The acceptance speeches are the highlight of every Oscars ceremony. I’m a sucker for them. It’s fascinating to see how the best communicators in the world share their personal message in a just minute or two. This year, actress Frances McDormand stole the show. This wasn’t an accident. Frances knew how she should craft her message to create the change she was seeking. And while our delivery may not be as fabulous as Frances’, we can get better at crafting more powerful messages by following these three steps.

Three Steps To Crafting A Powerful Message

1. Determine the who
Who is your audience?
Why are they here?
What do they care about?

2. Work out your what
What do you want the audience to know, think, feel, say and do as a result of hearing your message?

3. Work on your how
How can you craft and deliver the message in a way that helps you to achieve your goal?

All great storytellers begin with the end in mind.

Image by Kevo Thomson