1. Communications and Messaging for a New Biopolitics The Tarrytown Meeting Tarrytown, New York, July 26 2011

2. 2 © 2009, All rights reserved Topics we will cover: At the Plenary: Communicating with Clarity and Impact Developing Key Messages At the Working Session: Focused message development Conveying your message Using your messages in an interview

3. 3 © 2009, All rights reserved The Need to Communicate with Clarity and Impact Communicating with clarity informs the public Communicating with impact wins over the public Overly inflammatory or emotional messages tend to alienate audiences Overly factual messages usually fail to motivate audiences Your messages must combine the best of both elements, combining both factual clarity and emotional impact.

4. 4 © 2009, All rights reserved The Need to Communicate with Clarity and Impact Fail

5. 5 © 2009, All rights reserved The Need to Communicate with Clarity and Impact Win

6. 6 © 2009, All rights reserved The Need to Communicate with Clarity and Impact You are in a struggle and the stakes are enormous Words must help you win it You must choose your words carefully Communicate with energy and decision Never hand the initiative to your opponent

7. 7 © 2009, All rights reserved Types of Interviews Unedited live interviews (TV, radio, webchat) –Your comments are full length, unedited –Challenge here is to stick to your message, while using airtime to support message Taped/edited interviews (TV or radio news segment, print or online news story) –Quotes are almost always limited to bites –Bites get shorter and shorter over time –You need to be disciplined: stick to your message

8. 8 © 2009, All rights reserved Develop Key Messages Messages should be simple, straightforward and easy to understand Avoid jargon and language that distances you from your audience Incorporate your mission statement and positions into key messages Remember your campaign goal when crafting messages

9. 9 © 2009, All rights reserved Develop Key Messages Provide examples and numbers to support your points –Journalists love statistics; provide in advance whenever possible –Use information that irrefutably makes your case –Avoid ambiguous information unless it helps - “No one is sure what will happen” Forecast and speculate wherever possible

10. 10 © 2009, All rights reserved Develop Key Messages When developing messages or speaking, choose “good” words that: –Have emotional impact –Convey deeper meanings –Incorporate your values –Are accessible (avoiding jargon) –Build rapport

11. 11 © 2009, All rights reserved Developing Key Messages FOR OUR EXERCISE THIS MORNING Create a core message for one of your key programs that: –is the main point you wish to convey in an interview –makes use of “good” words and avoids “bad” –Is simple and straightforward Create 3 supporting messages that: –incorporate statistics –forecast or speculate about results –hammer home your point Create one concluding message that: –encapsulates your position

12. 12 © 2009, All rights reserved Questions?