Telling Your Stories

Identify and compile the right spokespeople. Who is the best person to deliver the message? Are you representing the breadth of the diversity of communities affected? What will your opponents be saying? What will be strong counter images and messages?

Identify a broad range of outlets through which to tell your stories, including media in languages other than English. Be sure to have spokespeople who can communicate in other languages. These audiences are key voters and potential supporters.

Don't forget to practice messages so that everyone is comfortable and stays "on message" or, in other words, no one gets off track or says anything to contradict what you are trying to communicate. Roleplay interviews and tough questions. Practice responding with your message without getting off track. Remember, you are communicating with your target audience through the reporter. Speak accordingly.

Avoid press conferences unless you are sure to attract press. When possible, look for other newsworthy events on which you can piggyback.

Cultivate reporters who are already covering the issue through one-on-one meetings and phone calls, and sending well-packaged, concise information with contact info for spokespeople. When packaging information, think of the data, spokespeople and other information reporters will need to do a good job covering the issue.


Main Frames: Messaging Ideas
(Use these to brainstorm and test your own messages)

  1. Putting Revenues on the Table: You've done the math and there's no way to float more tax cuts and have viable programs.
    2.
  • You can't keep cutting to stop the bleeding. The Legislature has got to come to grips with the fact that we must raise revenues if we are to face these new challenges of funding anti-terrorism and safety at home.
  • Unfortunately, the federal government wants states to engage in all this new spending without providing any new funding. Washington has to get real and free up the dollars for state matching funds. They can't pass the buck without passing some more bucks to the states.
  1. Opening up the Process: You've done the research and you've found undue influence by a few bureaucrats, curious losses due to stock investments and inadequate regulation concerning the amount of risk your state can take on concerning the investment of public funds.
    2.
  • This process is way too important to play out in back room deals. The legislature must ensure that the public's budget is a public process.
  1. Countering Inevitability: Mainstream budget messages argue that there is no choice – programs have to go, but your research shows some items (legislator favorites perhaps?) are being kept in the budget that don't appear to be necessities.
    2.
  • From Youth: The Governor says that cutting health and education programs for seniors and kids must be done, yet there are no cuts in special programs for big business. I can't vote and I can’t make the large donations that big business does. I thought that an elected official would just do what’s right.
  • From Elders: I’ve worked and paid by taxes for more than fifty years. The Governor is cutting important programs for seniors but there is still money for big contracts for big business. Those don’t seem like the right priorities. What are folk like me supposed to do? Lose my independence? Move in with my children?
  1. Big Tobacco Behind the Curtain: Tobacco control is taking a bigger hit than other programs because your Governor and Legislature is getting some tobacco industry pressure. Maybe it's time to get your "electeds" to take the Tobacco Free Legislative Challenge (Can they legislate without tobacco influence?)
    2.
  • It seems that the budget cuts are more a reflection of private pressure by big donors, like the tobacco industry, than public priorities.
  • Big tobacco lobbyists are hazardous to our health programs. It's time the Legislature/Governor vote in the public interest and resist the backroom pressure.
  1. You Need to Show 'em What You're Working With: The Governor and the Legislature have little or no knowledge of what's been accomplished with the funding and how their constituents are affected.

 

Getting the Word Out

Got ads? Good! But most of us don’t. Here are some ideas for low cost and "earned media" —media you pay for in sweat, not dollars:

Op-eds — articles you write that are published in the opinion section of the newspaper.

Letters to the editor — Elected officials pay attention to letters and op-eds generated in their district so plan to generate lots of independent letters to key media outlets. Meet with the paper's editorial board as well. And don't forget to include letters and op-ed pieces in ethnic media including pieces written in languages other than English. We Interrupt This Message has a great media guide that helps economic justice advocates write press releases and editorials, do press events, prepare for editorial board meetings and more. Click here to go their site and download it in PDF format.

Flash and internet campaigns — are low cost video-like productions that can be done using animation software right on your own computer. Add them to your website. Send them to staffers and other key opinion leaders via email, including journalists covering the state capitol beat. FlashKit lists a number of different software options. For examples of flash ideas, see Amnesty International USA’s piece on conflict diamonds , or GrassRootsUnity.org.

Call-in talk radio, even if it isn’t the topic of discussion — Yes, you can call in and talk about anything. And best of all it's free! So, if the topic is the war, talk about budget cuts to pay for it and the choices legislators are making. If it's schooling, talk about the impact of budget cuts on kids. You get the idea.

Do it yourself —Record interviews and press events and self publish it on your site or on internet radio sites. Convene local experts (even over the phone) to discuss key budget issues and webcast or even tape the discussion. Work with your local Independent Media Center (or IMC) to produce and disseminate news and information on the issues. In some cases, good audiotapes edited down to 30 minutes or less with well-known experts can be distributed to legislative staffers or made available on your website for background information on your issue. To find out if there's an IMC near you, visit their website at www.indymedia.org

Don't forget youth, ethnic, and alternative media! These are important media outlets with broad reach. In many cases, "ethnic" media have a larger audience than the local "mainstream" media outlet. Tailor your articles and pitches to the audience and make sure your information is relevant and up to date. Ask yourself, "What moves them? What do they care about?” Many ethnic media publishing and broadcasting in languages other than English will translate press releases and accept story pitches in English. However, it’s great to have contacts that are able to effectively communicate in the media outlet’s distribution language – especially for in-depth interviews.

For help developing a more comprehensive communications plan, see The Praxis Project Media Planning Template and other resources.

 

We're Here to Help

The Praxis Project is here to provide technical assistance and support to help you make a difference in this important fight. In some cases, we can provide direct support in the form of strategic consultation in the area of community organizing, communications strategy, and budget analysis. For more information, please contact our Training Director, Marta Vizueta.

 

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