http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wGN-lbd7Ss
If you haven’t yet seen President Obama’s interview with actor-comedian Zach Galifianakis, you’re missing out.
President Obama makes a clever pitch to the Young Invincibles—uninsured millennials in their 20s—to sign up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. It’s sharp. It’s fresh. And it works.
For physicians in the Digital Age, President Obama’s interview offers valuable insight.
Be accessible. There’s no jargon or formality to President Obama’s pitch. He understands his audience, and brings both content and tone to its level. For health communicators, it’s essential to be mindful of where the audience comes from and form-fit the message accordingly. Public conversation, especially something on as massive of a scale as social media, isn’t something that health providers are trained to do. But if we are to inform popular opinion and create public dialogue, it’s something we’ll have to learn.
Be visible. How often do we catch people talking about what’s playing on C-SPAN? Never. A politician press conference? Rarely. News commentary talk shows? Sometimes. The president’s comedic interview? It’s everywhere. The President drew some criticism for informality, but he made headlines, sent a message, and inspired conversation. Similarly, health communication has to transcend academic journals and medical conferences to go where the patients are: online. Even the best professional, peer-reviewed content can’t generate dialogue or spark disruption if there’s no audience for it.
Be innovative. This may be the Oval Office’s first use of viral video for political outreach, but it certainly won’t be the last. As digital communication expands to new collaborative platforms, “the medium is the message” becomes increasingly relevant. Academic blogging and tweeting is an excellent start, but as new avenues for dialogue emerge, look for opportunities to reach different audiences, share different messages, and try different strategies for engagement.
As the Web turns 25 this year, it’s hard to overlook the transformative impact it’s had on the way we connect, communicate, and collaborate as a society. What’s been less dynamic is our willingness to embrace new forms of media to reach new levels of engagement. Boldness in public communication is something that needs to be wired into medicine at all levels, from medical training to clinical practice to institutional leadership. If the President isn’t above it, then heck, neither are we.