Communicating With the Public

1. Start with an evidence-based fact or statistic “Vaccines, like any medicine, can have side effects, but most children who get the MMR shot have no side effects. However, measles can lead to pneumonia, deafness, lifelong brain damage, or even death, and almost one-third of children with measles have to be hospitalized.”
2. Use an explicit link to connect this fact to the bottom-line meaning“And the reason that’s important is…” “What that means to you is…” “So what I tell patients is…”
3. Finish with the gist “Taking any risk that your child could get measles and suffer serious complications just isn’t worth it. Vaccination is the best way to protect your child.”

David Broniatowski is Assistant Professor at the Department of Engineering Management and Systems Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Science, The George Washington University, Washington, USA.

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