Do you know what is the most-watched show on Discovery Health?
"I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant."
Next in line is "Born Without a Face." After that comes "I Am My Own Twin," and last but certainly not least, "200 Pound Tumor."
"People want to be shocked," says Dr. John Whyte, the chief medical officer at Discovery Health.
Clearly.
I heard Dr. Whyte speak about Discovery Health's work last week at the National Conference on Health Communication, Marketing, and Media, put on in Atlanta by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Discovery Health works to empower, educate, and entertain those who watch through "edutainment" - shows like the ones I named above, as well as others that cover a range of health issues.
People get lots of information from prime time TV shows, and Dr. Whyte shared with us that 53% of people believe that health information communicated via television is accurate.
How can those of us who promote health use the communication strategies employed by these shows to communicate health messages?
For those of us who talk about health all the time, we may start to believe that everyone thinks the way we do. Whyte asks: "What is someone who's not interested in public health interested in seeing?"
Clearly, it's "I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant"!
What's interesting about that kind of show? I often think about what kinds of surprise or suspense we can incorporate into our communications about health to engage people the way these shows do so successfully.
Thinking of these shows, the surprise or mystery is certainly an element of what draws our attention. But, the human dimension also seems to be very important.
Specifically to suicide prevention, is there a balance to be struck between creativity and safe messaging? Are we missing some of the human dimension and leaving out something that really clicks with people? In our reluctance to sensationalize people's stories, do we lose the opportunity to tell a story that resonates?
As a writer, I strive to bring real people's stories to light, and through those individually powerful stories, tell a global truth.
That's creativity.
But, as much as I naturally choose my words carefully, as someone who cares about best practices, I have to be even more careful. I find that when I'm being very careful, I often forget the story I am trying to tell. Sometimes, I'm being very safe, but not very interesting.
There are ways to strike that balance between creativity and safe messaging, and I hope to feature some in future posts. Have you seen anything - a show, a billboard, a public service announcement - that achieves this goal? I'd love to hear about it.
