If you’ve been around in the health comm world for a while (or if you’ve opened a newspaper at some point during the past decade), you’ve probably noticed that there’s no shortage of health topics that inspire debate. These days, the spectrum ranges from topics as seemingly innocuous as fluoride in our drinking water to hot-button items like measles vaccination. As health communicators, we often find ourselves caught in the shuffle: Our job is to provide our audiences — all audiences — with accurate, science-based, and actionable information so people can make the best decisions for their health. But what if some of our audiences aren’t receptive to our usual messages and framing?
For today’s post, we’ve gathered 3 strategies on how to bridge the divide when communicating about divisive topics — we hope you find them helpful!
Focus on shared values.
When faced with fundamentally different views of an issue we care about, it can be tempting to not just discount other opinions, but to discount the people who hold them as “bad,” “misguided,” or to shame them for their views and actions. But the truth is, shaming people never works. Instead, focus messaging on shared values.
For example, FrameWorks Institute’s research on talking about health disparities shows that across the political spectrum, most people share the idea of dignity as an inherent human right. So, say you’re communicating with a conservative audience about the importance of protecting LGBTQ+ people’s access to health care, you might frame your argument by saying “Treating people with dignity means making sure everyone has access to life-saving care.”
Check out more of FrameWorks’ research on how to talk about health topics!
Replace “trigger words.”
One of our favorite health comm tips is tailoring the language you use to your audience — and that’s never been more important than now. Many of the terms swirling around in public health conversations have become politicized, which means that they might elicit a strong reaction from your readers — and you might risk losing your audience’s attention before you even had a chance to make your point.
To mitigate this issue, try replacing “trigger words” and phrases with alternatives that describe the same concept, but aren’t as loaded with meaning. Here’s a few examples:
- Promote health equity > Give everyone a fair chance to be healthy
- Fight for environmental/climate justice > Protect our natural resources
- Misinformation > Rumor, falsehood, or incorrect information
- Social determinants of health > Factors outside of a person’s control that affect their health
Bonus point — these replacements are often more plain language!
Frame messages around individual benefit.
Traditionally, public health messages have focused a lot on the common good of measures like vaccination. While that argument may work for some, it doesn’t resonate as strongly for others. It can also be pretty abstract. When talking about potentially controversial topics, one strategy to try is highlighting how people can benefit personally — and making it as concrete as possible. For example:
- “Getting your kids vaccinated can mean less sick time away from school — and it can help schools stay open by preventing community outbreaks.”
- “Resting at home when you’re sick can help you feel better faster and get back to work, school, and other activities that are important to you.”
- “If someone close to you is using opioids, consider carrying naloxone — it might help you save a loved one’s life.”
The bottom line: As health communicators, our job is to create messages that can reach audiences across the social and political spectrum. And while we can’t control how our messages are received, we can shape how they’re delivered — and raise the chances people are ready to hear what we have to say.
Copy/paste to share on social (and tag us!): Many health topics have become politicized — making it tricky to reach audiences across the spectrum of opinions. CommunicateHealth shares 3 strategies to help bridge the divide. https://communicatehealth.com/wehearthealthliteracy/health-comm-for-the-current-moment-bridging-the-divide/ #HealthCommunication #HealthLiteracy #HealthComm
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