Make a "message house" to give your key points context

Sometimes, when trainees are developing a three-point message, they struggle with how to introduce it--you don't just want to plunge into your three points without context or a short introduction, but you also don't want to load up the intro with too much detail.  Here's a great post by Marc Fest of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation that solves the problem neatly: Put your three key points into a "message house" so you can easily see how to introduce them and put them in context. Here's his example:

It's a nice visual and an easy way to remember that you do need some context--and need to stay within the "house" if you're going to stick to your message.  Let me know if this tactic works for you, and check Marc's post for a downloadable Word document you can use to plan your next message house.