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© by Bonnie Budzowski, President of InCredible Messages, LP. 
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Shape Your Message with a Strategy You Can Count On

By Bonnie Budzowski
President, InCredible Messages, LP

Have you ever had the task of engaging people with differing needs in the same message? Do you wonder how to address executives and technical specialists with the same message? Here’s a strategy you can count on.

At first, provide the material as an overview. In presentations, use a short description, perhaps illustrated by an uncluttered slide. In documents, discipline yourself to provide an executive summary (even if there are no executives involved). Make this overview both concise and complete, so that if a person receives only this piece, it will provide the essential information or argument.

Follow the overview with a deeper layer. Use the skeleton of the overview, but add supporting explanations, examples, flow charts, or statistics, as needed. In a document, this layer follows the executive summary. In a presentation, this layer is the heart of your message.

When finished with the second layer, summarize the skeleton of the overview. Reiterate the importance of the information or the action you request.
As take-away material, provide a detailed handout, an appendix, or a link to in-depth content a skeptic or a technical specialist will require.

This strategy allows the listener or reader to grasp key concepts quickly and to process supporting material with the bigger picture in mind. It allows the receiver to make an initial judgment about the priority or feasibility of your information. It provides the detail needed, but allows the receiver to access that material on his or her own terms.

Use this strategy to shape your next message. You’ll engage the executives, technical specialists, and the folks in between.

Permission is granted to reprint this article when the following contact information is included: © 2010 by Bonnie Budzowski, President of InCredible Messages, LP. For more free articles, go to www.IncredibleMessages.com or contact Bonnie at info@IncredibleMessages.com.

Bonnie Budzowski, President of inCredible Messages, is a recognized expert—helping people to use influence and persuasion to sell their ideas and move business forward. Bonnie is a professional speaker, author and coach. She recently launched a new coaching project to help her clients "Write the Book of Their Dreams."

Clients appreciate Bonnie’s practical, humorous and high-energy approach. She holds an MA in Communication and has been called upon to work with corporations, entrepreneurs, universities, and associations.

If you’d like to sell your ideas, boost your influence, or advance your career through a book or presentation, call Bonnie at 412-828-1629, bonnie@inCredibleMessages.com or visit her website at www.inCredibleMessages.com. 

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