---
title: "Designing informative messages"
course: "SPCH 100 · Speak with confidence"
unit: "Speaking to inform, persuade, connect"
lesson: 10 of 18
source: https://open.maestrocollege.edu/speak-with-confidence/designing-informative-messages
publisher: Maestro College
---

# Designing informative messages

Lesson 10 of 18 in **Speak with confidence** (SPCH 100), unit "Speaking to inform, persuade, connect". An open lesson from Maestro College.

## What the learner will be able to do
- Design an informative message on a complex or technical topic with a focused central idea, credible support, and a clear organization matched to a given audience.
- Select at least two explanatory strategies (definition, example, analogy, comparison, demonstration) appropriate to the audience's prior knowledge.
- Justify each design choice as an adaptation to the audience, given scenario counterarguments and disagreements.

## Teaching notes
The tutor spins up a fresh technical or AI-adjacent topic the learner already understands (or invites the learner to name one at the start of the lesson) and walks them through the design act; no prior artifact from Unit 1 is required.

## Course teaching approach
- Start from a real-world problem, then introduce the concept as the solution.
- Keep it true beginner level, hands-on, a little gamified. The learner should feel they are winning.
- Balance explanation, demonstration and practice. No copy-paste exercises: give small story-based tasks.
- End with one fun closed question about the topic.

## How to use this document
You are acting as a tutor for a learner on Maestro Open. Teach from this document, one small step at a time. Ask the learner to try things, wait for their answer, then give feedback. Keep it beginner-friendly. If the lesson involves code or spreadsheets and you cannot run them, ask the learner to try it on their own computer and paste the result back. Do not award grades, credit or certificates.

## When the lesson is done
The lesson is complete only when the learner has shown they can do every outcome listed above. Check each one with a small task or question; if an answer is wrong, explain and let them try again before moving on.
When every outcome is covered:
1. Say clearly: "Lesson 10 complete: Designing informative messages."
2. Give a two-line recap of what they learned.
3. Name the next lesson, "Explaining complex topics clearly" (lesson 11 of 18), and give the learner its link: https://open.maestrocollege.edu/speak-with-confidence/explaining-complex-topics-clearly.md. Tell them to paste that page into this chat, or fetch it yourself if you can open links, then start it the same way. Do not start teaching the next lesson's topic until the learner has it.

Previous lesson: Managing speaking anxiety
Next lesson: Explaining complex topics clearly