in which an untreated sofa quickly burst completely into flames, while a treated one only smoldered. If your opponent is stalling, claiming that more information is needed, consider using some unusual publicity-grabbing tactics. For example, something the consumer group in the above example could do is set up a mock cemetery in a public place, with fake gravestones representing the number of people who will die in fires caused by flammable furniture over the next year. Deny and DiscountWhen your opponents use denial tactics, they try to say either that the problem doesn't exist (e.g., "AIDS is not a problem in our community"), or that your proposed solution won't work. Discounting is very similar to denial; the only difference is that the opponent isn't saying the problem doesn't exist - they're just saying it isn't important, or it isn't as big a problem as you know it really is.
Responding to denial and discounting When your opponent tries to say the problem isn't real or isn't that important, you'd better be prepared to prove to the public that it is indeed real and that it is indeed significant.
DeceiveYour opponents may intentionally mislead or confuse your organization or the public by lying or by "forgetting" to tell the whole story. Deception is low-minded; it is also, unfortunately, an all-too-common occurrence in the lives of both people and organizations.
Responding to deception Respond immediately - don't wait until things have cooled down and people have forgotten what has happened, or accepted your opposition's deceit as truth. Refute their statements quickly, clearly, and forcefully, and then get on with the rest of your work. Know your opponents and understand their strategies. Deception may be carried out in a variety of ways, and some of them are more difficult to discern than others. Common types of deception to be on the lookout for include:
Let the public know what has occurred. There are two reasons for this: first, the deceit of the opposition may be better known than you think, and by going public, you are helping the public get a positive, clearer view of your organization as well as a negative view of your opposition. Second, such a situation can only help your group and hurt your opposition in the eyes of the public.
DivideIf your group is working on a controversial issue, you may find your opponents try to split your group over such issues.
Responding to dividing tactics
DulcifyTo dulcify an organization is to try to appease or pacify members with small, meaningless concessions.
Responding to dulcify tactics
DiscreditWhen the opposition tries to discredit an organization, they call your motives and methods into question to try to make your group look incompetent (unreasonable, unnecessary, dishonest, et cetera), to the community. This can get nasty - discrediting can even go so far as to include personal attacks. Responding to discrediting Handle this like you would handle deception. Your opponent is trying to make you look bad.
DestroyIf your opponents are trying to ruin your organization or initiative in any way possible - which can include using a combination of two or more of the other tactics - they are trying to destroy you. Responding to destroy tactics Your response should be swift and intensive. Respond - and respond forcefully - as soon as you recognize your opponent's tactics. Consider the following five steps as a possible strategy for defeating your opponent:
DealOccasionally, your opponent may offer to make a deal. Positively speaking, to deal with an opponent means to negotiate an agreement that is acceptable to everyone involved. Sometimes, however, deal tactics may be used negatively as a ploy to lure your organization away from your true goal. This may be done by offering your organization concessions that turn out to be almost meaningless in exchange for "give-backs" on your part that bring you no closer to your ultimate goal (see the suggestions on dulcifying earlier in this section). If you play your cards carefully, a deal can work to your advantage. You might gain increased understanding of your opponent and his/her position, and vice versa. It can also show your organization to be a legitimate, powerful organization that's not afraid to "sit across the table" - especially important for small or new organizations trying to gain credibility in the community. Finally, in a best case scenario, effective negotiation may bring about your goal in its entirety: you might just get exactly what you want! Times when you might not want to deal include:
Responding to deal tactics The above example could have turned out much differently - the teen pregnancy prevention coalition might not have been able to do a survey at all, or the parents group might have been rebuffed completely, making them resentful and unwilling to be helpful to the coalition. Striking a compromise that is acceptable to all parties is crucial, and there are a variety of ways you can make sure you get the best possible compromise. Know your opponents and understand their strategies.
While you are negotiating, you should:
After a deal has been agreed upon, be sure to:
In SummaryKnowing how to handle counterattacks and preparing yourself for them as much as possible will greatly increase your confidence in dealing with the many skirmishes you're likely to experience in community organizing. Keep in mind that you'll probably often find your opposition using a combination of two or more of the ten D's, so you may have to adapt some of these strategies somewhat to better fit your own situation. As activist and educator Effie Jones once said, "Failing to plan is planning to fail." Think about what you might expect from your opponents and how to best respond to them, and you'll be prepared and confident when counterattacks come. |