The 1 person you're missing at your coalition table
Maybe I've worked with your coalition directly and maybe I haven't and maybe we haven't even met -- whichever group you are, I know someone you are most likely missing at your coalition table: a local historian.
The story matters more than the words
Howdy,
Did that "howdy" make you double take? Hi, hello, hey, yoo-hoo, yo, howdy - so many possible one-word greetings. Don't they each make you feel a little bit different?
I love words. As an avid reader, a writer, and just a human in this world, I love words.
HOW to tell a powerful story + tips to transport and activate your audience
I’ve been leaning on beach reads this summer (to be honest, I lean on them year-round) and have always loved being transported to new places through stories.
But let’s be real, it’s easy to transport a reader to a beautiful beach on vacation. It’s a lot harder to transport them into, say, the lives of families in rural America.
Why people forget facts but remember stories - an intro to Effective Storytelling
Is your summer off to as hot and joyful a start as mine, Reader?
Our family spent the last week at an all-family violin camp in the Blue Ridge mountains, and it was a joy on so many levels (our girls did not want to come home!).
Being surrounded by music all week had me forgetting the heat (despite the lack of AC at camp) and remembering just how powerful art is and how every piece of art tells a story.
Have you heard the quote about how people forget facts but remember stories? That's definitely true but misses a key piece of the puzzle. People remember stories because they make them FEEL.
Why we need to tell more stories
I’ve always loved stories - reading them, writing them, dancing them, hearing them.
One of the greatest joys of my work these days is partnering with community coalitions to tell their stories and the stories of their community members.
Narrative - that is, storytelling - holds immense power. Just in the last couple weeks, this has come up in three completely different projects PoP Health is working on:
The power of a storytelling sentence
When it comes to community health improvement, we often find ourselves in situations where we need to tell a compelling story. To name just a few:
We need to convey the impact and value of a particular health issue to a policymaker so they are motivated to write or pass legislation that would help address it.
We need to share the impact a policy or program is having with our funders and communities so they are inspired to help sustain it.
Simplify your messaging with the "Kindergartener test"
Have you ever struggled to explain what you do or what public health is?
One of my colleagues has a "grandma test" for anything he communicates to a general audience - if his grandma will understand, then he can share the message. Today, I want to share another twist on that, the "Kindergartener test". Will a Kindergartener understand and stay interested and engaged in what you're saying? This requires a simple, relatable, creative, and - where possible - interactive messaging approach.
Let me share an example.