Giving High-Tech

Communications

High-Touch Impact

Amy Lynn Smith – Writer + Strategist

alswrite.com

@alswrite

Introduction

What’s my story?

I use storytelling to engage and

educate

◦ Health literacy

◦ Issue advocacy

◦ Constituent and consumer

communications

25+ years of experience beginning

with custom publishing

Print to digital — the spectrum of

media

What will we learn today?

Why storytelling works, especially to

improve health literacy

The basics of good storytelling

Storytelling in various mediums:

◦ Digital and social media

◦ Print

◦ Video

◦ One-on-one conversations (for clinicians)

Tips for storytellers

Why storytelling?

It works.

How does storytelling improve

health literacy? It helps explain complex topics in

terms people can relate to

It makes dry topics more interesting

and memorable

It engages readers and gives them a

hero/heroine to identify with

It motivates action and persuades —

readers can see themselves in the

hero/heroine

Why storytelling works: It makes

complex topics simpler and facts more

compellingComplex facts:

The progression of essential hypertension begins with prehypertension and then advances to early hypertension, established hypertension and finally to complicated hypertension.

Simpler, more compelling:

Sara had signs of high blood pressure starting in high school. It only got worse as she aged. By the time her own kids were in high school, she was taking two kinds of medicine to control her blood pressure.

Why storytelling works: It grabs

readers and gives them someone to identify

with Stories create “stakes” and engage

emotions

Even though Sara’s doctors told her losing

weight and exercising more could lower

her blood pressure, she couldn’t find the

time or energy. But then her doctor told her

if she kept going the way she was, she

might not see her kids graduate from

college. That’s when she knew she

needed to make a change.

Why storytelling works: It motivates

action when readers see themselves in a

story Success stories are especially

powerful

Sara started walking for 30 minutes on

her lunch break and saved time by

bringing heart-healthy lunches to work.

She lost 25 pounds, went off one of her

medications — and had the energy she

needed to help her son move into his

college dorm.

Why storytelling works: It helps

readers retain facts Context improves memory

People who read Sara’s story will

remember that she was able to be there

for her kids by exercising and losing

weight to manage her high blood

pressure.

Does storytelling persuade?

YES: This is the testimonial of a woman who was

opposed to the Affordable Care Act until she read

stories about how it was helping others

Does storytelling persuade?

YES: There’s even science behind it

Credit: OneSpot.com

What is

good storytelling?

The basics of good

storytelling Example: ‘The Little Engine That

Could’

◦ Most of us heard this story as kids. And

although we may not remember the

details, we remember the message: I

think I can, said the train — and he did.

The basics of good

storytelling Example: ‘The West Wing’

◦ It taught lessons about government and

politics through a dramatic narrative and

the stories of characters we care about.

The basics of good

storytelling Example: ‘The West Wing’

◦ It’s stellar “take your medicine”

storytelling: a spoonful of sugar (narrative)

makes complex concepts easier to digest.

◦ It also inspired a generation (or more) of

young people to go into politics.

The basics of good

storytelling Example: ‘Serial’

◦ Getting listeners to pay attention to the

dry details of cell phone tower technology

was much easier when it was wrapped in

the story of how Adnan’s attorney tried the

case.

The basics of good

storytelling Example: Humans of New York

◦ A photo with a caption can say it all.

How do you use

storytelling in

healthcare?

Elements of good healthcare

stories* Establish your hero/heroine (choose a

protagonist who is relatable and likeable)

Make sure there are stakes for the protagonist — a compelling storyline

Keep it simple

Wrap the facts in the story

Have a beginning, middle and end (include a call to action in the end)

*Or just about any story, really.

Creating your story: The

protagonist Use a real person or create a

character

Include details that let your audience

get to know the protagonist

Make your protagonist relatable and

sympathetic — someone we care

about

Give your protagonist somewhere to

go on the journey of growth, discovery,

etc.

Creating your story: The

stakes Every story needs stakes: What does

the protagonist stand to gain or lose

Make the stakes matter: Health stories

have the built-in element of life or

death

Include others in the stakes — family,

friends, etc., to give your audience

more than one person to connect with

in the story

Creating your story: Keep it

simple Don’t try to do too much in one story

— especially online; stay focused

Use straightforward language; use

details and emotion, but don’t get

flowery

Always remember your

communications objective, whether it’s

education, persuasion, marketing, etc.

