The 90-Second Message: A Tool for Clear, Confident Storytelling
A strong message isn’t about communicating everything, it’s about being clear and succinct. Most leaders say too much before they say the thing that really matters, which distracts their audience from the main takeaway. The 90-Second Message gives you a simple way to focus your communication.
Here’s the four-part model we use:
Headline
What’s the one idea you want people to remember? One crisp sentence.
Why Now
Why this message matters today. What’s the urgency or opportunity?
What It Looks Like
A short, real example that proves the point. This isn’t a long story — it’s a snapshot.
Why It Matters
Connect your message to the human impact, mission goals, or broader stakes.
Here’s an example:
Headline: Our workforce partnerships are helping people move into stable, high-quality jobs more efficiently than ever.
Why Now: Over the past quarter, we’ve seen record enrollment in certification programs and more employers stepping up to hire directly from our pipeline.
What It Looks Like: One participant was hired by a partner hospital just two weeks after completing her training — a process that used to take months.
Why It Matters: When people can quickly gain skills and step into good jobs, families become more stable, employers fill critical roles, and communities grow stronger.
If you want a deeper dive into crafting sticky messages, here’s a resource we often recommend the Chip & Dan Heath’s Made to Stick. There are so many great gems in this book and they’ll certainly make your communications crisper and more clear.
Try writing your own 90-second message this week. You’ll start to feel the effect immediately.
