Policies founded in evidence-based public health research and practice have the potential to benefit people and sustainably improve community health. Many policymakers want the information that public health practitioners and researchers can provide. However, evidence and research with policy implications frequently fails to make it into the hands of decision makers or is not packaged in a way that is accessible or understandable by a wide variety of relevant and influential audiences, including organizational and governmental policymakers, advocates, and civically engaged groups. Public health practitioners and researchers need tools and strategies to translate their knowledge for decision makers to advance timely, evidence-based policy.
After a didactic presentation on theory and scholarship related to public narrative, participants will break out into small groups to collectively develop and improve a narrative to support policy change. Selection of characters, characters’ portrayal as heroes, victims, or villains, setting descriptions, and placement of the narrative at the individual, organizational, or structural level shift the understanding of audiences, directing attention in ways that can influence support.
Participants will receive effective tools and tailored feedback they can use in their own current, planned, or recent public health activities. Participants will develop skills that directly apply to Colorado’s core foundational public health capabilities of communications and policy development and support.
Content to be presented: Participants will learn how to develop persuasive, strategic stories that motivate change for specific audiences. The presenters will provide tools to help attendees develop narratives that can drive timely and actionable policy change within governments and organizations.
Proposed schedule:
Didactic presentation (approximately 40 minutes): discussion on persuasive messaging and public narrative rooted in academic research and scholarship.
Small group breakouts (approximately 30 minutes): participants will break into small groups to collectively develop and improve their narrative to support policy change.
Large group report-out and discussion (20 minutes): all participants will reconvene and share their experiences and reflections about the session.
Evaluation and measurement of skills developed: this will happen during the small group breakout sessions and large group report out of the activity, during which attendees’ communications strategies will be evaluated and workshopped in real time. Participants will also complete a post-workshop evaluation.
