Let’s get to work unpacking the Delphi Method & Door-to-Door Canvassing. This is the Substack deep dive you don’t want to miss.
Hey there, dear weekly Substack readers!
Today, let's embark on a journey through two fascinating potentially election related realms: the Delphi Method and Door-to-Door Canvassing. While these two concepts might seem worlds apart, there is a curious intersection between the two of them that's worth exploring. So, grab your favorite beverage, and let's dive in! I had two shots of espresso and they were delightful.
Delphi Method: More Than Just Ancient Greece
First up, the Delphi Method. No, we're not time-traveling back to ancient Greece using the world’s finest Delorean, but we are diving into a method inspired by the oracle of Delphi. It's a structured communication technique designed for interactive forecasting. Picture this: a group of experts, multiple rounds of questionnaires, and a quest for consensus. The beauty of this method? It taps into collective intelligence while ensuring every expert voice gets its moment in the sun, minus the overshadowing by dominant personalities. Generally this method is unlikely to occur naturally today due in part to the overwhelming decay in civility that has occurred. People just don’t cross over into different parisian camps these days. Something has distinctly changed in our politics.
Prokesch, T., Von der Gracht, H. A., & Wohlenberg, H. (2015). Integrating prediction market and Delphi methodology into a foresight support system—Insights from an online game. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 97, 47-64 [1].
Dalkey, N. C., Brown, B. B., & Cochran, S. (1969). The Delphi method: An experimental study of group opinion (Vol. 3, p. 107). Santa Monica, CA: Rand Corporation [2].
Door-to-Door Canvassing: Old School politics, But otherwise pure Gold
Switching gears, let's talk about the age-old art of door-to-door canvassing. It's personal, it's direct, and it's all about that face-to-face interaction. Whether it's political volunteers rallying support or grassroots movements gathering opinions, this method has stood the test of time. Why? Because nothing beats the authenticity of a real conversation. Sure people are less likely to want to answer the door or talk politics at the front door, but this method does still show signs of working.
Green, D. P., Gerber, A. S., & Nickerson, D. W. (2003). Getting out the vote in local elections: Results from six door-to-door canvassing experiments. The Journal of Politics, 65(4), 1083-1096 [3].
The Unexpected Crossover
Now, for the fun part. How do these two methods intertwine?
Imagine harnessing the Delphi Method's expert-driven insights to supercharge a door-to-door canvassing campaign. Before our canvassers even lace up their shoes, we could have a panel of experts—from veteran canvassers to communication gurus—forecasting the best strategies, pinpointing challenges, and highlighting golden opportunities.
That type of Magic could happen
Marrying the Delphi Method's structured insights with the grassroots authenticity of door-to-door canvassing could:
Elevate the Message: Crafting narratives that truly resonate.
Stay Two Steps Ahead: Predicting and preparing for potential challenges.
Strategize Like a Pro: Directing efforts where they count the most.
Wrapping Up
Merging the old with the new, the traditional with the innovative, can lead to some unexpected and powerful synergies. And isn't that what we're all about here on Substack? Exploring, questioning, and connecting the dots in unexpected ways.
Stay curious, and until next time!
Dr. Nels Lindahl
Footnotes:
Delphi method & Door-to-door canvassing