Burness Health & Science Advocacy Institute
IN A WORLD FULL OF 24-HOUR NEWS, BLOGS, TEXT MESSAGING, MILLIONS OF E-MAILS, AND THE SEVEN SECOND SOUND BITE…
HOW CAN YOU BE MEMORABLE?
Burness Health and Science Advocacy Institute
The Challenge
You’re an expert in science or health, and you have something important to say – something with the potential to move policy, create social change, or save lives.
But how do you communicate effectively, so that people not only listen but act? What techniques can you use to engage diverse audiences, inform policy debates, and generate support?
The Solution
To drive social change, it’s essential to capture the attention of those positioned to act – to be “memorable” in a sea of boring PowerPoints, flat presentations and dull interviews.
Effective communicators wield compelling messages, deliver thoughtful messages to tough questions and know how to control an interview. The Burness Health & Science Advocacy Institute helps experts find their voice – developing clear, effective messages and the skills needed to influence media, policymakers, foundations, and professional advocates.
Individual Coaching
In addition to our workshops, which equip scientist and researchers with the tools to become advocates on their own, we also offer “coaching” services.
Trainees can practice what they’ve learned in our workshops with the support of a public relations coach, and a strategic plan developed between coach and expert.
Our flagship coaching effort is with the Mayday Pain & Society Fellowship, a program that starts with a four-day session in Washington, DC for six fellows who are experts on pain management. We provide ongoing counsel and assistance through in-person meetings and conference calls with the Fellows providing writing, editing, messaging assistance. Fellows are paired with a coach, their main point of contact, but our coaching model includes the support of a team with diverse areas of expertise—media relations, public policy, digital media, etc.—in order to provide the best possible support for whatever activites the Fellows choose to pursue.
After the five month coaching period, one Mayday Fellow told us, simply, “I wish I...
Workshop Sessions
We don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach. Each of our courses is designed to meet your objectives and match your interests. The Institute will work with you to create a curriculum tailored to your organization’s goals and needs.
And to extend the lessons of the training, we give participants a resource book containing valuable guidance on putting what they’ve learned into practice. Interactive sessions can be arranged on any of these topics:
- Message Crafting
- Message Rehearsal
- Media Training
- How to Work with Policymakers
- Op-Ed Writing & Placement
- How to Embark on Your Own Public Relations Outreach
- How to be an Effective Advocate
- How to Build a Communications Strategy
- Role-Playing with Reporters and Producers
- Role-Playing with Policymakers
- The Changing Media: Engaging in Social Media
Click here to view a sample workshop agenda.
Check out the Burness Institute’s “Above the Noise” new blog post - even the National Institutes of Health can do it. And by that we mean develop simple clear messages about the amazing research that has been accomplished by 27 Institutes and Centers – within a somewhat faceless enormous Institute that lies within an even larger government agency (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services). They are working hard with great messaging on helping taxpayers understand how their money is spent on important medical research. And an interesting fact, the majority of Americans don’t even know what the NIH is according to a survey by Research!America. The NIH is the largest public supporter of biomedical research in the world.
PATEM ELAORPER
Visit the Institute's new blog, Above the Noise.
