How Your Champions May Be Screwing Up Your Messaging and What To Do About It

You're listening to the Nonprofit Power Podcast. In today's episode, we reveal how your champions may be screwing up your messaging and what to do about it. So, stay tuned. If you want to have real and powerful influence over the money and policy decisions that impact your organization and the people you serve, then you're in the right place. I'm Kath Patrick, and I've helped dozens of progressive nonprofit leaders take their organizations to new and higher levels of impact and success by building powerful influence with the decision makers that matter. It is possible to get a critical mass of the money and policy decision makers in your world to be as invested in your success as you are, to have them seeking you out as an equal partner, and to have them bringing opportunities and resources to you. This podcast will help you do just that. Welcome to the Nonprofit Power Podcast. Hey there, folks. Welcome to the Nonprofit Power Podcast. I'm your host, Kath Patrick. I'm so glad you're here for today's episode because it's time we talk about a really common problem that actually has a simple solution, but that folks are often very nervous about trying to address. And that's when your champions are getting your messaging wrong. My guess is you've probably experienced this at least once, maybe more often than that, depending on the complexity of your services and how much they partly overlap with other concepts and services, but not completely. So let's get into how this happens, how it's hurting you, and what the heck we do about it. A lot of times how it happens that the champions are screwing up your messaging is that they're either overgeneralizing when they talk about your stuff, and/or they're conflating your stuff with either somebody else's stuff or with a broader concept that they're really invested in. Obviously this can be a problem. We talk all the time on the podcast, and I work with my coaching clients on this all the time, around how you make sure that your messaging is as dialed in as possible. And you spend a lot of time and effort getting your messaging just right so that it is clear and compelling around the problem you solve, the unique ways in which you solve that problem, the unique value proposition that your solution provides, and the actual cost benefits that that produces. And of course, the massive impact it has on the lives of the people you serve. All of that needs to be clear and reflective of the true value of the work that you do. So much of the trouble we get into with decision-makers undervaluing our stuff, is that our messaging is not clear on all of those points. That we're not communicating that truly impressive value in every aspect of our messaging. So we work really hard on all that, right? And then we have a champion out there who we love and who loves us, and maybe they're in the policy arena or maybe they're in the funding arena or maybe both. And they're out there advocating for us and for our stuff, and maybe for funding for our stuff, and that's wonderful. We love them for it, and we wanna give them a big hug for that. At the same time, every time they get a piece of it wrong when they're speaking publicly about it or even when they're speaking to their colleagues, we cringe a little because we know that when they do that, they're undoing all of that work that we did to create those very clear distinctions in the minds of decision-makers. So that they understand why and how we are different and why and how we are fantastic. You've probably experienced this. Where you did all that work, and then they go and kind of clunk around and overgeneralize or conflate your stuff with something else. And suddenly, your message is muddied, and the clarity around the extremely high value that your stuff is worth starts to be diminished. I'm sure I don't have to explain to you why that's a problem. That said, nonprofit leaders often tell me that they are very uncomfortable and nervous about correcting a champion. You've gone to great trouble to build that relationship. You have a wonderful relationship with them. They are your champion. They're out there advocating for your stuff. And you want that, but you want them to be doing it in the most effective way possible. And if they're mucking up the messaging, they're not being nearly as effective as they could be. Here's what I'll tell you. 100% of the time they don't know they're doing that. They wouldn't do it if they knew they were doing it, because they do care about your stuff. They are your champion. They do love you, and they want to be effective on your behalf. So here's the thing, we have to tell them. And I know that can feel really scary and create all sorts of worry about, "But what if I offend them? What if they get mad? What if? What if? What if?" I promise you, two things are very important to remember. As I just said, they don't know they're making a mistake. And they very likely would be very unhappy to realize that they've been screwing up. Not because they're egotists and they'll be mad that they made a mistake. They'll be upset because they wanna be effective, and they have inadvertently been reducing their effectiveness. So when we think about, we have to tell them about this and get them to correct it. And the first step is we do have to tell them. We gotta break it to them. They've been making a mistake. They've been screwing up the messaging. We need ways to do that, that will be as easy for them to receive as possible, and as easy to act on as possible. So we have to tell them, we have to give them a correction, and we have to make that correction easy to do. It's gotta be simple. The more complexity you add to the fix, the harder it will be for them to implement it. So here is my suggestion. If they're screwing up a bunch of things, which they might be. Do one of two things to start. Either characterize as many of those mistakes as possible in a theme and say, you know, the challenge here is that when you generalize this to X or when you associate it with Y, folks who don't understand this stuff as well as you and I do will get the wrong impression. The value of the work will be diminished in their mind because they won't understand why it's better, more effective, solves a bigger problem, et cetera, whichever pieces of this puzzle you're talking