T2B Tag: storytelling
The Biopharma Communicator’s Problem Statement
At a holiday networking event last week, someone doggedly kept asking me what problem I’m solving with our community.
I’ve always seen an OPPORTUNITY with T2B, but this line of questioning made me reconsider whether we are in fact a solution to a problem.
We all know that what we do as communicators in THIS industry is so unique and complicated and highly specialized.
We also know in our heart of hearts that we can have a huge impact on our individual clients and companies.
But have you thought about how much we as an industry are holding ourselves back with the current conservative, siloed structure?
To put a finer point on it, I suppose the problem statement here is a future WITHOUT any changes to the status quo across our profession.
Ask yourself this: What’s the point of all of our colleagues’ tireless hours in the lab, painstaking study designs, negotiating with regulators – all of it – if the people who need to know about this work don’t know about it or understand it?
Or worse, what if these medical advances of the future are acknowledged but then rejected?
Honestly, in my opinion, none of it matters if we’re not reaching the people who are meant to receive these updates and making a lasting impression in their hearts and minds.
With an uncertain political environment, mis-, dis-, and mal-information lurking in every corner, the beginnings of unprecedented technological shifts with AI, and a huge trust problem with our industry, we can’t afford NOT to challenge the status quo.
T2B’s mission from day 1 has been to create community by cultivating connections and conversations.
We’re constantly listening to all kinds of biopharma communicators and evolving HOW we create those opportunities, but with over 750 members, the need is apparent and the movement is real.
So, I challenge you to think bigger than maybe you have in the past.
What can YOU do to change the course of storytelling in human health, and how can we help you do that?
Personal Storytelling Makes a Difference
We talked earlier this year about the importance of including the patient perspective in corporate messaging.
In last week’s Comm Convo, our guest speakers reminded us, albeit from a different vantage point, why this is important.
They said the most effective way to get our stories across is at the human level.
And especially with audiences like government officials who have contrasting perspectives flying at them from every which way, it usually takes more than once.
What we also heard from our panelists was that, more broadly speaking, consistent and human-centric storytelling is the key.
Yes, this certainly includes working hand in hand with smart and credible patient advocacy organizations.
But it also means tapping into the personal stories that propel our industry forward.
For example, why is your leadership team focused on a particular disease area or modality? What’s the tie-in with their personal experiences or motivations?
Or, what experiences can your lab staff or manufacturing team draw on to provide the full picture to external audiences?
Or, what about the job creation or workforce development story in the local economy? Are there new and different kinds of jobs your company or client is creating that maybe didn’t exist 10 or 15 years ago?
Of course our industry has its challenges and there are bad actors just like every other sector out there, but as our guests said last week, there’s a LOT to be celebrated.
We should be proud of the work we’re doing and proud to tell our story.
It can make a difference, from Wall Street all the way to Capitol Hill.
Empowering Corporate Advocacy Thru Social Media
As we roll into a new month, we’re combining a little bit of September’s theme of digital storytelling with October’s theme, as we transition to look at different kinds of advocacy across our industry and what it means for our companies, clients, and leaders.
First, let’s differentiate between a few types of advocacy:
Corporate advocacy relates to a company’s support for social causes.
Brand advocacy centers on customers and employees promoting the brand.
Policy advocacy involves influencing government policy or regulations.
Zeroing in on corporate advocacy, the Institute of Business Ethics reported in 2023 that a survey among international Corporate Affairs professionals found that half believe that companies should play a role in taking a public position on issues.
One of the most powerful tools at our disposal when it comes to corporate advocacy is social media.
The University of Kansas’ Community Toolbox highlights that “the modern digital era means that social media will no longer be a standalone aspect of your advocacy plan, but rather something that should be integrated at the most basic level.”
That’s because social media enables a quick reaction and a channel to share corporate responsibility efforts, while fostering two-way conversation and a community of trust.
What role does social media play in your own corporate advocacy framework?
Popcorn Brain
LinkedIn’s fairly new video tab got us thinking about the rise of short-form video and its role in digital storytelling.
Reporting last week from Fast Company highlighted that short-form video is the fastest-growing type of content on Linkedin, with a 34% increase in video uploads this year.
So, how short exactly is short-form video?
The Digital Marketing Institute defines short-form video as content that’s 5 to 90 seconds in duration, going on to advise that “even though the videos are short, they still need to tell a compelling story and have a clear narrative flow.”
Social Media Today recently reported that there’s “been a big increase in longer versions of short video clips on YouTube and TikTok.”
Let me say that again: an increase in longer versions of short video clips.
Clips that are between 30 and 60 seconds in duration are still considered short-form video, falling well within that 90-second ceiling I mentioned earlier, and that’s apparently the sweet spot right now on other platforms.
That makes sense because the average amount of time adults can maintain optimal attention during a continuous performance task has been cited to be between 47 and 76 seconds, depending on what research you’re looking at.
Anyway, creating this snackable content that’s compelling, telling a story, and explaining complex content all simultaneously is a tall order.
What are your strategies for creating compelling short-form vid- Oh wait, look at that, we’ve hit xx seconds.
Creative Digital Storytelling in Science and Biopharma Comms with Tod Plotkin
Rethinking Storytelling in the Digital Era
As communicators in biopharma, we know that storytelling is key to conveying complex science, data readouts, and implications for human health.
Author Jeff Gothelf shared in Harvard Business Review a few years back that, “A poor storyteller can butcher even the best ideas, while a strong storyteller can present a daunting concept with care and compassion for their audience.”
Why is that?
Cognitive neuroscientist and behavioral economist Gleb Tsipursky says that “using stories speaks to emotions, inspires engagement, and is memorable.”
He says that stories tap into social intelligence, which he refers to as “the strategic capacity to evaluate and influence other people’s emotions and relationships.”
Translating these highly relatable stories into digital media that can still effectively convey key messages while also leveraging that social intelligence doesn’t come without its challenges.
A digital communications literature review last year published in the journal, Management Review Quarterly, put it this way:
“Compared to traditional communication, digital communication brings along distinct characteristics, such as changes in information flows, the density of information, or the timing of communication.”
The Center for Digital Storytelling recommends these seven elements of digital storytelling: 1. Point of View, 2. A Dramatic Question, 3. Emotional Content, 4. The Gift of Your Voice, 5. The Power of the Soundtrack, 6. Economy, or not overloading the viewer, and 7. Pacing.
How are you rethinking storytelling in the digital era?