Rocky Mountain PrepMessage Training 101

Can changing the message change the outcome?

Do you have a formal background (education and/or training) in communications, public policy, marketing or education?

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12%

38%

12%

25%

12%

Yes, communications

Yes, public policy

Yes, marketing

Yes, education

No, I do not have a formal background in any of the above.

What challenges do you foresee with using messages?

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Consistency

Using w/media

Resources ($)

Tailoring to

audiencesMemorizing

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Message is everything.

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Objectives.• What are you trying to achieve?• What do you want your audience to do?• What information do you need?

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Audience (A)• Who do you need to influence?• Who influences them?

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Audience (B) • What do they value?• What do they already know?• What information do you have that

would be useful in talking with them?

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What is a message?

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What is a message?

A factual statement presented in a

persuasive way

The essential point you want to get across

What you want people to remember

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Messages…

Don’t need to be repeated verbatim

Need to be repeated in various contexts

Should be disseminated to all ambassadors

Are not “evergreen”

Anatomy of a message:

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Claim

Facts

Illustrative example #1

Illustrative example #2

Where do messages get used?

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Television

commercials

Interviews

Press releases

Talking points

Flyers

Radio

Direct mail Web

Speaking engagements

Media

Events

Email

Op-ed

Where do messages get used?

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Rocky Mountain Prep’sMessages

The great word swapAvoid jargon

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Blended learning

College prep curriculum

Outdoor ethic

Preparing kids to succeed in a technology-drive workplace

Our goal is for every student to graduate from a four-year college

Our students will learn real world skills like leadership and teamwork in addition to an emphasis on reading and math.

The Problem (National)

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America as a whole is loosing ground in world competition

Once first in the world, the U.S. now ranks 10th in percentage of young

people with a college degree.

Among 30 developed countries, the U.S. ranks 25th in math and

21st in science.

Students in the Westwood neighborhood are five times more

likely to drop out of high school than graduate from college.

The Problem (National)

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To compete in the global economy, students need a quality education that prepares them

for success in a four-year college and life.

Of those DPS students who did graduate from high school, fewer than

half enrolled in college (2008-09 statistics).

Not long ago, Americans could get a stable, good-paying job with only a high school

diploma. But in an increasingly globalized and complex economy, experts agree that

education is more important than ever..

The Problem (Local)

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The local schools are failing our kids.

Students in the Westwood neighborhood are five times more likely

to drop out of high school than graduate from college.

Personal story.

The Problem (Local)

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More of our kids are on track to go to prison than go to college.

If you can’t read at grade level by third grade, you’re more likely to

go to prison than college.

By third grade, two out of three kids in the Westwood

neighborhood can’t read at grade level.

The Solution (National)

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Strong schools make strong communities.

A college graduate will make $1 million more in his/her lifetime

than someone with a lower level of education.

College graduates are much less likely than individuals with lower levels of education

to be unemployed / rely on public assistance programs / live in a poverty-

level household.

The Solution (National and Local)

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Improving our public schools is one of the best ways we can revitalize our urban areas because quality

schools strengthen the local economy.

Rocky Mountain Prep’s goal is for every single student to

attend and graduate from a four year university.

Today, among all racial/ethnic groups, unemployment rates are much lower

for college graduates than for high school graduates.

The Solution (Local)

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Rocky Mountain Prep will prepare your student for success in a knowledge-based

economy.

We promise that every single student will read at grade level by the third grade.

If you can’t read at grade level by third grade, you’re more likely to

go to prison than college.

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Who will deliver your messages?

Who are the messengers?

Objective Get enough intent to enroll forms

Audience Southwest Denver neighborhood

Message Your child is at risk for not getting the education he/she deserves

Messenger Volunteers

Better Local community leaders, community organizers

Even better Vocal parents who are trusted by other parentsSE2

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Ensuring message consistency.

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Share your messages with third-parties.

Vehicles for message delivery.

A message in context - education:

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Questions?

Thanks!