— that needs to be at the center of the

narrative

Creating your story: Let it carry

facts

Avoid isolating the facts from the

narrative; make them part of the

natural narrative whenever possible

If you must share a set of facts,

consider a sidebar or other way to

make them “at-a-glance” items that

don’t break the narrative flow

Creating your story: Let it carry

facts

Let your protagonist share facts as

part of a personal story

After walking at lunch every day for a

month, Sara started to see results.

“My blood pressure was much lower,

sometimes even below 120/80,” she says.

“That was a big deal for me. It made me

want to keep going.”

Creating your story: Give it

structure

Every story needs a beginning, a

middle and an end

◦ The beginning is where the problem or

scenario is established

◦ The middle is where the solution happens

◦ The end is where results are shown

(usually good ones)

Creating your story: The call to action

“Take your medicine” storytelling needs a

moral to the story — what’s the action

you want your audience to take

A call to action can be woven into the

narrative or broken out as an element

◦ “I can’t believe it took me so long to get my

health on track,” Sara says, “but I’ll never go

back to my old habits now. I love how great I

feel.”

◦ Most drugstores offer free blood pressure

testing. Check yours next time you’re out.

Intermission:

Questions so far?

Storytelling

tips and tricks

What mediums work for

storytelling? Storytelling can be used in every

medium

Use the medium to guide the message:◦ Shorter posts, graphics and video work

best online; longer stories can work in blog posts if you keep them compelling

◦ Print is a good place for longer stories; many people will spend more time with a magazine

◦ Include printable elements online, such as PDFs, to provide more detail

◦ Videos and podcasts are a great way to

Stories as part of a larger

campaign Stories can be one element of a

broader communications plan

◦ Consumer Reports’ online hub on

caregiving included:

A fact-based report on medical issues and

advice for caregivers

A guide to palliative and hospice care

The video “A Beautiful Death” telling one man’s

story of his own end-of-life decisions

Stories as part of a larger

campaign Consumer Reports complemented fact-based

reports with Paul’s personal video story

Using Paul’s story made a topic most people don’t

want to talk about less intimidating

Storytelling on social media

Vast reach that feels personal: the

social aspect

Think of it as the new broadcast

journalism

Good mass communications principles

still apply

Tailor social media to the

platform Facebook: photos, videos, stories with

longer shelf lives, more ongoing interaction

Twitter: timely, attention-getting tweets and conversations; photos

LinkedIn: best for B2B and professional communications

Instagram: perfect for visual storytelling

Tumblr: ideal for short blog posts and images

Platforms are not

interchangeable A tweet is not a Facebook post is not a

blog post

Even if the story is the same,

customize the share line and tone;

post at different times

Use them in tandem, not in parallel

Let one build off the other

Integrate your social media

Tell a story across multiple platforms◦ Share a blog post with photo on Facebook

and encourage engagement

◦ Tweet link to that post with a timely comment

◦ Share the photo on Instagram; customize

◦ Cross-post on Tumblr, Google+ and more with customized share lines Bonus: build audience across platforms

Example – frank (see handout)

Photos are worth 1,000 words

On social media, photos make your

content more visible and can boost

views

Choose the right image for your

content and vice versa

Swap out photos to give older content

new life

Videos are valuable, too

Short videos work well on social

media; they bring stories to life

Keep length to about 3 minutes

Videos can be simple talk-to-camera

with a few cutaways — easy to

produce at a low cost

Longer videos must be especially

compelling to hold the viewer and

need higher production values

Keep the story alive on social

media Social media promotes engagement,

interaction

Respond to comments and create a

conversation

Comments boost Facebook visibility;

retweet shares or @ replies on Twitter

You may even find new stories

Moderation is essential

Consider promoted posts

Small investment, big return

Choose the right audience to target; tailor content and visuals

Storytelling for clinicians

Storytelling puts information in context for patients

Use anecdotes — real or invented◦ ‘The Lady and the Ice Cream’

◦ Use analogies: the birds and the bees; plumbing repairs

◦ Motivate healthy actions through success stories

When providing hand-outs, use a short story to encourage patients to read them

Recap:

Storytelling works

Storytelling improves health

literacy It makes complex topics simpler and

facts more compelling

It grabs readers and gives them

someone to identify with

It motivates action when readers see

themselves in a story — a role model

It helps readers retain facts: context

improves memory

Works in every medium

Remember good storytelling

basics Establish your hero/heroine (choose a

protagonist who is relatable and

likeable)

Make sure there are stakes for the

protagonist — a compelling storyline

Keep it simple

Wrap the facts in the story

Have a beginning, middle and end

(include a call to action in the end)

Q & A

Giving High-Tech

Communications

High-Touch Impact

Amy Lynn Smith – Writer + Strategist

alswrite.com

@alswrite