How To Craft Killer Key Messages
By Team Six Words
Key messaging is a vital component of impactful, effective communication.
Whether you are unveiling a new product or initiative, or sharing an important update with your team, it is important to get to the heart of what you’re trying to say in a way that both engages and informs your audience.
Your key messages are not slogans, jingles or taglines. Instead, they are the core ideas you want to embed in the minds of your audience.
Developing key messages before you communicate helps you focus in on exactly what you want to say. Here are some tips to help you get started.
- Be Concise. Aim for short, direct sentences. By saying less, you’re forced to focus. The more focused you are, the higher chance you have at getting your message across. Be sure to define exactly what you want people to understand and what, if anything, you’re asking them to do.
- Be Clear. Avoid jargon or language that could confuse or distract your audience. While technical language or high levels of detail may feel important to you, it can be a barrier to engaging your audience.
- Be Connected. Identify how your audience is impacted by what you’re communicating. Put yourself in their shoes and ask “what’s in it for me?” Then make sure your communication clearly answers this question. Also spend time thinking about your audience and the context they may or may not have about what you’re sharing. When in doubt, fill in the gaps with a quick recap.
Now go forth and communicate!
Still stuck? Send us your thoughts – we’d be happy to help you out.