Communications Breakdown: What Works (and Doesn't) in Health and Science Communication

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A doctor hands you a post-it note with a disease name, tells you not to Google it, and sends you home. That moment is where a lot of health communication quietly fails, because the next steps happen without the clinician, the communicator, or the system in the room. In this episode we pick up part two of our conversation with our colleage Laura Dattner to ask a blunt question: what happens when we don’t address what people actually want to know?

We break down how trust, emotion, and real-world constraints decide whether health and science communication actually works. 

Listen in to hear us talk about:
• why “don’t Google it” fails without a trustworthy next step 
• why labels change meaning 
• how fear and uncertainty reshape what people can absorb 
• the difference between giving information and helping someone use it 
• the impact it can have when you deliver difficult medical diagnoses/results with empathy and a clear plan 
• teach-back as a practical tool for checking understanding 
• designing public health messages that fit exhausted parents’ real lives 

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This podcast is a project of the Center for Injury Research Translation and Communication (CIRTC). Connect with CIRTC: www.cirtc.org

Find CIRTC on LinkedIn, Bluesky, and YouTube.

Note: all thoughts and opinions shared in this podcast are personal and not representative of any organization.

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In this episode, we’re sharing a recording of a conference talk where Tracy tells the story behind a firearm safer storage campaign. Her message: subject matter expertise is not the same as audience expertise, and effective health messaging needs both. 

You’ll hear how bringing in a reviewer who understood the audience context changed the campaign materials, strengthened trust, and helped the message reach people who might otherwise tune out. Tracy also digs into the communication skills that actually move behavior: listening, humility, and inviting communities to shape solutions from the beginning, not just react at the end.

Listen to us break down this talk in Episode 15.

Graphics: https://www.t4cip.org/safer-storage

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This podcast is a project of the Center for Injury Research Translation and Communication (CIRTC). Connect with CIRTC: www.cirtc.org

Find CIRTC on LinkedIn, Bluesky, and YouTube.

Note: all thoughts and opinions shared in this podcast are personal and not representative of any organization.

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Anyone working in health and science communication faces a familiar challenge: how to deliver presentations that actually land. Whether you are giving a webinar, a conference talk, or a TED-style lightning talk, strong presentation skills start long before you open PowerPoint. 

Tracy walks through a TED-style lightning talk built around a failure story and a counterintuitive choice: no slides at all. Katrina shares a moment from a recorded webinar where a story about language and audience targeting landed the opposite way it was meant to. We talk about why “perfect” is a trap in public health communication, how being human can actually build trust, and why now is the time to be brave when you speak.

And finally, we share a practical social media tip you can use today to expand your reach.

Tracy's talk (Episode 16): https://www.buzzsprout.com/2452091/episodes/19211516 

Graphics: https://www.t4cip.org/safer-storage

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This podcast is a project of the Center for Injury Research Translation and Communication (CIRTC). Connect with CIRTC: www.cirtc.org

Find CIRTC on LinkedIn, Bluesky, and YouTube.

Note: all thoughts and opinions shared in this podcast are personal and not representative of any organization.

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Katrina talks with research writer Laura Dattner about how a health communication career grows from press releases into national injury prevention campaigns and hands-on training for future pediatricians. They break down how to tailor the same research for parents, clinicians, policymakers, and industry while staying clear, useful, and evidence-based.
 
• Her path into health communication through public health campaigns and mentorship 
• What it’s like being the default communications lead inside health departments 
• How child injury prevention research becomes press releases, interviews, and web content 
• Choosing the right channel and voice for parents vs clinicians vs researchers 
• Writing actionable safety guidance that goes beyond describing the problem 
• Working well with marketing teams, editors, and journalists through timelines and trust 

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This podcast is a project of the Center for Injury Research Translation and Communication (CIRTC). Connect with CIRTC: www.cirtc.org

Find CIRTC on LinkedIn, Bluesky, and YouTube.

Note: all thoughts and opinions shared in this podcast are personal and not representative of any organization.

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We sit down with health communication researcher and podcaster Brian Southwell to explore why misinformation spreads, what trust really means, how to talk about uncertainty, and where AI helps without replacing humans. We share concrete steps to bridge research and practice and lessons from podcasting that make messages feel human and useful.

Dr. Brian Southwell is Distinguished Fellow at RTI International where he oversees research on mental models of scientific concepts and public trust in science and scientists. He also Chairs the Fellows Program at RTI, is adjunct professor of Internal Medicine with Duke University, adjunct associate professor with UNC-Chapel Hill’s Gillings School of Global Public Health, and adjunct faculty member with the University of Delaware, and hosts the public radio show, The Measure of Everyday Life.

ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Brian-Southwell

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This podcast is a project of the Center for Injury Research Translation and Communication (CIRTC). Connect with CIRTC: www.cirtc.org

Find CIRTC on LinkedIn, Bluesky, and YouTube.

Note: all thoughts and opinions shared in this podcast are personal and not representative of any organization.

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We break down how we plan six months of social content while staying nimble for real‑time events, and we debate a counterintuitive framing tactic that might raise engagement but risks exclusion in public health. We close with a nod to Miss Frizzle and Bill Nye as models for authentic, audience‑first science communication.

• how a two‑level calendar keeps us on track
• tailoring topics to local audience cues
• reading the room and crisis pause protocols
• the “not for you” framing: upsides and risks
• authentic voice inspired by Ms. Frizzle and Bill Nye

Links:

Prevent Child Injury: Join Us

Center for Health Communication Newsletter

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This podcast is a project of the Center for Injury Research Translation and Communication (CIRTC). Connect with CIRTC: www.cirtc.org

Find CIRTC on LinkedIn, Bluesky, and YouTube.

