Communication
What you must know
Health communication is audience-centered. Know health literacy and its components (print, numeracy, oral, and digital literacy) and the practical responses: plain language, chunking, white space, teach-back, and visuals. Understand the distinction between targeted communication (designed for a defined subgroup) and tailored communication (customized to an individual's characteristics or data). Know social marketing and the marketing mix - product, price, place, promotion, plus policy and partnership in expanded versions - and the concept of exchange (what the audience gives up versus gains). Recognize audience segmentation, formative message testing, channel selection, and risk communication principles: build trust, acknowledge uncertainty, be timely, and pair numbers with context. Understand absolute versus relative risk framing, shared decision-making, cultural humility in messaging, and the role of digital and social media including misinformation.
Traps questions set
- Confusing targeted with tailored.
- Treating a readability score as proof of comprehension - it measures word and sentence length, not understanding.
- Presenting relative risk without the base rate.
- Using fear appeals without efficacy information, which can backfire.
- Choosing the channel the organization prefers rather than the one the audience uses.
Rule of thumb
Close every explanation with teach-back: "I want to be sure I explained this clearly - can you tell me in your own words what you'll do next?" If the person cannot, the message failed, not the listener.
Worked example: "This medicine cuts your risk of stroke from 4 in 100 to 2 in 100" (absolute) is more actionable than "halves your risk" (relative) alone; pair both with a visual.