DEVELOPING YOUR MESSAGE BOX
Once you know who you want to reach and have determined what they care about, you can create message
points that will resonate with your audience. Good messaging has no more than four main points. These points
need to be both concise and compelling. It is that easy, and that hard.
Example: Death penalty reform messaging.
Value Message:
Innocent people should not be wrongfully
convicted and sentenced to die.
Vision Message:
We will have a fair justice system.
Misconception Message:
More than 100 people have been
exonerated from death row since 1976.
The Ask Message:
Pass legislation to offer DNA testing to
inmates convicted of a capital crime.
The message box is in this shape for a reason. The circular nature of it reminds you that you can start at any
message point and hop around to your heart’s desire. Just stay on message.
The four areas of the message box are integral to your overall persuasiveness and should be thoughtfully
constructed.
The Value Message—Top (North) Box. This is where you connect with your audience. You remind them of your
common ground, or say something that will get them to agree or at least nod their heads.
The Misconception Message—Right (East) Box. With this message you answer skepticism or misconceptions
about your issue.
The Ask Message—Bottom (South) Box. This is where you focus on getting the target audience to do something
specific that will help you reach your goal.
The Vision Message—Left (West) Box. With this message you echo the value you tapped into with the value
message. It says to people: If you do what I ask you to do, then you get what you want.
Now you try. Consider the strategic approach you just developed for reaching your target audience. What are
the messages you want them to remember? Keep in mind: “It’s not what you tell them, it’s what they can hear.”
Value Message:
Where you connect with your audience
and remind them of your common ground.
Vision Message:
Echoes the value message and says
to people “If you do what I ask,
then you get want you want.”
Misconception Message:
Address misconceptions about your issue,
but don’t repeat the misconception.
The Ask Message:
Ask target audience to take action, to do
something very specific.
Vetting your message box
• Make sure that your message is not a re-worded mission statement.
• Is your message consistent with the selected approach? Are you addressing your audience using their beliefs
and values?
• Keep jargon out of your message. Would your mother, dentist or neighbor understand your message?
• Did you include a value in your message?
• Is it clear what you want your audience to do?
Next Step
Once you have crafted your four core messages, go back and identify three to four supporting points for each.
These are points you can draw from as you insert your messages into printed materials, presentations, media
interviews or elsewhere.
Example: More than 100 people have been exonerated from death row since 1976.
• From 1999 on, about half of all exonerations have been based on DNA evidence1
• 33 of the first 123 post-conviction DNA exonerations involved false confessions or admissions2
• There may be up to 200,000 innocent people currently in jail3
Source:
1.www.law.umich.edu/NewsAndInfo/exonerations-in-us.pdf
2.www.innocenceproject.org
3.www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/pubs-sum/161258.htm