New Perspectives in Wellness & Benefit Communications, Shawn M. Connors [scary books to read TXT] 📗

experience, infrastructure, technology, and new ideas to your programs. But you call the shots — your contractor works for you.

People will now listen, read, watch, learn, and act upon what you say — so the quality of the content and your message needs to be exceptional.

Communication need not be expensive — it can make all the difference and yet remain a fraction of the cost of the programs for which it advocates. But experience counts. There are endless lists of possibilities for engaging people successfully via communication. But there are also a few guaranteed mistakes we see people make over and over. We covered a lot of those in this eBook.

But the possibilities, and all the creative ways you can engage your employees, members and community, are endless. Sin bravely as you challenge old stereotypes, become less clinical, and actually talk about issues relevant to life in addition to a piece of data. If it isn’t fun, something isn’t right. If your family wouldn’t connect with the message neither will anyone else’s.

Excellent communication? You’ll know when you see it — because it’s real. It’s emotional. It’s a new perspective. Hold any business partner to that standard when developing communications.

Summary

The simple solution presents itself last.

That’s what it seems like when you are working on a problem. In hindsight, the solution appears obvious, as if it were in front of you the whole time. This is our favorite saying at Hope Health. And it’s proved itself repeatedly during our nearly 30 years in business.

We love the phrase because it’s plain and true: The factor that finally motivates a person to change, the solution to a perplexing problem, the idea that illuminates a light bulb within us — none of them exists in some faraway, fantastical realm.

They’ve always been in front of us, completely accessible, the whole time. Like the invisible force of “lift,” which the Wright Brothers captured with their wind tunnel.

We’ve just been use to seeing things, digesting things, processing things, and doing things in a familiar way. In essence, we have giant protective filters inside our heads and our hearts.

When we let go and start discovering, a new world opens.

Uncovering creative communication solutions has less to do with invention and more to do with recognition, with looking at the world the way an artist does — with fresh perspective on common ingredients.

It’s time to start asking “why?” and “what else?” It’s time to scrap the old playbook.

And it’s time to get your team involved and ready. Keep in mind the importance of input, of asking new questions, getting new feedback, and empowering new voices.

When considering ways to improve communication, most managers think of how to deliver messages, not receive them. Better listening leads to improved understanding of employees’ goals and fears, which yields more effective messages.

One of the least productive things an organization can do is get too comfortable, to believe the current way is the only way.

The simple solution presents itself last.

And after three decades of experiencing, listening, learning, consulting, tinkering and evolving, we always come home to the basics. Simplify!

About the authors

Shawn M. Connors

President & Founder, Hope Health

Shawn believes behavior change requires a mix of both art and science. He founded the International Health Awareness Center, Inc. (IHAC) in 1981, which focuses on the importance of communication in positively affecting workplace cultures. In addition, Hope Health distributes the renowned HOPE Health Letter® and popular new eMazine electronic newsletter. Recently, he has worked with a talented team to develop a workable, realistic health communication system, empowering thousands of workplaces and community-based clients to communicate more effectively with new media. Shawn has earned the respect of marketing professionals and health educators alike.

William J. Mayer, MD, MPH

Medical Editor, Hope Health

William is Hope Health’s medical editor. He is board-certified in preventive medicine, has served as a program director at the National Cancer Institute, was a co-leader serving Fortune 100 clients in healthcare consulting at Watson Wyatt Worldwide, and currently serves as vice president at Bronson Healthcare Group, a not-for-profit, tertiary healthcare system that won the 2005 Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award. William has authored publications in the American Journal of Public Health and Seminars in Oncology, has contributed several book chapters, and has served as a reviewer for the New England Journal of Medicine.

About Hope Health

Hope Health, based in Kalamazoo, MI, specializes in producing easy-to-read health and lifestyle content. For 30 years, it has served workplaces, health plans and communities — more than 3,000 clients in all 50 states. Hope Health employees combine their expertise in health, marketing, wellness, benefits, technical writing and design to create a powerful employee communication engine.

Click here to view a short video that will change your perspective on wellness.

Check out our wide range of free resource material at HopeHealth.com.

We can help you develop and implement your communication strategy. Just give us a call at (800) 334-4094, or email Shawn Connors at info@hopehealth.com.

Acknowledgements

The authors thank the following people for helping to make this eBook possible:

Ken Holtyn, who first started talking about the importance of positive workplace cultures 25 years ago. And Ken’s friend, Judd Allen, PhD, who has championed the concept of positive cultures for years.

Darin Painter, an exceptional writer and leading expert in social media. He brought out the best in our experiences and passion for health communication.

Tim Elliott, a designer and “wise old owl” like no other. He excels at using creativity to maximize function and thankfully points out the “blinding flash of the obvious.”

Stephanie Stephens, an accomplished health journalist and media personality. She worked tirelessly to help us articulate our core philosophical foundations and review of the literature.

Kerry Juhl, an experienced coach, manager, writer, and speaker on all things wellness. She kept our feet on the ground by reminding us what happens on the front line in behavior change.

Audrey Riffenburgh, a national thought leader on the subject of plain language in health education. She has shown us how clear writing benefits people at every level of literacy.

Mark Nudelman, president of the Hope Heart Institute, Bellevue, WA, for showing us that behavior change is most sustainable when it starts with kids. We’re proud to support the Kids Take Heart grade school curriculum.

Wendy Haan, who kept us all organized, on schedule, and focused, and without whom this eBook would just be another good idea.

Our colleagues, friends, and clients, whose positive outlook, engaging personality, sense of humor, depth of knowledge, and great advice are reflected in this work.

Resource Section

FREE resources and samples to help you follow the suggestions made throughout this eBook:

Resource #1: (http://www.HopeHealth.com/ebook-resources/health&personalfinance.pdf)

Print and post this chart that shows the startling similarities between health and personal finances

Resource #2:(http://www.HopeHealth.com/pdf/brochures/85.pdf)

This Health Savings Account brochure shows how employers are informing employees about this important benefit.

Resource #3:(http://www.HopeHealth.com/pdf/brochures/262.pdf)

Example of a document written and designed in Plain Language

Resource #4:(http://www.HopeHealth.com/pdf/brochures/262.pdf)

Quick tips on how to write compelling articles and other content

Resource #5:(http://www.HopeHealth.com/ebook-resources/internalneedsassess.pdf)

Internal communication needs assessment as used in Hope Health’s communication consulting practice

Resource #6:(http://www.HopeHealth.com/ebook-resources/healthobservances.pdf)

Tap into the key National Health Observances and ride the wave of media coverage

Resource #7:(http://www.HopeHealth.com/oneminutevideo/)

Here’s a sample of a oneminute video that’s inexpensive to produce yet highly effective in engaging the intended audience

Resource #8:(http://www.HopeHealth.com/ebook-resources/editorialproductionplan.pdf)

At-a-glance communication production plan that takes advantage of all media and is scheduled in advance

Resource #9:(http://www.e-mazine.net/generic/)

Sample of eMazineTM — Hope Health’s electronic health newsletter incorporating much of the information in this eBook

Resource #10:(http://www.HopeHealth.com/enews-signup.asp)

Trends, Strategies & Tactics for Wellness Committees — Free eNewsletter. Sign up your entire committee at HopeHealth.com

Resource #11:(http://www.HopeHealth.com/freereports.asp)

FREE wellness and benefit communication reports and articles from Hope Health