With Information Changing Rapidly, Flexibility and Authenticity Remain Paramount for Healthcare Communication

[Editor’s Note: This interview with Jennifer Gallo, a newly minted EVP, client engagement and business development, Evoke KYNE, was conducted in late December as the country was beginning to deal with the Omicron variant. The reality of entering a third year of the pandemic seemed inevitable. Instead of thinking of the holidays, people were concerned and confused. Horror stories about Omicron as well as narratives urging calm were the fare. In New York, where cases spiked, several Broadway shows, after having recently reopened, closed. And home test kits became March 2020’s version of toilet paper and hand sanitizer.

It was in this difficult communication moment that Gallo presciently prescribed flexibility for fellow communicators, as they struggled with return-to-work messages. In addition, she urged prompt messaging and transparency. Tell your audience what you know now, even if it’s incomplete. Be open about what you don’t yet know, Gallo added. She also shared tips about ‘translating’ complicated health and science information for non-scientists. The keys include making content clear, concise and accessible on several levels.