In a world of bots, be a HUMAN - it’s key to your coalition’s success
As we’re highlighting through this series, public health is, at its core, a people business.
So, naturally, one key piece of advice for health coalition leaders to keep in mind: Be a human.
In an era of artificial intelligence and soulless corporations, there’s something to be said for simply being human.
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.
Counted Out - are the keys to transforming math education the keys to transforming community health?
Are you a math person?
This Pi day, the giving circle I’m a part of hosted a screening of the documentary Counted Out, which explores how, “in the 21st century, fueled by technology, data, and algorithms, math determines who has the power to shape our world.”
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.
"The art of gathering" and the importance of grounding people in their purpose
Have you facilitated a meeting before? Or hosted a party?
What runs through your mind when you’re planning a gathering?
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.
Too many partners, too little time, one nifty tool
Public health problems live at the intersection of many different sectors and issues.
You can’t help kids in schools do and feel better without also making sure their teachers are well, that school policies don’t kick them out of class, that their communities are safe, and so on.
So any community health improvement effort worth its salt is going to involve multiple components led by multiple partners.