Thacker said, “Skills in communication must be an integral part of an epidemiologist's repertoire, as must the ability to work in multi-disciplinary coalitions.”
A thread on how to be a BIG MOUTH #govEpi

#Covid19 is teaching us that our health is dependent on how well our #govEpis are trained and how well we communicate data. The toughest skill for a gov epi to learn is how to communicate data to people who don’t care anything about using data for decision making.

When communicating data, start with what the listener cares about. In this case, the economy. We should talk about the cost to society to shut schools down systematically throughout the year. # of parents that could lose their jobs. Or lost tax $$ from people too sick to shop.

What’s the feeling you want to elicit from your data? Only give data that will lead to that feeling. Dr. Birx did that yesterday. She said FL #Covid19 cases are starting to flatten. She wanted us to feel hopeful, so she didn’t tell us about the number of ICU beds at capacity.

Give data in bite-sized pieces. Don’t make people’s eyes gloss over with data. Nothing granular. Nothing too complicated. What’s the easiest, most truthful message you can give? ONLY give that. Let them ask for more.

Learn the language and the motivations of the person you’re speaking to, and speak to them in that language. You have my permission to code-switch here. It's for the greater good.

Check and double check your data. Once you’re confident that all your calculations are correct, speak up. Rephrase. Keep speaking. Dare someone to tell you to shut up. Be a big mouth gov epi because your constituents’ health depend on it.

If you were invited to the room, know you belong. Know your expertise in needed. That knowledge and correct data, should give you the confidence you need to speak on our behalf.