ABSTRACT
In order to increase the likelihood that a message is effective, one can rely on a series of storytelling exercises devised by the master organizer and expert on public policy, Marshall Ganz. He, too, was interested in the question of how to get people to care. Long before Ganz, Aristotle provided sage insight into communications, which any and all communications strategists ought to consider when putting together messaging. Aristotle taught that rhetoric consists of three elements: logos (logic), pathos (feeling), and ethos (credibility and legitimacy). Furthermore, he declared that stories consist of a Plot, Character, and Setting. Creating messaging, writing a story, or crafting a press release is never as easy as it sounds. It can be tough, even excruciating. Good messaging, combined with good organization and appeal, is how candidates pull off momentum-generating rallies, entrepreneurs make persuasive presentations to potential investors, and traffic engineers give convincing explanations about where to build a bridge.
