Fitz N5. Messaging. Planning your message

Figure 5.2 A message palette

 

This reminds the communicator to set out a number of important factors: 

• What the overall objective of communicating is –how what we do helps the organization or the programme we are supporting. 
• A ‘master takeaway’–the single compelling thought we need to share with our audience. 
• Who the audience are, what we know about them and how they are likely to react when they hear the message? 
• What we want the audience to: 
• Do –the behaviour we are seeking; 
• Feel –the attitude we need to encourage in order to promote the behaviour we need;
• Know –the base knowledge people need in order to form the attitudes we seek (the KNOW –FEEL –DO continuum more fully explained in Chapter 3 on planning).

• Our supporting message with proof points: 
• YSIC –the reasons why the audience should be interested, the personal benefits and the impact; 
• the rationale –the factual and emotional reasoning; 
• the change –the practicalities of what is changing, when and how. 

• Where to learn more –where and when more information can be found or supplied. 

The master takeaway 

Every message palette includes what is called the master takeaway. It can be as simple as the headline or the core phrase that you would like the audience to repeat back to you once they have received and accepted the idea that you are trying to convey.

Figure 5.3 An example: IT security campaign

• What channels will add credibility and help build the right emotions into your message (or undermine the point you are trying to make)? 
• Who in the organization is best placed to deliver the message to lend it impact and credence (remembering that the CEO should be saved for the really important things in life)? 
• When is the best time to deliver the message (for example, people may not appreciate bad news the day before the Christmas holidays, or a message about cost cutting can be easily misunderstood on the day that the company profits are announced).

The core skill of the communicator is to act as the bridge between the leadership of an organization and the people with whom it wishes to communicate. The main tool we have is our ability to turn complex business requirements into something that is compelling, understandable and useful. We do this by crafting the right messages, using the right channels for delivery, and recognizing what might distort understanding for each individual audience.


Source: Internal Communications: A Manual for Practicioners (2014) by Liam FitzPatrick, Klavs Valskov