Getting your voice “heard in high places” is about all about the message. But a message is much more than the words you will write on paper for your prepared statements, though that too is a critical part that lasts for years.

This series provides ideas about places to focus your attention as you prepare your message for your target audience at the United Nations. Your organization’s contribution to the work of the 70 Session of the UN is important. Therefore it is all the more critical that you shape all aspects of your message to those whose ears you wish to bend a little!

What I will do in this short series is to point out a few places you might otherwise not . What I cannot do is help you with the specifics of your message—for that, you are the expert. Instead, what I will focus on in how to prepare you to stand out in the often turbulent, hectic political waters of engagement at the UN, to help get you above the noise.

You may also be looking for more specific “who, what, where, why, how, strategies and tactics,” and they are elsewhere, systematically covered in our training programs. But old-salt or newbie, if you browse this series of articles and find ways to infuse these suggestions into your work, you will make significant headway in your advocacy. How much? That depends upon you. I cannot promise you will be invited to speak at a special session of the General Assembly or of ECOSOC. But it does happen. That’s part of my story for another time.

But for now, talking strategically for a moment, I would estimate that spending some of your precious time on each of these points I touch on in this series is one of the best places to start. Even if you do not know anything about how the UN works (hey, everyone started in the same place of overwhelm,) but you master these 5 point, doors will open. People will offer a cup of coffee… and some advice. A lack of information is not necessarily a game ender at the UN. But if you are seeking vital engagement, these 5 points will take you a long way.

So in the next article, we’ll get started with the first segment: Speaking their language.