BUILD MESSAGES THAT BUILD BUY-IN.
I help leaders craft their case for transformational change
- Custom, collaborative message design
- Group training, workshops, and keynotes
- Licensing, certification, and train-the-trainer programs
The best way to get buy-in for change?
Say what they can't unhear
TO DO THAT YOU NEED:
A story people haven't heard
Because story is the best structure for
UNDERSTANDING.
Based on beliefs they already have
Because beliefs are the foundation of
AGREEMENT.
When you craft your case for change with elements your audience already agrees with, you
- motivate without manipulating,
- influence from the inside out, and
- create the permanent persuasion that makes big changes that last.
“You’ll spend each moment with Tamsen on hard and productive work—and generate a breakthrough description of the value you create. The result will be a perfect fit for your customers and highly motivational for you. And that is pretty much the definition of time well spent.”
Josh Bernoff, Bestselling author of "Writing Without Bullshit.”
I'm focused on people who are focused on change
I work with:
Leaders of startups, non-profits, industries, and ideas.
Who need:
Simple, strong, and succinct ways to explain their offerings and ideas and get buy-in from their team, the market, or the world.
I help them:
- Develop a singular story that creates consistent, compelling messaging
- Customize the conversations and content required for change
- Deepen the internal message design skills that sustain change efforts over time
Tell the story they'll tell themselves.
When you’re focused on creating change—in your company, community, or the world—you know you can’t do it alone. You need buy-in. You need people to believe enough in the change to act on it… and keep acting.
Unfortunately, just explaining your idea or offering isn’t enough to get people invested in it. You have to argue for it. That’s because every action ends an argument in someone’s head. People don't take action unless they agree they should.
The challenge? Their agreement depends on your alignment—with what they already want, already value, and already believe. After all, identity is the greatest influencer.
But there’s hope. When you tie a change into that identity, you build the strongest case of all. You build the story they’ll tell themselves—and others.
I call that story the Red Thread.
Let's build yours.
Tamsen helps companies build a better story from scratch or improve what is already there, both on an abstract and an actionable level. Her framework helps to create a common language for everyone to work from.
CHARGETRIP
Ways the Message Design Institute works with clients
What we'll build
Learn more about my offerings.
Core Claim
A single sentence that connects your idea, approach, or offering to what your audience already cares about
Core Case
The simplest argument for your idea, based on principles your audience already agrees with.
Core Story
The message and case for your idea articulated in the form most understandable to your audience: story.
Tamsen is an expert in digging deep to convey simple messaging to a wider audience—the systematic way we broke down our language and rebuilt [it] was incredibly valuable for our overall messaging.
HOHONU
About Tamsen
Tamsen Webster has spent the last twenty years helping leaders generate lasting change from their ideas. Part message designer, part storyteller, part English-to-English translator, her work focuses on how to find and build the stories partners, investors, clients, and customers will tell themselves-and others. In 2024, she founded the Message Design Institute, the culmination of 25+ years of science-backed research and real-world application.
Tamsen's own Red Thread is woven through more than 20 years as a brand and message strategist. She holds an MBA in Management Communications and Organizational Behavior, an MA in Arts Administration (Public Relations and Crisis Communications) and bachelor's degrees in American Studies and Marketing.
Tamsen honed her expertise through work in and for major companies and organizations like Johnson & Johnson, Harvard Medical School, and Intel, as well as with startups that represent the next wave of innovation in life science, biotech, climate tech, fintech, and pharma. She's a professional advisor at the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship and a mentor for the Harvard Innovation Labs. She's also served as executive producer for almost 10 years and idea strategist for one of the oldest independently organized TED Talk events in the world (TEDxCambridge). Most recently, Tamsen was named to the Thinkers50 Radar thinkers to watch class of 2022. She published her first book, Find Your Red Thread: Make Your Big Ideas Irresistible, in 2021.
She was a reluctant marathoner... twice, is a champion ballroom dancer (in her mind), and learned everything she knows about messages, people, and change as a Weight Watchers leader. True story.