about. You enlist them as your ally, which of course they are, but also your allies in the messaging. It's not you did this wrong, you need to fix it. It basically is, "I love that you are out there advocating for us with all the other decision-makers, with the funders, whoever. But here's my concern. I'm concerned that they may be hearing a piece of your messaging wrong, and it may be giving them the wrong impression. So I'd like to talk with you about how we might shift your messaging just a little bit to align with how we talk about the problem, the solution, the high value ROI, the high value impact on people's lives. Whichever of the pieces are at issue here, bring those in. And if it's all of them, you can say all of them. But your messaging fix needs to be simple. It might be as simple as saying, you know, when you talk about our work in the context of this broader concept, this bigger thing, My concern is that it may cause the listener to think that the problem we're solving is not as complex as it is, and that the value of our solution therefore is lower. And so we really need them to understand the level at which we're operating here, how complex the problem is, how nuanced the solution is, which is why it's so effective, and that if we lose that nuance, they automatically will go to the lowest common denominator, and in the process wind up devaluing the work. And of course none of us wants that. You've spent all this effort advocating for us to get more funding or better policy or whatever the thing is. And so my concern is that as you're trying to be efficient with your messaging, I'm concerned that the listener may be hearing this differently. So let's see if there's a way that we can both be efficient and give you some phrasing that will help maintain those distinctions around the nuances that really matter. And then you come up with one or two sentences or key phrases. A key phrase or two will be really helpful to them. And you will literally write that down for them. And you wanna be prepared to give them examples of where it will be best used. For example, if it's about the ROI, then particularly when you're talking about dollar figures or investment, it's really important to bring that in and to characterize it this way, and then you give them a key phrase that you want used, that you're already using, that's already in your messaging. You're not making up anything new for them. You're just teaching them the key phrases in your own messaging that you've worked so hard to create. You want them echoing that same messaging out there in the world. In order to make that happen, you've got to help them understand why the way they're saying it is landing wrong. It's creating a misunderstanding that can be damaging to the project at hand, to get the policy win, to get the funding win. And they don't wanna be ineffective. They wanna be as effective as possible. This is not a super complicated fix, but it does require that we be willing to engage the champion and say I'd love to have a conversation about messaging. There's a couple things we'd like to discuss with you to make sure we're on the same page. Something like that. And then just lay it out for them. It's not accusatory, it's not you screwed up, it's not you're doing it wrong. It's not a criticism. You're helping them get better. You are coaching them to more effective messaging. They're gonna be really happy that you did that, 'cause they don't wanna be out there doing it wrong. They just don't know that that's what's happening. Now, if this is a congressional-level person, or in some states a state legislative or, other higher office. In Congress it's a given, and in some states it's likely that that person also has key staff that are supporting them on this issue and that you've been interacting with as well. You wanna make sure that you bring the key staff in on this as well. If they're also engaging their colleagues, for example, at the congressional level, members of Congress and the US Senate have lots of staff, and those staffers are talking to one another, and they're getting a lot of the detail work done without their boss's involvement. The boss is out there making speeches and doing the high-level work and engaging other members of the body, but the staff is doing all the work to actually make the thing happen. And so if there are staff like that who are involved at that high level, you absolutely want them involved and on board with the same messaging for two reasons. One, you want them using your messaging with their colleagues to ensure that that level of understanding of the high-value proposition that you have is understood by all. And- you wanna make sure that they are reinforcing that messaging shift with their boss. You can take more time with a staffer and say, "I wanna walk you through why this piece of messaging is so important. I know it may feel like it's kind of the same, and what difference does it make? But actually, our research has told us that it is a huge difference, and that if you say it this one way, people hear it totally wrong, and they come away with an impression that devalues the work. Whereas if you use this messaging over here that we're suggesting, that conveys the high value, and they get it and it stays with them. We've learned the hard way through trial and error and experimentation and researching what works and what doesn't. We now know what the winning messaging is, and we wanna make sure that you and your boss are using the messaging that's gonna really achieve the goal and avoid the pitfall of this other messaging that feels like it's fine, but there's a problem with it, and here's what the problem is." You engage their cooperation with that on those two different levels and say, "You know, your boss is really busy. We met with them and we talked this through. But it's gonna take a few repetitions before the new messaging sticks. So when you get an opportunity, help them remember. That would really be helpful to us." The other thing you can do for the champion themselves and relevant staff where appropriate, is to give them an example of how the new messaging, which is not new to you, but it's new to them, how that can fit in their standard messaging on this topic. They already have a spiel that they give. They don't invent new messaging every time they go to talk about it. They just kind of have a