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Crafting Your Message: Being a Good Spokesperson

Janine MacLachlan, director, ADA Council on Communications

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Today: An Overview• How people receive messages

• How to create powerful messages

• Practice = courage + confidence

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How Audiences Perceive Messages

7%38%

55%

Content: Message

Verbal: Tone, Rate of Speech

Non Verbal: Body Language

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People Retain Three Messages If you talk about everything, you are remembered for nothing

Always begin with your own goals

Add photo or graphic depicting this somehow

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Proper Prep: Do Your Research• Know the nature of the interview or

discussion• Obtain questions in advance where

possible• Determine your agenda

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Three Ps of Message Development• Prepare – Know your goals for the interview– Conduct research– Develop 3 key messages

• Practice – Messages and body language

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Three Ps of Message Development• Perform – Engage your audience– Use visuals and props

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How to Create Key Messages• Mind map– Fill a page with everything you might want to cover

• Prioritize– What will resonate? – How to make it emotional?

• Identify 3 key messages– Support each key message with 2-3 points

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KISS – Keep It Super Simple Headline• One engaging sentence

Prove it • Facts, data

Visualize it• Stories

Bottom line it• Rephrase the headline

Headline

Prove

Visualize

Bottom Line

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Mind map exercise

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ABCs of Q & AA: Answer the

questionB: Bridge to your

messageC: Conclude on

positive notethat drives youragenda

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Bridging to Your Message• In fact…• Let me put this

in perspective…• What you need

to remember is…

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A few don’ts• Don’t speculate: – Don’t answer hypothetical questions– Don’t comment on investigations or court cases

• Don’t make up answers– “I don’t know. But what I do know is…”– “Let me get back to you with that information.”

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A few don’ts• Don’t feel compelled to fill the

silence• Don’t offer opinion that differs from

your organization’s position• Better ways to say “No comment”

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Your turn• Break into teams• Review your burning topic• Create three key messages– Plus two supporting points for each

• Tell your story