Dr. Vincent Covello first brought the use of message maps to my attention. Dr. Covello runs the Centre for Risk Communication in New York and is a recognized leader in high-risk communication. The map is fairly straight forward and I include a sample in this post. It’s basically a chart that you fill in with your three main messages, plus facts or stories to support those primary points. This is a tool I have seen work well in a wide range of environments, from speeches to media clips to everyday conversations. It is a base for presenting information in a concise, cohesive and conversational way. A good tool for messaging in social media arenas as well. It can be used quickly to help you get your thoughts organized or as a major planning document to help you form longer term strategies for your communications.

But first let’s talk about the concept of working in three’s. What is the magic of three? We learned how to retain information in this format from a young age. Hickory, dickory, dock. Three blind mice. See Dick Run. I still have this little ditty rambling around in my brain: Stop, look, listen before you cross the street. My inner voice still tells me, “Use your eyes, use your ears, then use your feet” at crosswalks. The marketers have been using this method on us for years. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Campbell’s Soup is “Mmm Mmm Good.” Just Do It. The reason? It sticks and is easy to remember. Think about the classic trivia memory tests — name the seven dwarfs or Santa’s eight reindeer. We struggle to retain or regurgitate that kind of information easily and quickly.

Anytime you are in a situation where you want to be heard, try preparing with the message map and see if it changes what people remember. Here is one to show you the format and how it was used to explain the West Nile Virus.With this map I could give a 30-minute speech to health professionals, turn it into a 12-second radio clip or talk about it with my six-year-old niece. I would be able to use my own words and stay on track, giving more information if I had more time and less if I was constricted by the clock.

Try the message map out. Just put a few words in each box. If you start writing out long-winded points in the boxes, it won’t work. The real trick here is to just put down the most important points. It is easy to fill in the rest when speaking. Being conversational is essential to connecting. More on that in my next post – Conversation is Queen.

Try out this message map on West Nile disease and see how easy it is to talk about and what people retain. You could even Tweet it, if so inclined, as a way to share information with your followers. Love to hear how it works for you. Someone told me they used it to persuade their boss to give them a raise. Clever.