The role of the doctor has, by now, become a familiar Hollywood archetype. In movies and on television, doctors are the characters who have all of the answers.
Not only do Hollywood doctors know what to do at all times, but (perhaps more importantly) they also sound like they know what to do at all times. They speak with supreme confidence. From Dr. House to Dr. Phil, we’ve been conditioned to view doctors as people who have the answers and who know how to give an answer.
Unfortunately, as real-life doctors know all too well, this isn’t always true – especially when it comes to conversing with the media. Unlike movie doctors, many doctors don’t feel comfortable speaking with the media. When asked a difficult question, they may even feel like they don’t have the answer.
What if media training for doctors was the answer?
Why Communicating with the Media Matters for Doctors
The fact is that, inside of nearly every hospital, countless newsworthy stories take place every year. Far too often, there are stories of doctors saving lives that go untold. Giving your doctors the confidence to share their stories with the media can provide incredibly positive press to your hospital – and it can even result in patients hearing about new treatments that may be able to benefit them.
Unfortunately, there are also times that fall on the other side of the coin – times when things go wrong and doctors feel challenged to respond to questions by members of the media.
So, media training for doctors should be looked at in two ways: as an opportunity and as a necessity. Doctors who feel comfortable speaking with the media can tell their uplifting stories that generate positive coverage for your medical facility. And, they’ll also undoubtedly be called upon to respond to crises when they arise, which can be essential to protecting the reputation of your hospital.
Why Media Training Helps
So, if good media communication skills are essential for doctors, how can you make sure that your doctors are comfortable? Well, media training can help.
Doctors often speak in language that normal audiences have a difficult time understanding. This tendency is totally understandable; they’ve often had years of highly technical training in their field. They’re immersed in jargon constantly.
Media training can help doctors translate their technical jargon into normal language – what we call the language of the living room.
Doctors also are likely to be skeptical of media interviews, in general. Media training for doctors can help to give a sense of purpose to the media communications process.
The purpose of doctor media communication isn’t to tell audiences how great your hospital is, even if your hospital is great. Instead, the purpose of doctors communicating with the media is to convey information about complex medical situations and procedures to the public.
Doctors are uniquely positioned to explain how procedures work, and why they’re beneficial. Media training gives them the tools to explain these things well.
Are you ready to learn more about media training for doctors at your hospital? Get in touch with us. At The Ammerman Experience, we’re pioneers in the field of media training. Your doctors may not be movie stars, but they can learn how to speak clearly and convey stories that matter – and that’s even better than having all of the answers.