COMMUNICATIONS MESSAGING HOW WHY Adam Shapiro Public Relations

COMMUNICATIONS MESSAGING: HOW & WHY Adam Shapiro Public Relations

OVERVIEW • Messages are the angles and word choices an entity takes in order to target the right media outlets and in turn the correct audiences. • They should be relatively brief.

FACTS VS. MESSAGES • • MCH is about data and facts Messaging about MCH has very little to do with data and facts Messaging is about frames, values, beliefs Fact: Americans vote against their economic interests. They respond to messages more than they do to facts • Textbook evolution debate

SAMPLE MESSAGE BOX Values Solution Main Message Problem Action to be Taken

SAMPLE MESSAGE BOX Values: Caring for the most vulnerable is a universal goal Solution: There a number of tested and proven programs and initiatives that have been shown to improve MCH outcomes MCH is key to a healthy community for all of us Problem: We aren’t doing enough to improve MCH outcomes Action to be Taken: We all need to be educated about the problem and options

MORE TOOLS TO USE WITH THE MESSAGE BOX • Bridge statements - include such sentence openers as: • “However, the real issue here is…” • “And as I said before, …” • “This is an important point because…” • With practice, you become in control of your presentation while being responsive

YOUR MESSAGE BOX • Do you think that your message box is convincing? Why or why not? • If someone asked, “Why should I care about [your main message]? ” would you be able to answer him or her? • Does your message box answer many of the possible questions that you could be asked? Can you think of questions it fails to answer?

Exercise #3 • Write/type out the following in this order: 1. Write an explanation of a public health issue you focus on

Exercise #3 • Write/type out the following in this order: 1. Write an explanation of a public health issue you focus on 2. Put that explanation aside. Now, write it as if you were explaining it to a friend/neighbor

Exercise #3 • Write/type out the following in this order: 1. Write an explanation of a public health issue you focus on 2. Put that explanation aside. Now, write it as if you were explaining it to a friend/neighbor 3. Put that aside. Write the issue using only 140 characters (Twitter)

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