Finding your message is never easy. But one step that is incredibly important in honing your message is to break your mission down to its simplest parts.
Simplifying your message does not mean dumbing it down – it means discovering the concrete, direct way of approaching your topic that is both engaging and informative.
We believe in the the six qualities of “stickyness,” as detailed in the book Made To Stick.
Simplicity – Find the core of your message. Break down the bureaucracy of your communication.
Unexpectedness – Get your audience’s attention through surprise. Keep their attention by solving a mystery.
Concreteness – Anchor your messaging in concepts that have real value and associations.
Credibility – Help people believe in your message by backing it up.
Emotional – Emotional appeals are inherent in nonprofit communications. But it ultimately comes down to making people care about your cause.
Stories – Storytelling can help drive people to act through agency or inspiration.
These steps help in crafting any new communication strategy or initiative by focusing the writer on the elements most likely to capture the attention of your audience. Let us help you to create a powerful, dynamic dialogue with your audience that will help your organizational goals.
Below are some of our favorite links from the week.
- The Nonprofit Quarterly asks – what is driving nonprofit sector growth?
- Why do many nonprofits do such a poor job marketing themselves, even if they do a great job serving their communities?
- Network For Good describes how nonprofits can successfully create outreach agents to help spread their messaging.