The other day, a client said they didn’t want “little stories” in their content. When I pressed what they meant, they pointed to a short metaphor I had written about how the choice between working with software and paper is drastically different from deciding between peach and vanilla ice cream.
I was happy to remove the metaphor (it was a stretch), but the interaction reminded me of a common misconception about stories.
Stories aren’t necessarily whimsical, colorful, fictional, or ice-cream-related. Likewise, storytelling doesn’t require hyperbole, scene-setting, or clever endings. Instead, storytelling organizes a series of events in a way that will resonate with an audience. Clinical storytellers find new ways to present information to help people remember and find meaning in what they are saying.
The previous blog covered building your story by finding the central message and using classic story formats. Here, we’ll talk about practical ways to turn your everyday communication into storytelling, helping you convey what matters in a memorable way.
Storytelling and daily work
Photo by José Pablo Domínguez on Unsplash
People in medical device, biopharmaceutical, healthcare, and digital therapeutics fields have plenty of opportunities to use clinical storytelling. Here are a few clinical storytelling situations:
- PowerPoint presentations
- Networking at conferences
- Conversations with coworkers
- Board meetings
- Seeing patients
- Regulatory submissions
- Everyday emails
The complexity and telling of your story varies on the need, channel, and audience. For example, you wouldn’t want to launch into the history of your device in a short networking conversation. Still, you may want to mention a surprising fact that sets it apart from competitors to pique interest.
The table below shows an example of using the same series of facts in various clinical storytelling situations. We’ll use the facts about a cardiac device presented in the first story of this blog series:
- Device A helps a specific heart valve function as intended.
- Trial results show a significant improvement in the quality of life of people with Device A.
- Device A is intended for a vulnerable population previously considered untreatable.
| Scenario | Audience | Story | Order |
| Presentation | Inhouse sales team | Trial results show a significant improvement in the quality of life of people with Device A, as it helps a specific heart valve function as intended. This is good news for a vulnerable population previously considered untreatable. | 2, 1, 3 |
| Panel discussion | Physician conference attendees | Device A is intended for a vulnerable population previously considered untreatable. Trial results show a significant improvement in the quality of life of people with Device A, which helps a specific heart valve function as intended. | 3, 2, 1 |
| Community gathering | Seniors and caregivers at a senior center | Device A helps a specific heart valve function as intended for a vulnerable population previously considered untreatable. Trial results show a significant improvement in the quality of life of people using it. | 1, 3, 2 |
Results matter to the sales team, who must convince hospitals and clinics that the device would make a difference in patients’ lives. Physicians attending the conference would be interested in the significance of the device in the medical field. Community gathering attendees need a simple explanation of the device and its context before hearing about trial results.
Another reason for seriously considering how to order events in clinical storytelling is the serial position effect. Researchers found that people are most likely to remember the beginning and end of a story. The middle? Forgotten. In the community gathering example, ending with a positive note (people could be active again) leaves the audience to consider who may need device A in their circle.
Empathy is foundational to clinical storytelling
Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash
This example makes clinical storytelling seem simple, but there are endless ways to tell a story. The “right” way to tell a story has nothing to do with the storyteller and everything to do with the audience.
Instead of assuming an audience is interested in the same things as them, clinical storytellers can look at the story through their audience’s eyes for the most interesting bits and move forward from there. Building empathy with your audience helps you understand their perspective. This could be as simple as reading some articles or as complex as setting up a survey or series of interviews.
The next time you write an email or prepare for a presentation, think about clinical storytelling. Consider your central message, what your audience may find most interesting, and how you can order the facts you have to give your message the best chance of reaching your audience.
Incorporating storytelling at work will help others understand and remember what you have to say. This is especially critical in the world of medicine, where clear communication can have an immediate impact on others’ health.
Interested in using clinical storytelling in your marketing or medical writing projects? Let’s get the conversation started or see examples of our work – I promise they don’t include ice cream.