Connecting your Message with your Audience
When you develop a communications plan, the goal is to get your message across to your intended audience. To connect your message with your audience, there are six common techniques you can use to accomplish your goal.
photo credit: cyanocoraxStatistics
One of the most persuasive tools in any communication plan is the use of numbers. However, make sure your numbers are solidly researched. Research them, double-check them, and then check them again. Statistics can be moving targets and you do not want to find yourself in a position of delivering a message that contains outdated or inaccurate statistics. One outdated or incorrect fact can cause the audience to question the remainder of your message.
Example
Convey to your audience specific examples. Examples allow you to illustrate to–and connect with–the audience the way in which something functions in the real world. Do not just tell your audience something; provide them with an example that demonstrates how your proposal provides specific benefits.
Demonstration
Demonstrations can also be quite persuasive regarding any issue related to technology 
or science. Taking your audience through a piece of software or a website is much more effective than simply trying to convey that experience through the use of words.
Analogy
Analogies can be extremely powerful. Analogies provide an easy way for the audience to connect to your message–they also provide interest and appeal to your presentation.
Testimonials
Bringing out a real individual who can tell a real story is much more persuasive than trying to use an expert or politician to get your message across to the audience. It is one thing to tell your audience something and something entirely different to hear the same thing from a real person that inspires compassion in the audience.
Experience
Another effective technique is to draw upon the memories of the audience and their own life experiences in order to persuade them of your position. Personal memories and experiences are powerful and compelling.
To learn more about connecting with your audience and communicating effectively with the media, consider our Advanced Media Relations Workshop.
Reference: Media Relations Handbook, by Brad Fitch, Section 3.10 How to Connect your Message with your Audience.
For more information about media training from TheCapitol.Net, see these resources:
- Media Relations Handbook, by Bradford Fitch
- Live courses in Washington, DC:
- Capitol Learning Audio Courses:
- Maximizing the Internet for the Public Affairs Professional, with Michael Cornfield
- Media Relations for the Public Affairs Professional, A Seven Course Series
- Public Affairs Primer for Nonprofits and Associations
- Media Relations: Merging Policy and Media Strategies
- How the Media Works and How to Work the Media
- Press Conferences and Media Interviews for Scientists and Engineers
Tags: Advanced Media Relations Workshop, Brad Fitch, communicating effectively, developing your message, media relations, Media Relations Handbook, Media training, public affairs, public relations, talking points
