4.6: Action Star

Key Factors for Planning & Evaluating Actions

Sometimes, swept up by outrage or excitement, we leap into action without much forethought or care. If we’re lucky, it all works out. But we’re much more likely to win if we thoughtfully choose tactics and stage actions that not only advance a larger campaign strategy but also take into account the art and science of successful action design.

Note

In this article from the Beautiful Trouble Toolbox, the author Jonathan Matthew Smucker (2013) helps you to develop a strategy for a campaign by thinking through different aspects of an action.

The action star tool is a great place to start. It helps you evaluate, refine and plan your action by asking you a series of key questions, including: Who or what is the political target of our action — and why? How is our action designed to pressure this target? 

Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\):  (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0; Jonathan Matthew Smucker via Beautiful Trouble)

Target

In political mobilization, the target is the person, institution, or system that has the power to grant demands or make change happen. Effective organizing begins with identifying who actually holds decision-making authority rather than who is simply visible or symbolic.

A strong political action asks:

• Who has the power to change the policy or condition?
• What pressure points matter to them?
• What political, financial, reputational, or public consequences might motivate action?

Mobilizations are often most successful when they create what organizers call a “decision dilemma,” where the target loses political ground regardless of how they respond. For example, a protest may force elected officials to either concede demands or publicly defend an unpopular stance.

Points of Intervention

Points of intervention refer to where activists choose to disrupt or intervene within a political, economic, or cultural system. Political mobilizations are more strategic when they identify leverage points rather than acting randomly.

The framework identifies several intervention points:

• Production (e.g., workplaces, labor strikes)
• Consumption (e.g., boycotts)
• Decision-making (e.g., city councils, legislatures)
• Assumptions and narratives (e.g., media campaigns challenging dominant beliefs)

For example, climate activists may intervene at oil pipelines (production), pressure banks funding fossil fuels (finance), or reshape public narratives about environmental justice through storytelling and media.

Spectrum of Allies

Political organizing is rarely about convincing everyone. Instead, mobilizations focus on moving people along a spectrum of support. The spectrum generally includes:

• Active allies
• Passive allies
• Neutral groups
• Passive opponents
• Active opponents

Strategic mobilization asks:

• How do we activate passive supporters?
• Which groups are persuadable?
• How do we isolate hardline opposition?

For example, labor movements may focus less on converting anti-union executives and more on mobilizing undecided workers and community members into active participation.

Audience

The audience is the group organizers are trying to influence emotionally, politically, or socially through the action. Political actions are designed not only for participants but also for:

• Media audiences
• Community members
• Voters
• Policymakers
• Potential allies

Organizers consider:

• What message should different audiences receive?
• What tone will resonate most effectively?
• What visuals or symbols communicate urgency or legitimacy?

For example, a student protest may use hopeful and inclusive messaging when speaking to the public but adopt sharper accountability language toward administrators.

Story

Political mobilizations rely heavily on storytelling and framing. Movements compete not only over policy outcomes but also over how events are interpreted publicly.

A movement’s story helps answer:

• Who is being harmed?
• Who is responsible?
• What future is possible?
• Why should people care?

Strong political narratives humanize issues and create emotional connection. Civil rights movements, labor struggles, and environmental campaigns all use storytelling to transform abstract policy concerns into relatable human experiences.

Framing also matters strategically. A movement framed as “public safety” may gain broader support than one framed narrowly as partisan conflict.

Values and Common Ground

Mobilizations are more effective when they connect to shared public values rather than speaking only to insiders already committed to the cause.

This involves appealing to:

• Fairness
• Dignity
• Safety
• Democracy
• Community responsibility
• Economic justice

Political movements often succeed when they bridge ideological divides through commonly understood moral principles. For example, advocates for accessible education may frame tuition reduction not only as an economic issue but also as a matter of opportunity and equity.

Symbols, language, and imagery also matter because they communicate cultural values quickly and emotionally.

Action Logic

Action logic refers to the strategic reasoning behind why a particular action will communicate a message or create pressure.

Every political action sends signals. Organizers therefore ask:

• What does this action communicate?
• Will observers understand its purpose?
• Does it dramatize the issue effectively?

Strong action logic creates symbolic clarity. For example:

• Sit-ins demonstrate exclusion
• Strikes demonstrate worker dependence
• Boycotts demonstrate consumer power
• Marches demonstrate public scale and solidarity

An action becomes politically powerful when people immediately understand both the grievance and the demand without extensive explanation.

Building and Tending the Group

Sustainable political mobilization depends on internal community-building, not just external protest.

Movements must continually ask:

• Are participants developing leadership skills?
• Are responsibilities shared equitably?
• Is the group preventing burnout?
• Are relationships and trust being strengthened?

Historically, successful movements invest heavily in political education, mutual support, mentorship, and leadership development. Organizing is not only about winning immediate demands but also about building long-term collective capacity.

Strong internal culture helps movements survive setbacks, repression, and long political struggles.

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Action Star

 

At the center of the Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\) is a circle labeled “Action.” Surrounding it are eight triangular points, each with guiding questions:

• Spectrum of Allies: How will our action activate passive allies, win over currently on-the-fence potential allies, and isolate our opposition? Which specific constituencies do we want to prioritize?
• Audience: Who is our priority audience and what message do we want to send them? What kind of presentation and tone (e.g. solemn, jubilant, angry, etc.) will be most effective?
• Story: How are we strategically narrating and framing the conflict? Is there a villain in our story? Are we putting forward our own sympathetic characters as protagonists? Are we foreshadowing our desired outcome?
• Values & Common Ground: Are we connecting with people’s values—especially the values of our intended audience—and appealing to their common sense? What kinds of popular images and symbols are we including in our action and messaging?
• Action Logic: Does the action itself tell the story and convey our intended message? Will passersby intuitively “get it” without us having to say anything at all?
• Building & Tending the Group: Will the action build our group’s capacity? Will it generate new interest and help plug new people in? How can we use the planning process to build more group members’ leadership and skills? Are we adequately supporting each other as we make sacrifices and take risks together? 

Activity \(\PageIndex{1}\)

Developing Your Skills

Take the issue you chose for the “picking an issue” activity. Then answer the following questions for that issue. Really think about what would make a good action and why. Try to think strategically!

1. Name your campaign.
2. Target: Who or what is the political target of our action and why? How is your action designed to pressure them? Will it threaten to or cost them something? Will it put them in a decision dilemma where you win no matter which way they respond? For example they are in a situation where they need to give you what you want or they will end up with bad publicity, which will strengthen your campaign.   
3. Research: What information will you need to understand and do research on to succeed in your campaign.  
4. Allies: How will your action activate passive allies, win over potential allies, and isolate your opposition? Which specific constituencies do you want to prioritize?
5. Audience and Message: Who is your priority audience and what message do you want to send them? What kind of presentation and tone (solemn, jubilant, angry, etc.) will be most effective?
6. Story: How are you strategically narrating and framing the story? Is there a villain in your story? Are you putting forward your own sympathetic characters as protagonists? Are you foreshadowing your desired outcome?
7. Values and Common Ground: Are you connecting with people’s values—especially those of your intended audience—and appealing to their common sense? What kinds of popular images and symbols are you including in your action and messaging?
8. Action Logic: Does the action itself tell the story and convey your intended message? Will a passerby intuitively “get it” without you having to say anything at all?
9. Building the Group: Will the action build your group’s capacity? Will it generate new interest and help plug new people in? Are you adequately supporting each other as you make sacrifices and take risks together?

Attributions

• Adapted from "Action Star" by Jonathan Matthew Smucker, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.