Monica FerroeSuggestions for Leafleting
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When Weekdays before 3 p.m. are normally the busiest times on campuses. Most large universities provide a steady flow of pedestrians throughout the day. Smaller colleges usually have a steady flow between classes. Some schools, including many community colleges, continue to have a flow of traffic past 5 PM. Where You can stand in one spot or walk around offering the brochure to people you come across. Students commonly walk around campus thrusting flyers for upcoming parties and plays at everyone they see. This has made students accustomed to being approached by leafleters. If you dress casually, carry a backpack of pamphlets, and simply walk around approaching students, you will appear to fit in. Even if you are older, people might assume you are a graduate student if you dress like one. Many of us now prefer walking around and offering the pamphlet because you avoid security more easily (more on this under "Permission") and can hand out more. We have also had luck leafleting to groups of students sitting around talking or students studying. We have even leafleted inside academic buildings and student unions when the weather is bad! One extroverted activist actually goes into cafeterias and walks from table to table handing out brochures. People often decide whether to take a brochure from someone based on whether the person in front of them took a brochure. If you get a string of individuals who turn you down, it might be wise to stop for about 10 seconds, regain your composure, and then start back up again. In some cases, when the traffic gets heavy, the turn down rate becomes very high especially if you are not being aggressive. In such cases, moving to a place where the traffic isn't so heavy can be effective. However, even though the turn down rate can be very high, you can also give out a lot over the course of an hour. Stewart Solomon and others have had good success at increasing acceptance, especially in tough crowds, by looking the person in the eye and holding their glance until they take a brochure. In other words, don't lose eye contact by looking to see if they are reaching for a brochure, etc. Others have found the exact opposite tactic to work - look at their hands as you are attempting to hand them the pamphlet. Victor Tsou, one of Vegan Outreach's best leafleters, has invented the act of discreetly leafleting in the lobby of a building by sitting on a bench working on his lap top computer and getting up to hand students leaflets as they pass by. Reading a book might also work. What To Say Vegan Outreach volunteers have found the following phrases to be effective:
Seasoned leafleter, Aashish Bhimani, says, "One thing that i forgot to do for the first half hour that I did for the last half hour was say 'Hi (pause wait for them to say hi back) and then ask them if they would like a brochure to help animals.' Creating that initial rapport w/ them helped increase my acceptance rate by over 50%." |
On of our most successful leafleters, Eugene Khutoryansky says, "With all the talk about what best opening line to use, it seems to me that most people don't hear a word I say anyway. I've stopped using opening lines altogether, and just hand people a pamphlet. If I do say something, it's just something simple like "Hello" to get their attention. I think that the main purpose of an opening line is to screen out people who aren't interested. However, when leafleting to a crowd of young people, like on a college campus, I really would prefer for everyone to take one." Some activists have found it effective to, when approached by two people at a time, fan the pamphlets out so that one is sticking out for each person. Demeanor Smiling and being upbeat tend to increase the receptivity rate. Saying "Thank you" to individuals for their time, even if they don't take a brochure, encourages many to come back and ask for one. Politeness, friendliness, sincerity, and humility all help encourage people to take a brochure and ask questions. Especially when leafleting a tough crowd that is used to turning down information, some leafleters have found it helpful to make eye contact with the person when they are about ten feet from you and then hold that eye contact as they approach and until they take the brochure or pass. Permission Some schools allow leafletting by outsiders, while others do not. Public universities are supposed to allow it according to federal court decisions, but some do not follow such rules and others try to limit leafleting by requiring you register and limiting where you can stand. We are rarely questioned when we just walk around handing out pamphlets, versus standing in one place. At small schools, doing this only during class changes when you are less conspicuous is the best tactic. Even if someone eventually tells you that you are not permitted to leaflet, it will likely be after you've given out a great number of brochures. Many schools within cities provide a flow of students on public sidewalks where they can be reached. Click here for more information on the legal issues surrounding leafleting. Nervousness Many activists are nervous about leafletting. In our experience, nervousness fades once you've offered the brochure to a few people. Kathryn Kovach wrote us after leafleting at Clemson University (in South Carolina) for the first time: Thanks for all your help. I needed your pep talk. Some people ignored me, others laughed as I walked away after I handed it to them, but for the most part it went smoothly. I handed them out as I walked among the students. My nervousness did fade as soon as I started handing them out, like you said. And, I did see students actually reading them. Remember, there will almost always be some students who are very glad you are there and who are excited to get the information. Vegan Starter Packs Vegan Outreach can supply you with copies of our Guide to Cruelty-Free Eating for people who want more information. |
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