My small, woman-owned public relations/marketing firm, Advice Unlimited, has been serving the Federal government marketplace for nearly 30 years to help companies with innovative technology get their solutions to the government. Every month, I’ll offer unlimited advice on how to work with this unique market. Please email me with questions or comments.

Advice Unlimited

Advice Unlimited

Monday, August 9, 2010

How to Ensure Effective Outreach

When it comes to implementing effective outreach, it is crucial that every spokesperson for your organization is talking from the same page. How many officials from your organization are tasked with ‘spreading the word,’ and speaking with different constituents about your mission, the services and support you provide, or new programs that you are introducing?

We can all agree that the more spokespeople you have, the more chance there is that your message is getting garbled. While all of your spokespeople are probably outstanding, you must be sure that they are all delivering the same message and consistently highlighting the same top priorities.

Spokespeople, of course, are an essential part of every organization. They help to influence key decision makers and explain to the public exactly why and how your services support their needs. It can severely hurt your organization, however, if not every spokesperson is on the same page. How does it look to have conflicting information coming from people who are supposed to be working together? It is now more important than ever before to be certain that your spokespeople are saying the same things across the board. With the advent of social media, comments from a spokesperson can be published mere seconds after the words leave their mouths. These comments will then immediately be dissected, discussed and compared in the social media sphere. You cannot leave any room for inconsistency.

Don’t let this issue go unsolved! My team and I can assist you in your all-important mission of outreach consistency with our ‘Speaker’s Kit.’

This 3-ring binder enables an organization to have confidence that even if several people are serving as spokespersons on an important topic, they are all using the same language, the same messaging and the same presentation. Each spokesperson will have all the tools they need to effectively deliver the message of your organization.

The Speaker’s Kit that we provide is built around a PowerPoint presentation. It will include both a digital and hard copy of the PowerPoint – and in transparencies if desired. The Kit will also contain the talking points, a copy of a full speech, as well as background information. This Kit can be duplicated for as many people as needed to make the presentation, which ensures that everyone is using the same materials and the same messaging. It also affords a higher level of comfort and confidence to the spokespeople themselves, as they have everything they need in one binder to ensure an effective and successful presentation.

Simple? Very. Effective? Absolutely! Try it – your speakers will thank you!

Contact me at slevine@adviceunlimited.net or 301-924-0330 for more information on public outreach efforts. My team and I would love to help you create and implement a successful Speaker’s Kit!

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