Ensure people understand your work

Written by Emily Swartzlander

Supporting children and families often means working on complex, systemic and interwoven issues. As a result, many of our clients tell us that your work is – understandably – tricky for your audiences to understand.

If you know Forthright, you know we’re big champions of two core communications north stars:

1. Simplifying your communications to make them easy for busy audiences to understand

2. Naming one specific, single action your audiences can take to support your work. 

That’s because data shows us that:

• Your audiences are overwhelmed and burnt out, which means they can’t absorb complicated messaging.

• Audiences need to hear your message seven times before they remember it.

• Only 13 percent of Americans “perform complex and challenging literary activities.” 

• People are way more likely to act when they don’t feel overwhelmed by a problem that’s too big to change.  

But how do you simplify your messaging when the issues you work on are so complex? 

you start with a logic chain

A logic chain is a tool your team can use to align around: 

1. what you want your audiences to understand about your work;

2. what you want your audiences to believe as a result of what they understand; and

3. the specific, concrete action you want your audiences to take. 

Starting with a logic chain when creating a strategic communications plan or before conducting a communications audit ensures your messaging and strategies are laser focused on your end goal. 

Here’s a full visual for how the logic chain works:

Let’s break it down into a four-step process you can use to build a logic chain for your communications.

step 1: build understanding

The first step is answering the following question: 

As a result of our communications, what will our audiences understand about our work and our organization?

Remember, your audiences have limited time and are likely experiencing information overload, so pare it down as much as you can. We recommend a max of five statements. (And fewer is better!) What they understand should ALWAYS point to your organization’s end goals. 

Example: Understanding

You may want your audience to understand that when students "act out" at school, there's always an underlying reason. For example, a student may act out every time his teacher asks him to read out loud. He doesn't want his classmates to know he can't read, due to his undiagnosed learning needs – and he knows acting out will get him sent to the office instead of being embarrassed in front of his friends. (This is a real story from a family we worked with on legislation around unfair suspensions and expulsions). 

step 2: build beliefs

So you know what you want your audiences to understand. Now that they “get” it, it’s time to determine what you want your audiences to believe. 

To determine those beliefs, start with a little audience research. Ask yourself the following question about your audiences: 

What matters most to them as it relates to your work? 

Then, connect those values to the “understand” statements from Step 1. This will help you build an emotional connection with your audiences so they not only understand your work – they believe in it.

Example: Beliefs

You know your audience already believes in equitable education. Now that your audience understands that students have an underlying reason for "acting out," you want them to also believe our school discipline system is broken – and more importantly, we must do something about it in order to make education equitable. 

step 3: determine an action step

The final step is turning your audiences’ understanding and belief into action. 

This step also requires some audience research. Ask yourself the following questions about your audiences: 

1. What motivates them to act? 

2. What stands in the way of them taking an action you want them to take? 

Once you know what encourages your audiences to act and what prevents them from taking action (their barriers), pick one single ask of your audiences that you will repeat throughout your communication. This could be as simple as “become a monthly donor,” or “write your legislator.” 

Example: Action

Since your audience now believes we have to fix our broken school discipline system, they are ready to act. You know their barrier to action is time, so you need to make action fast. As a result, you may ask them to sign a pre-written petition letter to your board of education, advocating for funding for restorative discipline practices, from mental health supports to peer-led programs.

step 4: put it all together

Once you’ve got the three pieces of your logic chain, it’s time to put them all together and put your logic chain to work. For the example we used above, here’s what your logic chain – and your messaging – might look like:

• Build understanding: When students “act out,” there’s always an underlying reason. For example, a student, Maurice, may act out every time his teacher asks him to read out loud. Why? Because he doesn't want his classmates to know he can't read, due to his undiagnosed dyslexia. Maurice knows acting out will get him sent to the office instead of being embarrassed in front of his friends. 

• Build beliefs: Our school discipline system is both inequitable and broken – we’re failing thousands of students like Maurice across the country. 

• Students of color and students with disabilities are significantly more likely to be suspended or expelled than their peers. 

• When students are suspended or expelled, it doesn’t address the underlying reason they’re acting out. They simply miss school, fall even further behind and continue struggling overall. 

• Determine an action step: Sign this letter today asking our board of education to invest in restorative discipline practices – and help eliminate unfair suspensions, expulsions and discipline. 

I promise you that paring down your communications using a logic chain will help you make a stronger connection with your audiences and will, ultimately, grow support for your work. 

P.S. And if you need help? We’ve got you. We love working with clients to create logic chains, build strategic communications plans or conduct an audit of your current comms materials.

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