Message Development

Organizations and individuals alike regularly face the painful challenge of how to condense complex, multi-faceted issues into concise points which are relevant to the public and quotable to the media.

The art and science of condensing organizational/corporate information into a convincing message and then expressing it memorably in “soundbite” form is an increasingly critical skill. The inherent brevity of media space forces the discipline upon all. Those unable to express complex ideas in short, pithy quotes often find themselves on the cutting room floor or fall victim to the editor’s blue pencil.

The right strategic message expressed quotably can make the difference between appearing or not appearing in the final product. And there’s no question that the media only turns (and returns) to those who can “talk the talk.”

Michael Sheehan has not only helped shape the message but has written the very quotes and soundbites which have scored in every major American newspaper, wire service, all three network news programs and cable networks.

Issues management has become a standard corporate and organizational need. Sheehan Associates shows you how to meet it. Former FCC Commissioner Reed Hundt expressed it in his book You Say You Want a Revolution as follows: “I began to explain my policy. ‘I’ve got it,’ Sheehan said, shutting me off. He went to the board and drew a box. At each of the four points he put a phrase. I had the baseball fan’s feeling of admiration when watching a home run sail over the fence.”

Sheehan Associates’ system is used by companies and organizations such as JP Morgan Chase, McDonald’s, Visa, Procter & Gamble, Nike, Amgen, and many others.