Writing Right 

Insights, news, and notes on engaging and motivating your audiences
Fall 2014
In This Issue
Tap Into the Power of Storytelling

Did you know that stories engage the brain more than any other type of information? That's one reason why storytelling works so well in com- municating health information and building relationships with consumers, patients, and others.

  

Stories actually trigger chemicals in the brain that help people remember. They create an emotional connection between the storyteller and the listener, reader, or viewer, and inspire behavior change.

 

Research Shows that Stories Work

Results of a clinical trial on the effects of storytelling on patients with high blood pressure showed that listening to personal narratives helped control high blood pressure as well as adding more medications. The researchers, who published their findings in Annals of Internal Medicine, concluded that,"The storytelling intervention produced substantial and significant improvements in blood pressure for patients with baseline uncontrolled hypertension."

 

"Telling and listening to stories is the way we make sense of our lives," said Dr. Thomas K. Houston, the study's lead author. "That natural tendency may have the potential to alter behavior and improve health."

 

Stories are especially helpful with patients who:   

  • Distrust the medical system
  • Find it hard to understand health information
  • Have chronic conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure but
    don't feel sick.

 

 

Use Stories to Engage and Persuade

Tap into the power of stories to engage people, and persuade them to live healthier, get treatment for a specific condition, or choose your hospital or healthcare facility. Stories with happy endings make people more hopeful and optimistic about their ability to stay healthy or conquer health challenges.

 

Resource: Houston TK, et al. "Culturally Appropriate Storytelling to Improve Blood Pressure: A Randomized Trial," Annals of Internal Medicine. 2011;154(2):77-84. Available online. 


Storytelling Facts and Quotes 

  

63% of people remember stories; 5% remember statistics

 

"Those who tell the stories rule the world."

 - Hopi American Indian proverb

 

"Storytelling is the essential human activity. The harder the situation,
the more essential it is."

- Tim O'Brien 

 

Tips and Resources 

Building an Awesome Professional Network

We've all heard that who you know is as important, and maybe more important, than what you know. Effective networking lets you meet and build relationships with the right people.

 

"How to Build an Awesome Professional Network" (2012) by Mike Fishbein is full of actions you can take to build your reputation, gain visibility, and learn through networking. Key takeaways include:

  • Always try to help others (be a connector, resource, and adviser)
  • Create opportunities for yourself
  • Commit to long-term networking
  • Be authentic.
Available at Amazon.com

Recent Projects
Newsletters

"Reflections on Shedding Weight and Disease," Clementine Words, creator of custom healthcare publications and digital content (Littleton, Colo.)

For Bloom consumer magazine, Penrose-St. Francis Hospital (Colorado Springs, Colo.), part of Centura Health, the region's leading healthcare network

 

"Pediatric Eye Surgery: Seeing Straight As"

Breakthroughs consumer magazine

Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, a leading academic medical center (New Brunswick, N.J.)

 

Reports
Power Up, Speak Out!: An evidence-based model for preventing teen dating violence in frontier communities
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
, the nation's largest philanthropy devoted solely to improving the public's health (Princeton, N.J.)

 

 

Professional Notes 
The Mighty Marketer 

"The Mighty Marketer: Your Guide to Making More Money as a Freelance Medical Writer" tells readers how to develop high-impact, low- or no-cost marketing tools, build their network and reputation, get repeat business and referrals, and more. I published the book, available on Amazon.com and my Mighty Marketer website,  in August.

 

The 2014 Freelance Conference

Lori is also co-chairing the 2015 Freelance Conference, sponsored by the American Medical Writers Association-Delaware Valley Chapter (March 28, 2014, King of Prussia, Pa.). 

 

 

Copyright � 2014. All Rights Reserved.

Writing Right is published quarterly for colleagues of Lori De Milto Writer for Rent LLC. If you prefer not to receive the newsletter, feel free to unsubscribe below. 


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Lori De Milto Writer for Rent LLC 

 

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Copyright � 2014. All Rights Reserved.