Why your people are stuck + how to fix it
Written by katie test davis
Your people have been stuck in freeze mode for weeks.
If it’s felt like chaos, that’s because it is. 😩
The new administration is doing what media experts call “flooding.” Flooding is when a group sends out a lot of information, at once, in order to overwhelm people.
On purpose.
When people are overloaded, they freeze. They get confused. Brain fog sets in.
The overwhelm is real, and the flooding is working.
But people are ready to fight back. They are ready to help. They are ready to "make good trouble."
Your audiences are looking for someone to tell them what to do.
If you’re a nonprofit or association leader, the person they are looking to is YOU. 🫵
to move your audiences to action, simplify.
Pick one single ask and repeat it throughout your communication.
For example, if you’re sending out a newsletter to update your donors on your progress, don’t include multiple ways to donate in one email (ie: Be a legacy donor! Be a monthly donor! Donate $5 now!). Instead, select just one (Become a monthly donor!) and stick with that.
➡️ Repeat that one single call to action in your outreach. ⬅️
In times of overwhelm: simplify.
be direct.
Flowery language doesn’t work right now. Neither does jargon.
The opposite of flooding? Clarity. ✨
Clear writing is an act of resistance.
Simple messaging is more important than ever before.
Writing that is easy to understand WILL break through the noise.
I know this is a hard time to be doing the work we do. Your contributions are critical.
We’re right here alongside you, friend.
PS - Do you need to sharpen your team’s messaging skills? We offer both in-person and virtual workshops on how to simplify your messaging. Participants said it helped them ‘improve readability’, ‘simplify our text’ and ‘message better and more clearly’.
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