Note: all thoughts and opinions shared in this podcast are personal and not representative of any organization.

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Some years ask for grit; this one demanded it. We’re closing out the year with a quick conversation about what felt heavy, what still matters, and how we plan to communicate with more heart and clarity in 2026. Our strategy: find the helpers, connect intentionally, and elevate the people doing work we admire.

In this episode:

• Reflections on burnout, fear, and uncertainty
• Authenticity as a strategy in an AI and misinformation era
• Courage to take risks and speak clearly about evidence
• Taking time to celebrate our achievements
• Talk to us: let us know what you want to hear in 2026

Links:

Katelyn Jetelina (Your Local Epidemiologist): https://yourlocalepidemiologist.substack.com/about

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This podcast is a project of the Center for Injury Research Translation and Communication (CIRTC). Connect with CIRTC: www.cirtc.org

Find CIRTC on LinkedIn, Bluesky, and YouTube.

Note: all thoughts and opinions shared in this podcast are personal and not representative of any organization.

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We hit our 10th episode by tackling two big tensions in health communication: AI’s fingerprints on our writing and images, and the real work of turning data into stories that lead to decisions. We end with a thoughtful look at trauma‑informed storytelling and a few fun extras for our listeners.

• em dashes and other AI tells
• what storytelling means beyond personal anecdotes
• how to turn data into decisions with “so what”
• a lightning talk example that finds the real message
• ethics of lived experience and long‑term consent
• two new coloring books!

Communications Breakdown coloring book: https://www.cirtc.org/communications-breakdown

Nano Banana Pro: https://gemini.google/overview/image-generation/

Nancy Duarte post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/nancyduarte_datastorytelling-communicationskills-leadershipcommunication-activity-7396941884478218240-GoNK

Steve Burns clip: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/QIzjHSL5Lo8

Gaping Void: https://www.gapingvoid.com/want-to-know-how-to-turn-change-into-a-movement/ 

Jamila Porter's new book: https://debeaumont.org/books/strategic-skills-for-public-health-practice-advancing-equity-and-justice/

Media Institute: https://www.nationwidechildrens.org/research/areas-of-research/center-for-injury-research-and-policy/education-and-training/media-101-workshop 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This podcast is a project of the Center for Injury Research Translation and Communication (CIRTC). Connect with CIRTC: www.cirtc.org

Find CIRTC on LinkedIn, Bluesky, and YouTube.

Note: all thoughts and opinions shared in this podcast are personal and not representative of any organization.

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Building a public health campaign shouldn’t start with what we want to say—it should start with who needs to hear it and what decisions they’re making in the moment. In this episode, we break down some of the things we think about when we create or participate in national campaigns, from pinning down primary and secondary audiences to finding the messengers they trust. We also get into why you shouldn't just use the photos you find on Google, and we close with a tip on designing for dark mode.

Topics:

• National Injury Prevention Day
• Start With Audience, Not Messages
• Choosing Channels And Social Constraints
• Data Informs Action, Emotion Drives Attention
• Audit Existing Resources And Fill Gaps
• Partner-Friendly Assets And Formats
• Tone, Music, And Visuals Set Emotion
• Jargon, Plain Language, And Trust
• Image Licenses: Risks And Best Practices
• Dark Mode

Links:

National Injury Prevention Day (NIPD): https://nationalinjurypreventionday.org/
NIPD Post-Event Fireside Chat (Tracy is moderating!): https://nationalinjurypreventionday.org/kickoff-webinar#fireside-chat
Copyright, Creative Commons, and Public Domain: https://youtu.be/BTNI1Od5IaA
Reverse Image Search: https://youtu.be/3JJdFfNpaz8
Google License Sorting Tool: https://youtu.be/zjVgQgm7GY8

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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This podcast is a project of the Center for Injury Research Translation and Communication (CIRTC). Connect with CIRTC: www.cirtc.org

Find CIRTC on LinkedIn, Bluesky, and YouTube.

Note: all thoughts and opinions shared in this podcast are personal and not representative of any organization.

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"The great enemy of communication...is the illusion of it." In this episode, we pull apart why your message might not be landing with your intended audience—or reaching them at all. From System 1 vs System 2 to creative risk, trade‑offs, and trusted messengers, we cover:
 
 • getting your audience's attention in a crowded media climate
 • from the Health Podcast Summit: three reasons messages fail
 • health literacy beyond reading level: access, design, inclusion
 • empathy for trade‑offs and offering workable alternatives
 • new research on the "truth sandwich" and correcting misinformation

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Links from the episode:

Quote: https://quoteinvestigator.com/2014/08/31/illusion/

Thinking, Fast and Slow: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thinking,_Fast_and_Slow

CPSC links: https://www.instagram.com/uscpsc/; https://bsky.app/profile/cpsc.gov

Dumb Ways to Die:

• Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJNR2EpS0jw
• Website: https://www.dumbwaystodie.com/

Aaron Carroll, MD, MS: https://academyhealth.org/about/people/aaron-e-carroll-md-ms

Health Podcast Summit: https://summit.healthpodcast.co/

Some research on the backfire effect:

• https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11109-010-9112-2
• https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article-abstract/133/4/e835/32713/Effective-Messages-in-Vaccine-Promotion-A?redirectedFrom=fulltext
• https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2819073

Truth sandwich: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truth_sandwich

“The truth sandwich format does not enhance the correction of misinformation” (Swire-Thompson et al) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40860910/

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This podcast is a project of the Center for Injury Research Translation and Communication (CIRTC). Connect with CIRTC: www.cirtc.org

Find CIRTC on LinkedIn, Bluesky, and YouTube.

Note: all thoughts and opinions shared in this podcast are personal and not representative of any organization.