**Covello, V. T. (2022). Best practices for message development in high concern situations. In Communicating in risk, crisis, and high stress situations: Evidence-based strategies and practice (pp. 238–241, 243–255). Wiley. Available on Dropbox.
This excerpt introduces what message maps are and why they can be an effective communication tool. Message maps present three one-sentence key messages that are each supported by progressively more detailed supporting facts. The author argues that this layered approach helps audiences understand and remember information, even in high-stress circumstances. The excerpt walks through the message map development process, emphasizing throughout the importance of using plain language, demonstrating listening and empathy, and preparing sufficiently to respond to stakeholders’ concerns.
We especially encourage you to read this excerpt because we will be drafting our own and reviewing each other’s message maps during Session I. Please read the full excerpt, but you may skip the text under the heading, “9.4.2. Message Maps and the Brain.”
Choi, L. (2026, April). Meeting 57 summary: Crafting a proactive narrative for public education: Understanding the landscape, planning for the future. California Collaborative on District Reform. https://cacollaborative.org/sites/default/files/2026-06/CCDR_Meeting_57_Summary.pdf
This upcoming meeting continues the work begun at our last meeting in April 2026. There, we examined the increasingly negative narratives surrounding public education and how leaders might respond more proactively. Participants identified several prevailing narratives: that schools are “failing;” that education is an ideological battleground; that it serves competing economic and civic purposes; and that districts’ increased resources obscure pressures like pension obligations, special education costs, and declining enrollment. Meeting guests from the Center for Risk Communication emphasized that fear and stress reduce people’s ability to absorb complex information, so messages must be simple and concise. Since then, a small working group of Collaborative members have been using these principles to draft message maps that address some of the narratives, which they will present during Session I.
**This document is a priority reading.