Making your message heard in the media
and everywhere else
Goals:
- Understand what makes strong messages
- Learn strategies for making these messages heard
- Practice being messengers
framing your message
- A message is what you’re trying to communicate, not only about the issues you care about – but your values and who you are.
- Effective messages are tailored to specific target audiences.
- Strong messages appeal to shared values.
Fairness & equality
Honesty & integrity
Responsibility to care for others
Personal liberty & opportunity
Forgiveness & second chances
The Workhouse must be closed, and no new jail should be put in its place.
The workhouse is A Fundamental threat to human dignity. Let’S close it once And for all and start investing in our communities instead of in cages.
The two Sentences Rule
examples
- A policy position
- An action listeners should take
- A story or anecdote grounding your in the campaign and establishing legitimacy
Pivoting and bridging
- “We find the more important issue is…”
- “I think it would be more accurate (or correct) to say…”
- “Here’s the real problem…”
- “What I’ve said comes down to this…”
- “Let me emphasize again…”
- “What matters most in this situation is…”
- “While ___________ is important, it’s also important to remember that…”
- “It all boils down to this…”
- “Let me emphasize again…”
- “And that reminds me…”
- “Before we leave this subject, I need to add…”
Acknowledge
Bridge or pivot
Deliver your key message
- Problem
- Solution
- Action
If we're talking about safety, we need to acknowledge that...
How will we keep our communities safe from criminals if we don't have a jail?
...The life-threatening conditions in the workhouse make it a major threat to community safety.
If we spend less money on locking people up, and more money providing resources people need to survive and thrive, everyone would be safer.
Let's try it
what went well?
what could be improved?
what was the key message?
stay on message. Stay calm.
- Staying silent between questions to get you to make unguarded statements
- Acting like your friend to get you to reveal sensitive information or weaker arguments
- Asking provocative questions to get an emotional response
How they get you
Tips and tricks
- Say yes to makeup
- Have a friend check your appearance
- Wear solid colors (or your brand)
- Talk twice as slow as you think you need to
- Assume every mic is hot
- Ask for a second chance!
- Get the last word
drew ambrogi
aambrogi@advancementproject.org
STL Media Training
By Andrew Ambrogi
