Administrators in health care and public policy must be adept in varied
communication practices.
In addition to effectively disseminating information to the public, they
have to be mindful of messaging guidelines within the workplace and beyond.
External communication tips
One key thing a public administrator can do when working with the public is
to
practice active listening
. When meeting with community leaders and residents, administrators should
demonstrate comprehension, processing of nonverbal cues, and the ability to
restate key issues while responding to feedback. The importance of
community buy-in cannot be overstated, as the success of programs relies on
securing widespread support.
Administrators should always make themselves available for input via email,
social media and public gatherings. Public administrators must ensure that
mass messaging is critically analyzed and tailored to the particular
purpose, context and audience. Messaging should be articulate, focused and
cognizant of diversity.
Internal communication strategies
At a conference on communications in public health administration,
Dragan Cuzulan said,
“Without effective internal and external communication, there is no
effective public administration that would in the best way respond to the
citizens’ needs.”
Though public communicators are seldom part of executive management, they
usually are experienced in the field. All parties involved in disseminating
information should be on the same page regarding what goes out to the
public.
Internal communication should focus on carefully filtering what is and
isn’t shared, to minimize overreaction and panic.
For example, the dramatic public response to Ebola in the U.S. was
unwarranted,
according to Tara Kirk Sell
. She recommends eliminating the phrase “out of an abundance of caution,”
as well as communicating uncertainty when it exists.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Create a communications environment your doctors, nurses
and other employees are excited to be a part of.
Facts and Integrity
The public often wants scientific, medical and health care recommendations
to be 100 percent accurate. Because science offers no guarantees,
administrators must counter misinformation and rumors with truth and facts.
For example, when giving advice to women about dealing with
flu symptoms during pregnancy
, it’s both true that medications should ideally be avoided during the
first 12 weeks of gestation and that pregnant women with flu symptoms
should be treated immediately with antiviral medications.
Because both are true, public health information should be carefully
disseminated in the event of an influenza outbreak, and the safety of
vaccines should be stressed—especially considering that flu vaccinations
greatly reduce the risk of infection and complications.
What, in your experience, are crucial guidelines when communicating
health-related information to the public? Please share your opinion in the
comments section.
Daphne Stanford is a writer and radio host. Follow her on Twitter:
@TPS_on_KRBX
.