After thwarting a plot by a Nigerian man to blow up an American passenger jet on Christmas Day, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano was widely criticized for sending mixed messages to the American public surrounding the effectiveness of the U.S.’s airport security strategy.

A recent CNN.com article by writer Drew Weston suggests, “Napolitano’s gaffe (which, to be fair, she later sought to correct) was not an isolated incident. It is emblematic of a seat-of-the-pants approach to speaking with the American people about issues that really matter to them that is increasingly undermining the administration’s credibility.” Weston goes on to say, “It is difficult to find an issue on which the White House has offered a coherent, compelling message.”

This example underscores the importance of creating and communicating effective messages consistently. Effective messages are the key points you want your target audiences to hear and remember about your organization, an issue or a trend. These messages can be used to:

• Clearly articulate an organization’s position on a trend or newsworthy topic
• Establish a company as a thought leader in a particular category or industry
• Successfully position a company against a competitor

Consider the following tips when devising key messages.

• Develop a message framework with supporting data points – this can be done in a grid format with your pillar messages on top and the supporting data or anecdotal points below. For example, if one of your pillar messages is “Company ABC is the largest supplier of gourmet cupcakes in Seattle,” you would list the points that speak to the benefits and support that message underneath (i.e. our cupcakes are in more than 200 Seattle-metro Starbucks, etc. making us one of the easiest cupcake companies to partner with).

• Create a narrative – once you have your messaging framework completed, it helps to take that information and develop narrative messages in a bullet point format. These narratives and anecdotes can be weaved into FAQs, developed into media pitches or be used as sound bites for key spokespeople. Going back to the cupcake example, one of your narrative messages could be:
  • “Everybody loves a cupcake. The recent surge of independent cupcakeries and cupcake accoutrements has created a healthy marketplace for the independent cupcake retailer; however, there are few gourmet cupcake companies which serve larger retail stores such as coffee shops chains and restaurants. Company ABC has built a solid reputation for being one of the premier suppliers of gourmet cupcakes to these outlets, and our longstanding relationships with household names such as Starbucks is proof of our success in this market.

• Ensure all key spokespeople are well versed in the key messages – it’s critical that all spokespeople are familiar with and comfortable communicating the key messages. Once you’ve developed your key messages, make sure that each of your spokespeople receives a copy. You may also want to set up mock interviews to ensure your spokesperson is clearly articulating the key messages during an interview.

In today’s complex communication environment, developing and consistently communicating effective messages is more critical than ever to cut through the noise. Compelling messages allow organizations to better position themselves to get their message across to key audiences, and help achieve their communication and business objectives.

If Janet Napolitano had consistent messaging surrounding the Northwest Airlines terrorist plot, she may have been better able to assure the American people about the effectiveness of the country’s current airport security system and communicate what measures the U.S. was going to take to make the system even better.