Message Mapping Worksheet:
A Tool for Building Support for Water Utility Climate Actions
Introduction
A long-term communication strategy is a great tool for building support for utility climaterelated actions. The key is building support over time—audiences require time to develop a real
understanding of your key issues. By framing an appropriate message to each audience, you
prepare them to respond quickly (and favorably) to future requests for support, whether they are
for increased conservation, funding for increased storage or climate-independent sources, or
increasing facility preparedness for extreme weather. As you engage in developing a
communication strategy think long-term and broadly. Do you need environmental organizations
to be your champions for enlarging the reservoir or do you need your governing board to
consider a rate increase? Tough sells become easier when people are primed.
Step 1: Identify Your Message Goal
If you don’t know what you are trying to achieve it is obvious that your audience won’t figure it
out!
Ask yourself, “What is the change you hope will occur when this message is received?”
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Examples
 Everyone will agree the climate is changing
 Governing board members will vote to approve the needed rate hike
 Customers will have a better understanding of the climate issues our local utility faces
Step 2: Identify Specific Message Objectives
Identify at least three specific message objectives, first broadly and then by audience.
Ask yourself, “What smaller objectives need to be accomplished in order for the broad goal to
be reached?”
Broad objectives:
1. ________________________________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________________________________
3. ________________________________________________________________________
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Objectives for Audience A (insert audience descriptor here) ______________________________
Include: _______________________________________________________________________
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Objectives for Audience B (insert audience descriptor here) ______________________________
Include: _______________________________________________________________________
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Objectives for Audience C (insert audience descriptor here) ______________________________
Include: _______________________________________________________________________
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Examples
Broad objectives:
 To educate audiences about the need for an adaptive management approach to sea level
rise
 To convince audiences that our utility is a leader in the field of adaptive management
 To provide a compelling, succinct overview of our adaptive management approach
Objectives for Audience A – Customers who don’t know much about the issue:
1. To educate them about climate change so they understand that sea level rise occurs over
time
2. To educate them about the fact that we cannot move wastewater facilities from areas
vulnerable due to sea level rise until the communities that need these facilities have
moved; and that the fortification projects we have undertaken will protect the vulnerable
eco-system from spills
3. To build support for the additional funding that will be required in 10–15 years to move
the vulnerable facilities
Step 3: Identify the Target Audience(s)
“Know thy audience” is the primary adage of communication.
Ask yourself, “Who do you need to communicate with to reach your message objective(s)?”
Begin by naming the audience(s):
Primary audience: ______________________________________________________________
Secondary audiences:
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Examples
 Internal staff (who specifically?)
 Customers
 Environmental groups
 The general public
 Regulators
 Decision-makers (identify)
 Media
Next, think about, Why this audience?, What exactly do I want/need them to do?
Primary audience (_______________________) needs to:
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Secondary audience (_______________________) needs to:
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Other audiences (____________________________, __________________________ ) need to:
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Examples
Primary audience (environmentally concerned members of the public) needs to:
1. Support us in public meetings
2. Vote for funding in the upcoming referendum
3. Know they can trust us to protect fragile ecosystems
Obviously Step 3 needs to occur iteratively with Step 2.
Step 4: Identify What Audiences Already Know, Questions of Concerns, and
What Audiences Need to Know
It is vital when thinking about audiences to try and identify their question(s) of concern. The
research is clear, and questions of concern need to be addressed before an audience can engage
and move any conversation forward. For example, many climate change experts see the question
of concern as being, “Is the science convincing?” and respond with “Scientists have developed a
consensus that our climate is changing.” When for many Americans the question of concern is
really, “What is the difference between weird weather, long-term climate variability, and climate
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change?” And until they can answer their own internal question (which they may not have even
articulated for themselves), they tend to not really engage in any communication about the topic.
Try and identify, “What are the questions of concern for the targeted audiences?”
