Telling, and Selling, Your Hospital Quality Story

Telling, and Selling,Your Hospital Quality StoryHow Storytelling Can Deliver Happy Endings

For You and Your Hospital

#HAPstory

Why storytelling?• Once upon a time . . .

Why storytelling?• Because of . . .

Why storytelling?• Our old brains struggle in a new world

Why storytelling?• Reaching the “old brain”

Why storytelling?• Reaching the “old brain”

Takeaway #1: Why storytelling• “Stories create the emotional context

people need to locate themselves in a larger experience.”

— Scott Bedbury, Brandstream(formerly led Nike and Starbucks marketing)

#HAPstory

Why storytelling in healthcare?• “It is a competitive advantage for you to

have a unique voice . . . Companies with unique personalities give themselves a leg up because people want to embrace other people . . . we all dislike antiseptic and bland corporate communications. .”

— Dick Costolo, new Twitter CEO

Why storytelling in healthcare?• Because we invented “antiseptic!”

Why storytelling in healthcare?• Well, what happens in hospitals??

• Lives begun

• Lives healed

• Lives saved

• Miracles

• Do we deserve to tellthat story or what?

Takeaway # 2

• Every hospital has great stories to tell. The most important story is its own.

#HAPstory

So what’s your great story?

So what’s your great story?• “The hospital provides residents a wide

array of medical, surgical, laboratory and rehabilitative services using state-of-the-art technology in an intimate, community hospital setting . . . this essential community hospital has earned one of the highest patient satisfaction rankings in the country.”

BLAH!

So what’s your great story?

• “I just finished reading Tribes by Seth Godin, which argues that leadership requires a manifesto. I think that the manifesto is a story. It resonates because it is so intensely personal. Who are we? How did we get here? What will we achieve . . . Lest technology – heck, anything – subsume the patient, we need to tell better stories.”

Elizabeth Han, biomedical engineer,University of Toronto Bloorview Hospital

Takeaway #3

• Your hospital story must answer: Who are we? How did we get here? What will we achieve?

#HAPstory

Your authentic story:

• Rooted in fact

Your authentic story:

• Shared by a fluent storyteller

Your authentic story:

• Continuallyread youraudience toensure you’reconnected

Takeaway #4

• Your authentic healthcare story is rooted in fact, shared by a fluent storyteller and continually evolves to resonate with your audience.

#HAPstory

What makes a good story?• An authentic archetype

How you do it• Adapt old, authentic archetypes

How you do it• Create new story archetypes

Takeaway #5• Classic story archetypes are the best

framework for successful 21st century hospital storytelling.

#HAPstory

Some tools for you: strategic• Five Burning Questions Assessment

Some tools for you: just do it!• Map your story’s

characters andtheir roles

Some tools for you• Plot where you want the story to go

Now you’re the storyteller!• What’s your organization’s BEST

current story?

• Let’s map it out!

Now you’re the storyteller!• Who are the characters who drive your

story?

• Let’s share some examples . . .

Now you’re the storyteller!• What is the ideal “plot line” and “happy

ending” for this story?

• Let’s share some examples

Takeaway #6• Think like a storyteller and find the

characters and “happy endings” in every story you develop for your hospital.

#HAPstory

Thank you!Paul Furiga, ABC

President

WordWrite Communications LLC

10475 Perry Highway Suite 104

Wexford, PA 15090-9213http://card.ly/wordwritepr

paul.furiga@wordwritepr.com

http://www.linkedin.com/in/paulfuriga

http://www.twitter.com/paulfuriga