Stay on message in health and social care; five strategies from an expert
Our latest Joining the Dots podcast celebrated the launched of our specialist public sector media training. Alongside the creators of the training – Sue Revell and Brian Meechan – the episode featured our Associate Dr. Annie Procter, and in this blog we’ll take a deeper dive into the practical wisdom she shared.
Annie worked and trained in the NHS for 40 years, spending 25 years as a consultant geneticist, before moving into leadership roles as a clinical director, leader of cancer services, and divisional director of mental health services.
Over this time, Annie gained a lot of experience communicating with the public and media. These interactions can be intimidating – especially in the sensitive and high-pressure environment of health and social care – but Annie has developed some useful advice to help turn these interviews into opportunities:
1. Tell your story
One of Annie’s biggest takeaways was seeing media appearances as a chance to highlight the important work being done.
You might feel anxious about talking in front of a camera or group of people, but it’s an opportunity to inform people. You can very calmly take hold of the agenda and tell the story you want to tell.
2. Do the prep
Preparation is a key part of Annie’s strategy. Before any interview, she establishes the key message she wants to communicate.
A good way to approach this is starting with the end in mind: what’s the key point you want the audience to remember? Then build your responses around that. This means you can stay focused even when the questions get tough.
3. It’s about feeling
One of the keys to storytelling is not about the words at all – it’s thinking about how you want the audience to feel.
When you’re communicating a message, people may forget what exacctly you said, but they won’t forget how you made them feel. So think about what you want that feeling to be and attach some words to it. That way, you’ll get your message over even if they can’t repeat it verbatim.
4. You’re not alone
Collaboration is another useful tactic. In our latest podcast, Annie recalled a challenging situation when she had to speak about a serious incident in mental health services. Knowing there would be some specific clinical questions, Annie bought along a consultant psychiatrist to help answer them.
This approach meant they could provide a well-rounded response on the clinical details and the human story. Their message was strengthened while being made more relatable and understandable to audiences.
5. Take a moment
Annie’s final piece of advice is staying calm. It’s very easy for your mouth to run away with you, especially when facing tough or critical questions.
Take a breath, pause before answering, and always bring the conversation back to your key message. Being honest and transparent, even when the truth is complicated, helps build trust with the audience – which is what media relations is all about.
Find out more about media relations in our latest Joining the Dots podcast, featuring Sue Revell, Dr. Annie Procter and journalist Brian Meechan.
You can also read about Brian’s advice in our Preparing for Media Interviews blog.
If your organisation is interested in sector-specific support for media relations, take a look at our Developing your Compelling Story training and sign up for more infomation.
This innovative training is led by our media specialists who have decades of experience in TV, radio and online newsrooms. They also have wider knowledge of public engagement and digital media, including social media, podcasting and video.
The programme consists of three full-day workshops, equipping you with the knowledge and confidence to maximise opportunities to engage with the media, manage a communications crisis, and developing personal presentation and influencing skills.