little, a stump speech, if you will, about this thing. So you wanna know what that looks like, and then you wanna help them plug in the key messaging changes in a way that they don't have to redo their whole stump speech. They just have to slot in a couple of key phrases, or replace a couple of key phrases. The ones they're using that aren't effective, replace them with the ones that are effective. But you have to show them how that's gonna fit together. Don't expect them to go do it themselves. If they really, really love you and have time on their hands, they might, but it's just always a good idea when you're asking someone else to use your messaging, just do everything you can to make it easy as possible for them to do what you need them to do. Cause they want to, but if you make it be too much work, it might not get done or it might not get done consistently. The other thing to remember about all this. You know me, I'm always gonna come back to the brain science piece of this too. Recognize that if they've been using the whatever unhelpful messaging that you are trying to correct, if they've been using that for an extended period of time, it has become a habit. And so when you ask them to shift the messaging to your new key phrases, you are setting about changing a habit. That will take multiple repetitions, and that means you're gonna have to remind them and correct them when they forget. There's a couple ways to do that. If they forget and do the old way in your presence, you can go up to them right afterwards and mention it. Otherwise, if you see that they did that somewhere and you weren't there, you can follow up and just say, "Hey, loved that you were at XYZ talking about all our great stuff. Just wanted to remind you about that messaging shift we talked about. I noticed you didn't get a chance to weave in that key phrasing. It would be really appreciated if you could do that whenever possible. What you're doing is reminding them and they're gonna go, "Oh, crud, I forgot. Oops. Yeah." 'Cause it's habit. So you're changing the habit. This is why you wanna weave it into their standard messaging, their stump speech, their spiel, what they're already using. You wanna keep it as much the same as possible, but change the key phrases that really matter to you so that it is the lightest lift possible for their brain. And then just get them to work on that new habit. And you can ask them "Is there something about the phrasing we shared with you that's feeling hard to remember or feeling clunky in your overall messaging?" And if they say, "Yeah, actually that's part of the problem. It's just like it doesn't roll off my tongue quite that way," or, my brain gets stuck on this piece," or whatever. You can work with them and say, "Okay, well let's workshop that for a second. Let's figure out how to make this as easy for you as possible," 'cause we both understand why we need to have it be this way. We're looking for maximum impact on the listener. And then just work with them on it. I think that the biggest obstacle to correcting a champion's messaging is honestly getting over that trepidation, that internal hurdle in ourselves of, "Oh, but I might upset them. I might make them mad. They might take offense. They might take it as a criticism, da, da, da, da, da." Well, not if you frame it right. Don't frame it as a criticism. Frame it as the goal is to be as effective as possible, and you've noticed an opportunity to improve their messaging, and here's what you'd like them to do. And then you back it up with, this is what we've learned through our research of testing all different kinds of messaging. Here's what we've learned. This is what really helps people retain the critical pieces that we need them to know so that they understand the complexity and the value of this work." As long as they understand that's what it's gonna do for them, they're gonna be invested in doing the new way. 'Cause they want what you want. They want efficacy. They don't wanna be out there being ineffective. So try as best you can to keep that in your head that you are giving them a gift. You're helping them be more effective. As long as you don't come to the conversation with a tone of criticism, they're not gonna hear it that way. They're already your champion. So it's easy enough to do, and I do this all the time. I do this on behalf of my clients, and I also do it in my own work with various decision-makers that where I need their messaging to be dialed in a little bit better. And I always come to it from a place of, let me help you be even more effective with this. Love what you're doing over here with this piece, this piece, and this piece, but there's this one bit over here where I think we could make that a lot more powerful. Let's talk about that. And then just walk them through it and explain why it's more powerful. They'll get it. And then it's just reinforcement. You may have to come back to it a couple of times. So you'll have to pay attention to whenever they're out there talking about your stuff, are they using the new messaging you asked them to use? And if not, ask about it. It might just be that they forgot. But it may also be that something about the phrasing is difficult for them, in which case you can work together to tweak it a little bit so that you still get what you want, but it's easier for them to do. This is all about helping and coaching them and supporting them so that they can be the most effective champion for you possible, which is what both of you want. The first couple times this may feel challenging, and most of the challenge is gonna be internal. It's gonna be like, "Ah, I hope this is okay." It's gonna be okay, I promise you. If you come to it with the right energy and the desire to help and make them be as effective as possible. And come to it with, "We wanna support you in being as effective as possible," you can't lose. And then just realize that you're gonna have to keep track of it and maybe remind them a few times before they lock in the new messaging. Just like you have to do when you change your messaging. It takes a little time, right? You gotta... You need a minute. Your brain needs a little time, some spaced repetitions until it becomes the new habit. And then once that's locked in, you're good to go. Thanks for listening, and I'll see you in the next episode right here on the Nonprofit Power Podcast.