messaging — Nonprofit Communications & PR Firm | Nonprofit Marketing Agency | Forthright Advising

In times of mistrust, it’s time to call in the reinforcements and boost your trusted messenger game.

Messengers are the people who influence your target audiences. They can support your work in a variety of ways – from sharing your posts on social media, to posting about your programs on their neighborhood listservs to sponsoring your programs.

Trusted messengers are people, or groups of people, your audiences are most likely to listen to. We’re sharing more strategies to harness their power in this blog.

How to help overwhelmed parents

Parents and caregivers need our help.

I’ve led work that supports parents and caregivers for two decades.

I’ve also been a parent for nearly 13 years.

And over time, I’ve noticed a growing trend. Parents and caregivers are overworked, overstressed and overwhelmed – and it’s impacting their health.

As communicators and leaders, there are three easy guidelines you can follow to ensure your messages break through the noise to reach this overwhelmed (but critical!) audience.

Ensure people understand your work

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

what you want your audiences to understand about your work;
what you want your audiences to believe as a result of what they understand; and
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 (and examples!) for how the logic chain works.

Eliminating early childhood suspensions: lessons in real-world change

If you asked me a year ago what came to mind when thinking about early care and education, I would have conjured some pretty traditional images. Toddlers adorned with finger paint. Play-Doh of various colors, sculpted into comically unrecognizable shapes. The joyful sounds of children, with their infectious laughs and with their futures brimming with promise. You can, then, imagine what it felt to learn more about a startling truth in early care and education in America: the widespread suspensions and expulsions of young children, many barely old enough to walk. The desire to upend what has become an unfortunate status quo recently led me to Charlotte, North Carolina for the National Black Child Institute’s (NBCDI) national conference.

Instantly Improve Your Outreach Through Empathy

As communicators and leaders, we’re constantly having to put ourselves in other people’s shoes. At the heart of good communication is empathy—anticipating how our audience will receive information, and then customizing our approach based on that. I’m sharing my advice for how to do this here!

Your Crisis Communications Guide

Our country is in a reckoning. As leaders and communicators, it’s our responsibility to communicate—and, well, lead—during this time, all while processing our own emotions. That’s why here, we’re sharing resources, tips and strategies to help you communicate during this tumultuous time.

Why No One is Listening

We’ve heard from many of you that you’re struggling to break through the noise and that your audiences “just aren’t getting it.” You’re not alone. Right now, our brains are busy juggling uncertainty, stress and anxiety. That’s why we’re sharing two tips to help you reach your audiences.

How to Simplify Complex Messaging for Your Community

As communicators, it’s our job to simplify our messaging so ALL our audiences understand what we’re sharing and why. That’s why we’re sharing why readability is important, what readability score writers should aim for, how to simplify complex messaging and how to use Microsoft Word to test readability through our blog and free PDF download.

Easy as Pie: Why You Should Use Comparisons in Your Messaging

Our brains are wired to look for things we recognize and find patterns. So when you’re trying to make a complicated concept easy to explain, comparisons are your friend! We’re including tips on how to use them in your messaging here.

3 Things First Graders Taught Me About PR

Most Fridays, my husband and I take half an hour to read to first graders. Not only does the activity keep me grounded in Forthright’s mission and in a school setting each week, but it’s also a great place to be reminded of some communications lessons. Here are three things I’ve learned about communications from spending time reading with first graders.

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