By Ashley Sipocz
Last year, the CDC brilliantly used a zombie apocalypse scenario to get people excited about emergency preparedness. Now, zombies have spread to other areas of health. Zombies making runs fun, running blood drives, and helping kids eat better and keep their teeth healthy.
Witnessing this outbreak of zombies in health got me thinking – what could zombies teach me about health communication?
Not so ironically, I found my answer in another zombie-themed phenomenon – The Walking Dead. In case you haven’t seen it, the show follows a former sheriff’s deputy, Rick Grimes, as he leads a small, ever-changing group of survivors in the wake of a national zombie outbreak.
Here’s what I learned from Rick and his scrappy group about how not get gobbled up by health comm.
Lesson 1: Have a plan but be willing to adapt.
Whether it’s a supply run or an attempt to infiltrate a prison, Rick and his gang of survivors always take time to prepare and make a plan. Yet, unexpected “walkers” – the name for zombies on The Walking Dead – can throw off even the best laid plans, forcing everyone to quickly adapt.
I’m a planner. I can also be stubborn. I’ve learned this can be a deadly combination when working in a dynamic field like health communications. You don’t always get the interviews you need. Your social media efforts don’t get the response you expect. Assignments can take longer than you anticipate. These all would have been difficult to manage if I hadn’t learned to set my plans in something a little more flexible than stone.
Plans are important whether you’re in the throes of a zombie apocalypse or health communication campaign. The key to surviving is you have to be willing to adapt when walkers sneak up on you.
Lesson #2: Listen.
Rick and his group are able to adapt so well and survive so long is because they vigilantly listen to what’s going on. If you’re not attentive to your environment and who (or what) is in it, you can quickly get bitten. The same holds true for health communication.
Projects at the HCRC span a wide range of health topics, and, admittedly, there are some I find hard to get jazzed about. When you’re not as excited about projects, it can make it tough to think of an interesting way to present them. This is where listening can help.
You can learn a lot by listening to people and observing what does (or doesn’t) work for others. You get to know your audience; get ideas for your strategy and can respond to emerging issues, which can help you with Lesson #1.
Lesson #3: Engage.
Rick doesn’t just listen to his group. He gets them involved either by seeking their input on a decision or giving them a task. Rick’s group members don’t have to participate or follow him. Yet, they do because participation offers a value beyond mere survival – it offers a relationship that’s hard to come by in the days of a zombie apocalypse.
People don’t just want to be heard – they also want to belong. While listening can be the start of a beautiful relationship, engagement sustains it.
When you ask people what they want and give them ways to be involved, like Rick, you can move people to great lengths with your message.
Lesson #4: Be human.
A zombie outbreak is chaotic. Adapting to the chaos, Rick and his clan have made choices that don’t make sense within their previous notions of how the world worked. How do they deal?
They tell themselves stories. Rick finds purpose as the group’s leader. Characters find hope in a cure for the zombie outbreak and the next endeavor to find safety.
People are meaning makers. We find comfort in meaning so we’re really good at creating it even when it’s hard to find, for instance, during a zombie apocalypse. Storytelling helps us fill in informational gaps and understand our context through the emotions they evoke.
My background is in research where data rules, so showing emotion in writing has been a little uncomfortable for me. I’m learning, and it’s thanks to the stories I’ve seen other health communicators tell (see Lesson #2).
Health communicators are helpers in meaning-making with the stories we tell. Zombies have been great for this task, but they are not the only way to talk about health. The concept you use is just one part of something bigger – how you use that idea to connect with each other.
So the next time you find yourself on the run from the shambling hordes of undead or struggling with reaching your health communication goals, remember this bit of wisdom from our favorite zombie killing sheriff:
“We survive this by pulling together, not apart.”