Audience A (__________________):
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Audience B (__________________):
______________________________________________________________________________
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Audience C (__________________):
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Examples
Primary audience (environmentally concerned members of the public):
1. What is adaptive management?
2. How can we protect the vulnerable ecosystem from further spills?
3. Why can’t we just move these plants now?
4. What is this all going to cost?
It is also crucial to identify: “What does this audience already know about the topic, and what
do they need to learn to be able to engage in a reasoned discourse about the topic (i.e., what
information is lacking or incorrect)?”
Audience A (__________________):
______________________________________________________________________________
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Audience B (__________________):
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Audience C (__________________):
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Examples
Primary audience (environmentally concerned members of the public):
They know EPA sanctioned us due to spills in vulnerable ecosystems.
They know that another group thinks we should be replacing these facilities today.
They know that the sea is rising.
They do not understand the timing behind sea level rise.
They do not understand the concept of adaptive management.
They do not know we have fortified the plants so that the vulnerable ecosystems are protected.
This is also the time to identify audience attributes. This is where you include attributes from
surveys and other research. Use fact-based data to build this section.
“What fact do I have about this audience that defines their beliefs, attitudes, and actions and
drives their message receptivity?”
Audience A (__________________):
______________________________________________________________________________
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______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Audience B (__________________):
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Audience C (__________________):
______________________________________________________________________________
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Examples
Governing boards:
 Our governing board is composed of individuals with advanced degrees and a great deal
of current knowledge about climate change and utility operations.
Public at large:
 Our recent survey shows that 66% (this is fake data) of the audience doesn’t understand
adaptive management, but when given a brief message support was increased by 43%
 Pew polling shows that 72% (this is fake data) of Dade county voters support water
utility actions, including spending, to reduce climate-induced vulnerabilities
It is very clear that Steps 2–4 need to occur iteratively. We suggest holding a series of short,
1–2 hour workshops with internal groups to build Steps 1–4. Including other utility professionals
in the communication design will greatly increase their buy-in and the success of the
communication.
Steps 5–7 also need to be developed iteratively, and will only be as successful as the robustness
of your development for Steps 2–4.
Step 5: Prepare the 27-Word Headline
People can only remember 27 words – what 27 words do you want them to remember about this?
Risk communication research (Covello, 2011) has identified that humans can only process
27 words that occur in 9 seconds or less and contain 3 or fewer points. Look at any headline in
the newspaper or internet and you will see that the headline has 27 words or fewer, can be
spoken in less than 9 seconds, and contains no more than 3 points. Once the 27/9/3 headline is
developed it will be the primary speaking point used by everyone in the utility for all aspects of
your communication strategy.
In addition, as you may recall from Chapter 2, people need to hear things three times before it
becomes a part of their understanding for the issue; so it is important that you develop and use
the same statement over and over again. This can be done using different spokespeople and
communication platforms. When people hear a message repeated often enough, they begin to see
the statement as fact and you have less of a reactionary response. It is also a great deal easier for
everyone in the utility to respond to a climate question if they have a well-designed message
already developed for them in their hip pocket.
Work with your Public Relations people and/or best writers to develop a statement that is no
more than 27 words. Consider this the headline for all communications developed as part of this
process.
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“What is the 27-word, 9-second, 3-point message that will be used as our primary
communication?”
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________
Step 6: Identify the Top Three Supporting Facts
Identify the three primary points/facts that you want your audience to remember; the three facts
that will be included as part of the headline you are developing in Step 5. (Step 6 is best
developed iteratively with Step 5.) You will also need to identify the three primary supporting
facts that are most important for supporting each of the three primary points. Remember to refer
back to what you have identified about your audience to ensure that each targeted audience
receives the facts that will answer their questions of concerns, address their information needs,
etc.
“What are the three most important supporting messages/facts?”
1. ________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________________________________
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3. ________________________________________________________________________
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“What are the three most important supporting facts/statements for each of the three primary
support messages?”
