How do I test what a message will look like?

Admin Users have the means to test a message before officially sending it out. You can access this function via Administration -> Notification -> Send.

Create a new notification by clicking on 'add', or select an existing notification.

By making a unique access role, and assigning it to your test account, you can select 'send to council staff' and select that access role to test sending the notification to yourself. 

Then, if you are happy with the message, you can send it to your intended audience.