More hospitals are calling on their physicians to take active roles in the community and become the faces that represent the organization to prospective patients and other physicians. As a part of this effort, hospitals are sending physicians out into the community to provide talks and participate in forum discussions.
Such community outreach is an excellent way to build physician visibility, increase community rapport and ultimately build patient panels, but for this outreach to have these desired effects (and not have the opposite effects), speaking engagements must be planned and performed strategically, and appropriate support must be provided to physicians throughout the experience.
Here are four ways for hospitals and their communications/marketing departments to maximize the effectiveness of physician community outreach efforts.
1. Make sure delivery is as sound as the content. Far too often, community outreach takes the form of information transfer, with physicians presenting PowerPoint presentations that have a heavy focus on slides that simply include facts and figures. For community outreach to be effective, it needs to be looked at differently.
Physicians should be presenting engaging and interesting talks that genuinely benefit their audiences while offering opportunities for interaction. Physicians are sometimes resistant to this form of community outreach as they haven't received the proper training and support needed for more personalized interaction with audiences.
If physicians recognize and acknowledge a fear of public speaking, and are reminded that this phobia is quite common, it can go a long way in improving a speaker's confidence (the comfort in knowing you are not alone in a fear). In addition, acknowledging this fear can open the door to discussions on how physicians can overcome the challenge of public speaking by practicing talks (perhaps with peers or staff) and receiving feedback before presenting to the community.
Focusing on understanding and employing some of the basic tenants of good public speaking — volume, pacing, tone, use of humor and appropriate gestures — is a great starting point.
2. Ensure content is driving prospective patients to the hospital, not away. One of the primary objectives of community outreach is to engage with prospective patients and encourage them to consider the physician — and his or her hospital — as their future caregivers. To accomplish this objective, the topics chosen for presentations must be of interest to the community so these prospective patients actually attend the talks, and then come away with a positive perception of the physician and hospital.
To draw in greater a number of attendees, presentations shouldn't be on issues that can be effectively and quickly researched online. Topics chosen should "foster discussion" rather than simply "relay information." For example, it may be wise to choose "healthy living" as the subject matter for a presentation rather than heart attacks or cardiac episodes. This will provide more opportunities to engage an audience regarding proactive decisions that can be made in regards to their health rather than simply relaying information on a concrete topic.
The content delivered during presentations and panel discussions must be engaging and build audience affinity. Giving your audience options and choices to consider fosters discussion and interaction. Thinking in this manner may be a paradigm shift for physicians, who are often accustomed to speaking on topics primarily driven by information transfer.
We often discuss the concept of "building affinity" with audiences in our work with clients. We encourage our clients to develop their talks in ways that empower their audiences as opposed to frightening them. This strategy can be utilized in a way that by no means compromises the integrity of the medical and clinical date being presented. On a granular level, this means using language with positive connotations, such as "shortened life span" versus "death." On a broader scale, this speaks to presenters structuring their talks in a way that arms their audiences with positive and proactive options for their health rather than the use of negative, scare tactics.
3. Develop authentic personal rapport with the audience. When a physician speaks to an audience, he or she instantly commands attention. This is the result of just being a physician; the credentials that come after a physician's name are impressive, and prospective patients naturally appreciate and respect the work that went into earning those credentials.
But building a true connection with an audience requires physicians to step out from behind their credentials and relate to the audience as another member of the community who just happens to be a medical expert providing healthcare services.
We work with our clients to incorporate personal stories and anecdotes into their community talks. We ask them to be "real people" and physicians, and work to develop a public presence that incorporates the range of roles a physician plays in his or her community. They're not just doctors, but also perhaps parents, family members, community volunteers and leaders.
When physicians can embrace their different roles and not just speak as physicians, they are more likely to make an authentic human connection during their community appearances, leading to a more positive, personal and longer lasting impression on attendees.
4. Know how to prepare appropriately for outreach opportunities. Everyone's public speaking and presentation preparation needs are different, and it is important to approach every physician who is asked to engage in community outreach with this in mind. What works for one physician may not work for another, so assumptions should never be made on what will and won't work.
For example, telling a physician to "go prepare a 20 minute talk on stress management" may seem harmless, but this request may be an overwhelming undertaking for someone who already has anxiety around public speaking.
Physicians should be supported as much as possible leading up to and then after the outreach event. Help them to identify what will be the "best" way for them personally to prepare for the talk. Work to answer questions such as the following:
- Should they rely on notes or memorize their talk?
- How can they avoid overreliance on slides?
- What are their delivery gaps, and how can they be closed (e.g., rehearsing with peers or staff)?
- Who can give appropriate feedback to improve the talk?
By addressing these questions, a physician is more likely to deliver a better presentation, which will lead to a better outcome that accomplishes the objectives of community outreach.
Jason J. Davidson (jason@picketfenceconsulting.com) is founding principal of PicketFenceConsulting, a provider of public speaking, presentation coaching, and leveraging effective communication to enhance patient experience for healthcare executives, physicians, and other providers nationwide.