Sample Key Messages,
Talking Points and Q&As

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When communicating information that is particularly complex, in-depth or sensitive, it’s very helpful to create a set of key messages, talking points and questions and answers that summarize your communication for various audiences and help them articulate the information. Below are samples and a brief description of how they should be used. These samples are actual Ovations communications used in May 2003 in support of a major business decision.

Key Messages
Key messages describe the “who-what-where-when-why” of your communication. They are usually created for managers and supervisors to help them explain and support your communication as it cascades within Ovations. They are also a good foundation from which others can build supporting communication, using the key messages to ensure consistency in content, regardless of the medium or the communicator.

Sample Key Messages: Fort Smith and El Segundo Facility Transfer

Ovations is transferring all assets at the Evercare Connections Fort Smith, Arkansas and El Segundo, California facilities to Long Care Group, Incorporated.
Under terms of the agreement, Ovations will transfer all current contracts and assets relating to the services provided by Evercare Connections at the Fort Smith and El Segundo facilities to Long Term Care Group.
The 16 Evercare Connections Fort Smith employees and one El Segundo employee will also transfer to Long Term Care Group.
We expect that the purchase agreement will be completed in early June 2003.
Shifting administrative operations from Fort Smith helps us increase our focus on Evercare Connections’ core competencies.
Evercare Connections offers specialized support services to older Americans and their caregivers. Currently, there are two major components of Evercare Connections. The Minneapolis Division provides core specialized services that include Information and Resources, In Home Assessments and Care Coordination. The fee-for-service product is provided to the general public, employer groups, associations and others.
The Fort Smith and El Segundo facilities provide administrative functions such as benefit eligibility assessments, underwriting assessments and telephone history interviews. The services provided at the Fort Smith facility are in direct support to the long-term care industry.
Evercare Connections has offered specialized support services to older individuals and their caregivers for more than three years. The goal is to assist individuals to live as independently as possible by supplying the guidance and resources to address their specific health concerns and needs.
Currently, thousands of individuals have received services through Evercare Connections nationwide. Ovations is pushing forward with an aggressive campaign to make Evercare Connections’ core specialized capabilities available to a wider audience.
Long Term Care Group is a leader in providing outsourced services to the long-term care insurance industry.
Long Term Care Group supports the long-term care insurance industry by providing administrative services and functions that include underwriting, claims management, customer service and care management. In addition, Long Term Care Group provides compliance and actuarial services.
Long Term Care Group focuses exclusively on the long-term care industry and delivering superior products and services to serve this client base. Insurance solutions are customized for each client’s specific needs.
Long Term Care Group is headquartered in El Segundo, California. The company’s administrative operations are based in Eden Prairie, Minnesota. In addition, Long Term Care Group has offices in Wisconsin, Florida and Massachusetts.
Ovations will work closely with Evercare employees who are affected by the Fort Smith/El Segundo transfer.
We expect that all of current Fort Smith and El Segundo employees will transfer to Long Term Care Group, Incorporated. These employees will remain at their current location, and Long Term Care Group will assume the Fort Smith building lease.
Current Fort Smith and El Segundo employees who transfer to Long Term Care Group will receive service credit for health benefits, retirement, vacation and other benefits.

Questions and Answers
A Q&A is a very useful tool for managers, supervisors and customer contact employees to use when answering questions about the communication. It takes the same information outlined in the key messages and formats it to a Q&A style. This makes the information easy to scan, allowing someone to quickly find the topic and response. Q&As are also good internal communication tools. For example, a Q&A might accompany a memo or intranet news item to assist employees as they are looking for answers to specific questions.

Sample Q&A: Fort Smith and El Segundo Facility Transfer

1

Q  What is Evercare Connections?

A   Evercare Connections provides nationally based services for older Americans and their caregivers, focusing on optimizing the health and well-being of those individuals by assisting with the decisions and services that are needed.

2

 Q  What core support services are provided through Evercare Connections?

A   Evercare Connections has three core services:

  • Information and Resources: A single point-of-contact for information and consultation on a wide variety of issues related to elder care and referral to a broad range of long-term care resources.
  • Care Advocacy and Coordination: In-home assessment, written summary and recommendations designed to help older adults remain in a safe, healthy, and independent living situation.
  • Service Plan Implementation and Monitoring: After a review of the service plan with the older adult and their family members, the care advocate will implement services specific to fit their needs and preferences.

3

Q  How are these services distributed?

A   Evercare Connections distributes its services through a wide variety of sources, including employers, insurers and direct to consumer. Evercare Connections is staffed with an interdisciplinary team that includes registered nurses, geriatricians, social workers, pharmacists, financial counselors and other specialists.

4

Q  What functions are performed at the Evercare Connections’ Fort Smith and El Segundo facilities?

A   The Fort Smith and El Segundo facilities provide administrative support functions for the long-term care insurance industry. These administrative functions include benefit eligibility assessments, underwriting assessments and telephone history interviews.

5

Q  How was the decision reached to transfer the Fort Smith assets to Long Term Care Group?

A   Evercare is pushing forward with an aggressive campaign to make Evercare Connections core specialized capabilities more available to a wider audience. From a business perspective, it is advantageous for us to shift from providing administrative operations at these facilities and focus on our core competencies. Long Term Care Group is a leader in providing outsourced services to the long-term care industry. The company focuses exclusively on this industry and provides customized insurance solutions to meet each client’s specific needs.

6

Q  How many Ovations employees are affected by the transfer?

A   Currently, there are 16 employees at Fort Smith and one at El Segundo. All of these individuals will transfer to Long Term Care Group. These employees will remain at their respective facilities and Long Term Care Group will assume the Fort Smith building lease.

7

 Q  Will Fort Smith and El Segundo Evercare Connections employees receive benefits from Long Term Care Group?

A   Yes. Employees who transfer to Long Term Care Group will receive a competitive benefit plan, along with service credit for health benefits, retirement, vacation and other benefits.

 

Talking Points
Talking points are conversational statements that summarize the most important components of your communication. They are designed to help employees as they receive questions from people inside or outside the company. Think of talking points as mini-scripts to help Ovations employees explain the communication

Sample Talking Points: Fort Smith and El Segundo Facility Transfer

Ovations is transferring the Evercare Connections administrative services currently performed at our Fort Smith and El Segundo facilities to Long Term Care Group, Inc.

  • By transferring these administrative functions, we can increase our focus on our core competencies of providing information and resources, care advocacy and coordination, and care implementation and monitoring.
  • Currently, there are 16 employees at Fort Smith and one at El Segundo. All of these individuals will transfer to Long Term Care Group and receive a competitive benefit plan, along with service credit for health benefits, retirement, vacation and other benefits.
  • This transition of this “back room” support should be transparent to our customers. They should continue to call the same phone numbers and follow the same processes as they do today.
    Staging a communication (memo and timeline)


It’s very important to have a coordinated, clearly defined communication timeline, especially when your communication includes multiple components for multiple audiences. The sample memo below illustrates one way to “stage” a communication for your primary communicators and includes a sample communication timeline.

 

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