The healthcare industry is a large and mighty force. Healthcare professionals are frequently tasked with giving presentations on recent developments in their specific field, historical trends, and results of certain pharmaceutical tests and trials, and much more. When communicating this information to the greater public, a more intimate knowledge of the target audience and their preferred communication style and language is crucial to message delivery. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of 3 phrases you should avoid using in your healthcare presentations:
1. Patient experience
There are two components of this phrase that lack the gusto you want to display in your healthcare presentation. First, the use of the word patient sounds impersonal and distant. In a presentation to patients, switch out the word by incorporating client stories and experiences through a storytelling narrative. And that leads to the second lackluster part of the phrase, which is it’s lack of description. Give patients a face, a name, a story. Don’t merely describe the general “patient experience.” Opt for a more granular dive into either an actual patient journey or a fictional, yet realistic client journey. This tactic will make your presentation more relatable to potential and current patients. Even change your language when presenting to patient-dominated audiences by referring directly to them. Use the second-person and address audience members through the use of the word you.
2. Comprehensive service
Public relations and brand strategy masters in healthcare Paul Szablowski and Rob Rosenberg devised a list of 7 deadly marketing words in the industry. One of the most important word to be aware of is comprehensive. Paul and Rob address the problem of description deficit in the healthcare industry within presentations and external communications. In one word, the healthcare marketers argue that each institution must toss the typical phrases and err on the side of unique language and descriptors. Despite the fact that your organization may offer comprehensive service, the phrase means nothing to the average person. Demonstrate and tell audiences what makes your service so comprehensive. How are your offerings different from other institutions like yours? Be detailed, not broad.
3. State-of-the-art
According to plainlanguage.gov, a more comprehensible word to use as a replacement for state-of-the-art is latest. Simplifying the adjectives you decided to use to describe your services and/or facilities will help your audience members imagine and envision what an experience with you would be like. MedlinePlus suggests crafting content that is within the reading range of a 7th or 8th grader. But, depending on your audience, we would make a contradictory suggestion: keep your content and presentation message at about a 4th or 5th grade level. Steve Jobs spoke at a 5th grade level, and in 2007, he was ranked as the presenter with the most impact when compared to Michael Dell (9th grade level speaker) and Bill Gates (10th grade level speaker).
A federal government initiative called Plain Language gathered a list of words and phrases commonly seen in healthcare materials. Alongside this list, the site includes a list of words and phrases to use instead. Take a look at the resource when you are stuck on the task of simplification. For more information, review the following articles:
Choosing Appropriate Vocabulary in Presentations
