There is no single correct way to shape a message. How you go about it depends on your situation and the issue at hand.
Two of the most common messaging methodologies are:
- The classic problem/solution/next step formulation. There is one phase missing here, however. Any guesses as to what it is? Read on for the answer.
- Chronological, in which you describe the conditions yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Here, too, an absent element arises.
The Missing Link
What is the missing piece lacking in both of these constructs? Context.
Too many businesses work on the assumption that their target audience has a good grasp of the issue at hand. Such is not always the case. That is why your messaging needs to include a dose of context to ensure everyone understands your take on the issue.
It's easy to see why context is often skipped over. We tend to take our issues for granted since we deal with them day in and day out. Those audiences you are trying to reach know far less, so they require you setting a baseline that helps them get a grasp.
Looking for some examples? Imagine that your company is the target of a hostile takeover. You are fighting for your corporate life. Sure, you need to highlight the problem, put forth your solution, and outline the next steps you have planned. Yet you also must give stakeholders (defined broadly, for they certainly consist of more than just stockholders) a reason to care and a reason to support your stance. That demands context.
In another instance, you may be advocating for your main public policy initiative. Do your grassroots activists have a good grasp of the issue? That's a risky assumption in many cases. More important, do the policymakers you aim to persuade have the necessary grounding? Only a fool would wager that they do.
That's why context should be at the forefront of nearly every message, no matter whether it involves a new product, the firing of your CEO, or a thorny public policy issue.
Your Next Steps
In my book A+ Strategies for C-Suite Communications: Turning Today's Leaders into Tomorrow's Influencers, I present at the end of each chapter a list of "Five for the Future" suggestions to aid in implementing the material contained in each section. Here's an idea for following up on context from Chapter Eight on messaging:
- Look at your current messaging. Have you provided context for your target audience?
This takes place on two fronts. First, make weaving context into your messaging a part of every message you develop from this point forward. It matters little what technique you use to build your position. Context should be part of nearly every effort.
Second, review the existing messages on your entire range of issues (you do have them committed to writing, don't you?). If you find context missing, it's past time to revisit and inject a dose of that tonic.
You may know your company's message frontwards and backwards. Just remember that your target audience is not likely to know your position — or to care — until you give them a reason. Context counts.
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