Activating your circle through external events
Attending externally organised events and becoming embedded in local communities is one of the most effective ways to find, and build relationships with the people who can bring value to your local Circle. These face-to-face interactions help you identify people who align with Logos’ values and could become key contributors, whether as participants, collaborators, or even future Circle Admins.
Even if there's no Circle yet in the area, track promising contacts in the contacts sheet and follow up. The people you meet could be crucial to future organising efforts.
Using Interaction Ritual Chain (IRC) Theory
Drawing on IRC theory, we approach outreach through four stages of building collective energy and commitment:
Preparation → Activation → Climax → Recovery
This might look informal if you're attending an event solo, or more structured at sponsored events with multiple CCs and a formal activation. Below are guidelines that can be tailored for both cases.
1. Preparation Stage
Here, we focus on:
Learning the culture of the event
Creating symbolic resources
Rehearsing emotionally engaging narratives
Pre-Event Actions
Create Symbolic Materials
Custom Logos stickers with QR codes linking to the Discord
Slogans or imagery tied to privacy, autonomy, climate justice, etc.
Printed Logos zines to distribute
Prepare
Rehearse 30-second pitches on Logos' mission
Practice telling stories that will resonate with the particular community at the event, e.g. surveillance capitalism, a local social issue, a case for decentralised technology
2. Activation Stage
At the event, the goal is to spark emotional engagement and create shared focus; this is where people start to feel part of something.
Event Activation Tips
Strategic Outreach
Identify people with high emotional energy (EE) and shared values
Add them to the contacts sheet, noting how you connected and how to reach them in the future
Symbolic Engagement
Offer privacy check-ups on people’s technical setups to give immediate value
Use stickers, zines, or QR codes to create moments of shared attention
Narrative Connection
Share compelling personal stories, or stories that illustrate the Logos narrative
Ask values-aligned questions to find shared ground
3. Climax Stage
This is the emotional high point—the moment people feel connected, inspired, and ready to act.
Key Actions
Symbol Distribution
Offer stickers or zines after strong conversations to anchor the connection in something physical
Commitment Ask
For highly engaged people, directly invite them to join your local Circle meetup or social action
Tell the individual directly why you think they would make a great addition to the Circle, make it personal based on what you learnt about them
4. Recovery Stage
The follow-up, where the momentum garnered at the event is reinforced and converted into a lasting connection.
After the Event
Follow-Up Spaces
Create a local Discord channel under #meetups for interested attendees
Build the Loop
Send invites to upcoming Circle meetups
Keep the conversation going by revisiting topics you discussed, especially if something relevant or topical has happened. Sharing it shows genuine interest and helps deepen the connection.
Roles for CCs to embody at events
The Storyteller: Focuses on sharing emotionally resonant narratives about privacy, decentralisation, social action etc.
The Connector: Identifies and connects with high-EE individuals and potential community leaders
The Demonstrator: Provides practical privacy demonstrations and technical explanations
The Ritual Leader: Orchestrates moments of focused attention and emotional alignment
Reflection and debrief
Run a quick post-event debrief in a call or asynchronously with @Amelia Trapp, @Santiago Carrión-Arcos, and any other CCs present at the event to cover:
What worked? Any particular messaging resonate with the attendees?
What didn’t work? Any uncomfortable conversations that we can learn from?
Who did we meet?
What should we do differently next time?
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