Public health professionals are often asked to communicate complex community needs, program impact, and next steps in ways that are clear, compelling, and useful for both community members and local decision-makers. However, many communication products rely heavily on data tables, long reports, or technical language that may not fully reflect community priorities or support timely action. This skill-building session responds to the need for practical, equity-centered tools that help public health professionals translate local data and community voice into concise, accessible, and actionable public health briefs.
This interactive workshop will guide participants through a reusable five-part framework for developing one-page public health briefs. The framework includes: identifying what needs to be communicated and to whom; selecting relevant local and state data; integrating community voices, quotes, themes, or lived experience findings; structuring the narrative for different audiences, including community members and local stakeholders; and using simple data visualization and layout strategies to create a brief that is easy to understand, share, print, QR-code, or use in meetings.
Participants will apply the framework through a guided practice exercise using a Local Health Agency topic, such as vaping, as an example. Presenters will walk through how the same public health topic can be framed differently depending on the audience. For community members, the brief may emphasize accessible language, shared priorities, community strengths, resources, and what comes next. For local stakeholders, the brief may highlight data trends, service gaps, community-identified needs, program impact, and action steps for planning or policy. Participants will then practice selecting key messages, identifying appropriate data points, incorporating community voice, and considering simple visual strategies that support the intended narrative.
This session supports best practices in public health communication, community engagement, health equity, and applied data translation. By pairing quantitative data with qualitative community voice, participants will practice moving beyond simply reporting numbers toward creating communication products that reflect both evidence and lived experience. The session also supports skill development by giving attendees hands-on experience with a practical template and process they can adapt for future topics, programs, assessments, reports, grant updates, coalition meetings, and community engagement efforts.
The session is relevant to local, state, tribal, and federal public health professionals, community health staff, evaluators, coalition partners, and others working to translate data into meaningful public health action. Aligned with the conference theme, Stronger Together, this workshop emphasizes that public health communication is stronger when local and state data are combined with community priorities, barriers, strengths, and lived experience. Attendees will leave with actionable strategies for creating public health briefs that inform, engage, elevate community voice, and support shared decision-making.
