How to keep campaign meetings focused after a big announcement

17 Sept

Big announcements – say a new law on protests – often prompts us as campaigners to pull our allies together to make sense of what’s going on. But those meetings can quickly go off track. Some people are trying to understand what has happened, others want to jump straight into action, while some are still processing what it all means. The result? People talking past each other, confusion, maybe frustration and certainly no inclusive development of a plan of action.

One approach I’ve found incredibly useful in these situations is O-R-I-D or a Focused Conversation (it's an ICA:UK Technology of Participation method). It’s a simple way to structure your conversation that asks questions on four levels:

𝘖𝘣𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 – getting the facts and surfacing information
𝘙𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 – personal reactions, associations and emotions
𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 – surfacing meaning, significance and implications
𝘋𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 – identifying agreement, next steps and action

This process helps meetings move from confusion and frustration to clarity and shared understanding, especially when navigating complex, emotional, or urgent issues. To bring this to life, I've put together a rough idea of the questions I might ask in response to a government announcement inspired by O-R-I-D (but its an approach that can be used in all sorts of different contexts).

Be clear about WHY you’re meeting

Maybe your goal is to understand the key points and implications of the announcement. Maybe you want to mobilise allies for an immediate response. Whatever your goal is, its going to shape the questions you ask. You also want to think about what kind of overall experience you want the group to have: Do you want them to leave feeling connected and inspired? Or maybe you want them to have a sense of power and possibility. This will shape your tone!

Objective level: What do we know?

Start by ground the group in what’s actually happened. This isn’t the movement for opinions or strategy, just gathering facts, observations and useful intel so everyone is on the same page.

Try questions like:

What do we know about the announcement?
What wording or phrases stood out to you?
What have you heard from contacts, MPs or other allies?

Tip: Ask people to shar links to any online materials referenced in the chat, so everyone can access the same material.

Reflective level: How are we feeling?

This is an element we often miss in our rush to action, but it matters, especially when people are working on issues that feel deeply personal, urgent or exhausting.

Examples of questions:

What was your first reaction?
What surprised or unsettled you?
What does this remind you of? (e.g. past experiences, previous campaigns?
How have you been feeling since you hear the news?

When campaigners are constantly in firefighting mode, giving people space to acknowledge their emotional responses helps with both well being and group dynamics.

Interpretive level: What does this mean for us?

This is where the group starts making sense of what’s happening. You’re drawing out meaning, exploring implications, and helping people connect the dots.

Example questions:

How might it affect the people we work with?
Who might be disproportionately affected?
What risks or threats should we be aware of?
How does this shift our operating environment?
What are other allies likely to do in response?
What does this mean for our current plans?

This stage helps surface different perspectives and deepen the groups understanding. It’s where analysis and values start to come through: what matters about this change and why.

Decisional level: What are we going to do?

This final stage helps the group move from discussion int o action. It’s about drawing the conversation to a close with clarity and purpose.