The Communications Network has a useful new post titled “Some Good News About Telling Good News” that looks at new research on what are the messages that truly resonate with the public when nonprofits attempt to tell their stories.
I recommend that you read the post in full, but here is a bit of it to give you a taste of what it contains:
Solutions Storytelling: Messaging to Mobilize Support for Children’s Issues, contains plenty of good news and it has lots of facts to back them up. By way of background, this research was conducted on behalf of Child Advocacy 360, a group founded by Hershel Sarbin to close the gap that he says exists “between good work and the kind of communication from youth serving and child advocacy organizations that would underscore the power of good news journalism and success stories to effect community, state, and national change in social policy…The research, which was conducted by the Topos Partnership, working with Douglas Gould & Company, takes what’s been Sarbin’s long-held belief and backs it up with verifiable findings. Although the data is focused on programs that serve kids, it doesn’t take much of a leap to see how some of the same insights the research provides could also help anyone involved in social change communications. From online survey interviews with 2,006 registered voters nationwide, six focus group sessions with voters in three states, and TalkBack Testing, in which 240 participants were tested on their ability to repeat the core of a message and pass it on to others, here’s some of the important findings about how to communicate effectively, including what to do and what to avoid…
Check out the full post for the specifics on how you should be telling your stories. It is well worth the 10 minutes it will take to read the post, which also has links to the full research report.
About Michael Hamill Remaley
Michael Hamill Remaley is the President of Hamill Remaley Communications. Previously, he was Director of Communications at the Russell Sage Foundation and Prior to that was Vice President and Director of Communications at Public Agenda. He has held a variety of positions at organizations such as The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation, The Pew Charitable Trusts, TCC Group and the Center for Social Policy and Community Development.