How we present our issue makes a difference to how we are heard.  

This workshop will help participants develop and practice skillsets connected to messaging, framing and other more complex communication goals. Participants will create a draft messaging statement that they could use to testify to a local city council meeting or similar context. In the workshop itself, participants will be engaging predominantly with verbal speech, but the skillset also supports values-based messaging goals that might be needed in written communications.  

Participants will learn about heuristics, storytelling and how to leverage human social norms to create successful messages that resonate with stakeholders who may have different perspectives or priorities. The content and instructional examples will be oriented toward crafting messaging that speaks to community thriving and collective wellness as it connects to the Basic Needs Center and low-income communities -  but the underlying principles of the workshop can be applied to messaging goals beyond the example framing the group will be working within.  

Participants can expect an engaging workshop with opportunities to connect with other OSU community members in small-groups and some content-presented in a slideshow. Handouts will be provided but presentation materials will not be made available after the workshop.

Workshop content builds off information presented by the Oregon Housing Alliance and includes additional influence from The Opportunity Agenda. 

This workshop is presented by Nicole Hindes, Director of the Basic Needs Center. Nicole shares this content 1-2 times per year and credits this skillset with her success in fundraising and other conversations that have raised the profile of the BNC and the students supported by the BNC team. To learn more about this workshop or related content, attend Nicole's office hours: Tuesdays from 4-5 pm or Fridays from 10-12 pm.

Accommodation requests related to a disability should be made by 9/23/22 to Nicole.hindes@oregonstate.edu.