Who are the people who can most powerfully convey your message?
Once you’ve identified your audiences, developed your messages, and defined how and where you will share them, you need to identify your messengers. You may have already identified prospective messengers when you did your contribution analysis in the decision makers section, but now it’s time to see if there is anyone missing.

In choosing your messengers, think about whose voices, stories, and ideas need to be centered in the conversation and which messengers will resonate with your audiences. Sometimes, an unexpected messenger can have a disproportionate effect. Lastly, you will likely need to cultivate inside and outside champions to build enthusiasm and pressure from all sides.

Ask yourself:

• Who will effectively carry your messages?
• Which audiences will they resonate with?
• Who are the champions inside of the system or institution you’re working with? What are the most effective messages for them to carry?
• Who are your organizational partners? What roles can they play as messengers?

Let’s Go!

Put your audience, message, mediums, and messengers together, and you’ve got yourself the foundations of a strategy! Don’t let perfection be the enemy of the good. Move forward and build as you go.