What is Message Management?

We need to do a better job of strategic planning and management when it comes to creating and distributing our messaging. Successful communication involves a lot more than issues and targeting.

1. Communication sinks in over time through repetition, so you need to have a CORE MESSAGE, the one message you want to sink in.

2. You develop CONTENT, like your bio, issues and stories, the purpose of which are to illustrate your core message, vision, values and character.

3. You need to identify exactly what LANGUAGE your campaign and supporters should be using — specifically which FRAMING and concepts people should use and which they should avoid.

Framing is about putting everything you talk about in the context of a PROGRESSIVE VALUE SYSTEM.

4. Your message has to be VERBALLY SHARABLE – in the right format for people to use it in casual conversation, and the right format for each channel you use to distribute it.

5. And you need a process for MESSAGE DISCIPLINE: getting everybody on message (your staff, consultants, vendors, volunteers and even your email recipients, website visitors and social media followers) and keeping them on message, every day.

Graphic by Antonia Scatton. All rights reserved.