4 Steps to Communicate a Message

Clarity in delivering a message is important. Health education and promotion strategies can be challenging to communicate to others. To successfully communicate your message, follow these steps:

Step 1:

Identify key audiences.

You may have different key messages for specific groups of people. What do you want the audience to do, think, or believe?

Step 2:

Develop a message. The message should be simple, clear, compelling and include:

The problem?

Example: The poor health and wellness in the community due to tobacco use.

The solution?

Example: Hiring health education specialists in schools, colleges/universities, health departments, community organizations, health facilities, worksites, and insurance companies to implement evidence-based tobacco cessation programs.

The facts or stories to get the attention of those who can make the solution happen?

Possible key messages topics include:

• Increasing awareness of the various roles health education specialists play in improving consumer health and wellness.
• Providing support and resources for health education specialists.
• Encouraging collaboration – government agencies, community-based organizations, schools, and businesses, whose services and decisions affect health education specialists’ provisions on consumer health and wellness.

Step 3:

Get the facts

Research facts that support key message(s). Support the message with local facts and statistics.

Step 4:

Spread the message.

• Build a media list – include local and regional radio, television, print, key health journalists and bloggers that cover these or similar issues.
• Write and send a news release or story pitch.
• Increase online presence on social media, listen, engage and follow groups with related messages.

• Community Tool Box (from the University of Kansas) – http://ctb.ku.edu/
• W.K. Kellogg Foundation Evaluation Toolkit – https://www.wkkf.org/resource-directory/resource/2010/w-k-kellogg-foundation-evaluation-handbook