1. ________________________________________________________________________
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2. ________________________________________________________________________
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3. ________________________________________________________________________
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Example
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Step 7: Identify Message Platforms
In Step 7 you want to maximize the number of people who will actually engage in the
communication by identifying:
 How your audiences already receive information?
 How many different ways can you deliver this message?
It is crucially important to identify the communication platforms that are already being accessed
by the targeted audience members. If your targeted audience is internal staff then an editorial in
the newspaper may not be the best platform; a memorandum in the utility newsletter is a better
choice. Reach out (if you are conducting a survey, ask!) to discover the platform(s) most often
used by the targeted audience. If your audience includes young adults, the platforms they are
already using probably include a form of social media.
The primary communication platforms used by each audience are:
Audience A (__________________):
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Audience B (__________________):
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Audience C (__________________):
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Examples
 Memorandum
 Presentation
 Website
 Letter to the editor
 Article in journal or newspaper
 Face-to-face meeting
Don’t forget to identify what you need to ensure adequate delivery (e.g., Do you need to ensure
that the internet server delivers the memorandum or that a reporter works with you to develop an
article?)
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Step 8: Write Targeted Messages for Targeted Audiences
Steps 1–7 have provided you with the information needed to develop a targeted message for each
targeted audience. Now is the time to develop the actual message that will be developed for each
audience/platform For example, a web-based communication may have a different format than a
PowerPoint presentation – but they will both use the same 27-word headline and set of
supporting messages.
Audience: _____________________________________________________________________
Message objective:
______________________________________________________________________________
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______________________________________________________________________________
Platform(s):
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Example
(An in-depth example of how the 27/9/3 and supporting messages, developed for MDSW and
Denver Water, were used to create a variety of communication products, including for internal
use, website, and news media, are provided in Appendix F.)
Step 9: Deliver the Messages
The primary issue here is taking the risk and getting permission to develop a message about
climate change. Refer back to the survey findings if you need to nudge delivery of the messages
developed in Steps 1–8.
It is also important to consider:
When is the best time to deliver the message?
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How often does it need to be delivered?
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Should something accompany the message, perhaps an in-person communication?
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Does the message need follow-up?
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Who will deliver the message (e.g., put the developed information on the website)?
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Step 10: Evaluate and Adjust/Follow-up
Step 10 can so often be neglected. But because the issues are likely to be ongoing, a brief
evaluation is important to increase the resonance of the next round of communication.
Communication evaluations are also a great way to identify questions of concern, which may
change over time.
The best way to develop evaluation techniques is to build them into the overall goals and
objectives, i.e., try and write goals and objectives that are measurable. For example, if your
overall goal is to get your governing board to approve funding for a specific project, then the
evaluation is simple, e.g., Did they vote for the project?
When developing evaluation techniques consider:
Can the communication be evaluated directly based on goals articulated in Step 1?
Yes/No?
If yes, how:
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Can the communication be evaluated directly based on objectives articulated in Step 2?
Yes/No?
If yes, how:
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In most cases you will need to indirectly measure success by developing a short questionnaire
and identifying how it can be administered.
My evaluation questions need to include:
1. ________________________________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________________________________
3. ________________________________________________________________________
4. ________________________________________________________________________
5. ________________________________________________________________________
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I will use the following platform(s) as an evaluation tool:
1. ________________________________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________________________________
Examples
 Survey monkey (i.e., an online survey tool that is inexpensive and easy to develop,
implement, and analyze) type questionnaire/survey
 Directly ask audience members
Don’t forget to identify:
Who will review and respond to comments (if necessary):
______________________________________________________________________________
How long will people have to respond?
______________________________________________________________________________
Reference
Covello, V.T., J.L. Mumpower, P.J.M. Stallen, V.R.R. Uppuluri (eds.). 2011. Environmental
Impact Assessment, Technology Assessment, and Risk Analysis: Contributions from the
Psychological and Decision Sciences. Springer-Verlag.
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