How to Craft an Effective Key Message

When communicating with the public it’s important to always have a key message. A key message can be described as:

• The takeaway, master narrative, elevator pitch; essence of what you want to communicate
• What’s needed to engage people
• Bite-sized summations that articulate: what you do, what you stand for, how you are different and what value you bring to stakeholders

Simply put, a key message “opens the door to direct communication with your audience. It bridges [ the gap between] what your audience knows and where you are trying to take them.”

Your key message should cause your audience to ask why and how. These questions also help bring to light the “rationale of your intentions and provides the step-by-step statements that back up your key message.”

The best way to find your key message is to repeatedly ask yourself “Why? How?” Asking yourself these questions will reveal information you may take for granted that your audience needs to know and understand.

When crafting a key message we suggest you remain, concise, active, positive, short and specific.

Concise: Avoid jargon and acronyms

Active: Make every sentence active

Positive: Talk about what one can do, not what you can’t

Short: One memorable sentence, 10-15 seconds to say.

Specific: Address a particular challenge and audience

Here’s a tip, “if the word ‘should’ pops up in your key message, that’s a red flag that there’s more information to uncover. Keep digging.”

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