Less Is More: How to Simplify Your Message to Increase Connection

By Jordana Merkin, Founder and CEO of Voice for Good
Jordana brings her insider knowledge and outsider perspective to help growing nonprofits clarify their messaging to connect to those who matter most to achieving their mission.

You may have heard that humans have shorter attention spans than goldfish. But do we really? Think binge-watching or scrolling endlessly on social media—our attention spans are actually quite long when something is worthy of capturing it.

What’s changed is not that our attention spans are shorter, but that we have just seconds to capture someone’s attention in the first place. So how do we make our content binge-worthy? We simplify our message—because clarity creates connection.

“So, what do you do?”

The answer to this question is the bedrock of your clear message. It’s where your mission meets your values—it’s what I like to call your big picture story.

When someone asks “what do you do?” It’s an opportunity to answer with your why. If there isn’t a cohesive and clear answer, you’re going to lose people. People won't engage with what they can't understand. They'll move on—there are too many other things being thrown in their direction.

To clarify your big picture story, you start with “what do you do?” and peel back the layers of the onion by asking “why is that important?” at least three times. This is how you uncover where your mission meets your values.

Here’s an example:

What do you do?
We’re a food bank, so we distribute food to those in need.

Why is that important?
Because those we serve don’t have the money to buy food for themselves and their families.

Why is that important?
Because no one should go hungry.

Why is that important?
Because everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and is worthy of having the food they need to thrive.

That third answer is your big picture story. It’s where your mission meets your values and it’s how you connect to the right people for your organization.

The clearer your big picture story, and the more cohesive across your communications, the more those who share your values will understand that you’re signaling to them.

How do you connect to the right people?

Once you’ve clarified your big picture story, all of your content should reflect its message. And most importantly, it should sound like your organization! If your nonprofit was to have a cup of coffee with a supporter, what would it sound like? What are the traits you want to be known for?

All of that goes into who you are as an organization, and signals to your people that they’re in the right place. This is your voice, and you should lean into it. When considering your audiences, think “show me you know me.” At the intersection of who your organization is, and who your audiences are, lies the key to attracting and engaging the right people.

The American Cancer Society has a similar mission to Fxck Cancer, but one look at each of their homepages makes it clear that they’re signaling to very different audiences. Your people want to feel seen and heard. They want to know your values align with theirs and that you are passionate about solving the same problems in the world.

“Show me you know me,” coupled with your clear message, is the foundation to creating open-worthy emails and scroll-stopping posts.

How do you keep the right people engaged?

When you’ve signaled your clear message to the right people for your organization, how do you deepen that connection? Remember, clarity creates connection.

That means you want to present a clear problem, clear solution, clear transformation, and clear partnership.

Too often we jump to the solution, but that doesn’t present an opportunity for your people to understand the problem or the transformation that occurs because of your work. And, most importantly, it doesn’t present an opportunity for them to join you in making your mission happen.

In considering your content, be sure to include all four parts: problem, solution, transformation, partnership. When you “show me you know me” with this in mind, it signals not only that your people are in the right place, but that they should stay there.

It’s how you go from, "oh, that's an interesting mission" to "oh, that's important work that speaks to me for who I am as a person—that solves problems that are important to me—and I want to get involved."

What do you do next?

With a clear message through your organization’s big picture story, share it in your voice to connect to the right people. And be sure to “show me you know me” with your audiences in mind.

Remember, they don’t know your work like you do, but they do share your passion for the problems you solve. Be clear about the transformation that is possible because of your work and how they can partner with you to make it happen. Because clarity creates connection.

Looking to clarify your own messaging to connect with your people? My free messaging guide prompts will set you in the right direction!