Everything you need to know about message development

by Jaques Montegolifier Chartered Accountant

Your messages are the foundation of any communication. Whenever you communicate with the audience, you want them to understand the same message. Although every person remembers different details concerning the speech, they should be aware of the core message. They are also called key message. Message development is essential to get the desired outcome from the listeners.

What are the best messages made of?

The ingredients for the right message are –

• A clear, concise, compelling, strong call to action
• Structurize the main points. No detailing.

• Short and focused.

This is what one can expect from a media interview training as well since the executives and spokesperson need to be precise to the journalists.

Apart from the above ingredients, the messages should be useful, which is possible only if –

• It benefits the audience. Make it clear to the audience as to why should they bother about your message.
• Address the listeners’ concern regarding the subject.

• Convey your mission, values, and vision.

Remember, the audience has a short attention span, be it small or big group. Your message should be so strong that it must cut through all the noise and create an impact. Once you have cleared the first stage of message development, prepare to repeat them often. Just because you have said something ten times, does not mean your audience has grasped the same. They may be comprehending your communication for the first time. More than the repetition, your message should resonate with the listeners.

Why is message formation important?

1)    Focus on why: It is easy to concentrate on what and how while framing the message. But companies need to focus more on the why. Why are you doing what you are doing? Why should people care? The why should convey the speech’s core belief. Only then can you inspire action.

2)    Ensure consistency: Whatever you say must be communicated across platforms – internally and externally. Any misalignment gets picked up by the audience instantly. The key message is around which the communication gets framed.

3)    A different way of communicating: Broadcast medium is a passé when it comes to the mode of communication and marketing. The audience wants to engage with companies they are interested in. They want the mediums to speak in their language and through their channels.

4) Concise and straightforward: Audiences generally have a short span of attention. They also lack time to digest information. They want to understand the facts quickly. The audience always looks for specifics.

These factors also work under media training interview. Only then it will sound authentic and credible.

How to develop or frame the content for your speech?

Think of your message as a newspaper article. The newspaper messages generally include the following aspects –

•    The headline, which sums up and grabs the attention
•    The lead that contains the most critical information and answers your who, what, where, why, when, and how.
•    The body includes further details, such as facts, figures, and research studies.

• The tail is the least important information. Instead, you can summarise the entire speech here and leave the audience with an impactful thought.

The key to this structure is no matter what the listeners understand the main idea behind the speech or subject.