The Art Of Protesting: How To Organize A Protest That Brings Results

From as far back as we can remember, people have been protesting — from *burning the bra to the burning issue of racism. Some protests led to significant change, like Ghandi’s passive resistance against the British oppression of indentured Indians in South Africa, and the National Woman’s Party Suffrage Campaign which resulted in the groundbreaking move to allow women the right to vote in U.S.

Successful protesting isn’t just random chaos. It is a planned organized mobilization designed to effect change. So how do you guarantee your protest makes an impact?

Follow these seven steps to build an effective protest campaign:

1. Round up the Band of Merry Men/Women

Before anything can actually happen, a team is required to make it happen. If you know you’re going to be in it for the long haul, choose your players wisely — visionaries, strategists, researchers, planners, project managers, administrators, and diplomatic negotiators. You need a good mix of skills to sustain months, or even years, of campaigning.

2. Set the Agenda

No pilot takes off into wild blue yonder without a flight path and destination. This is a no-brainer, but when everyone’s hot under the collar and not thinking clearly, things may simply happen for the sake of happening. The organizers need to take the time to gather and calmly plan the message, strategy, and actions to be taken. Be clear on the desired outcome. Everything that happens next depends on this crucial step.

3. Organizing the Protest March

Mobilizing a large group of people is sometimes easy, as in the case of the delightful Trump. So many people despise him so the crowds just came.

In other instances, people may not be aware of your cause or be moved to do anything about it. Spread the word through mass emails, distribute flyers, get a buzz going on social media, and never underestimate the power of word of mouth. When people are passionate about something, they talk about it and push others to join.

Then there’s the law. Find out what is required to legally hold a demonstration in your area and get the necessary permission. Now you’re good to go.

4. Get Creative with Your Message

You’ve got to hand it to some protestors; they do come up with some brilliant posters. Some make us laugh, some are straight-forward while others are cleverly “punny”, and some are hard-hitting and bitingly sarcastic. Your aim is to grab attention — a dull poster equals a dull result. Need some inspiration on how to design an awesome protest poster? I love the witty ones in this article.

Posters aren’t the only way to spread the message in a way that gets people’s attention. Satirical cartoonists are geniuses at this game and political cartoons have been driving the point home with humor for centuries.