Melissa Fors Shackleford is a healthcare executive with 25 years of experience. She highlights the paramount importance of person-centered language in healthcare communication and the need for all of us prioritize individuals over generic terms. No valued customer.

Melissa also shares insights on how to overcome stigma in mental health and substance use disorder communications through simple, strategic, and inclusive language and imagery



00:00 Welcome to the Strategic Communicator Podcast

00:09 The Importance of Person-Centered Language in Communication

00:34 Melissa Shackleford: A Healthcare Communication Expert

01:32 The Shift to Consumer-Driven Healthcare and Its Challenges

04:16 Addressing Stigma in Healthcare Communication

06:24 The Role of Language and Imagery in Reducing Healthcare Stigma

11:44 Inclusive Marketing and Its Impact on Healthcare

15:53 The Intersection of DEI and Healthcare Communication

20:37 Personal Insights and the Future of Inclusive Marketing

24:19 Five Questions with Melissa Shackleford



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Melissa Fors Shackleford on Embracing Person-Centered Language

In this episode, Dan Farkas, host of 'The Strategic Communicator', talks to Tom Martin of Converse Digital about sales trends in 2024. Martin highlights the shifting sales landscape and the need for meaningful and quality interactions over high output. He underscores the new influence of Gen Z and millennials due to their self-educating tendencies and digitally-driven expectations. Noting the recent surge in spam emails and detrimental activity to productivity, he calls for a higher standard of sales techniques and a more profound integration of marketing and sales departments.



The conversation also covers the importance of training salespeople effectively, the changing attitudes towards content, and the impact of a seller's knowledge about the product.



Martin recommends Corporate Visions for their work on neuroscience and salesmanship and suggests a less popular but excellent seafood-focused restaurant in New Orleans, Station Six. To finish, he recommends an underrated bourbon brand, Stellum.

00:00 Introduction to the Podcast

00:09 Discussing Sales Trends for 2024

00:48 Guest Introduction and Personal Stories

02:08 The Impact of Economic Changes on Sales

04:57 The Shift in Sales Approach and Strategy

06:49 The Role of Agencies in Sales

13:47 The Influence of Gen Z and Millennials on Sales

23:29 The Importance of Training and Quality in Sales

27:06 Bourbon Recommendations and Closing Remarks



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Tom Martin on 2024 Sales Trends, the Gen Z Buyer's Journey, Neuroscience, and a 13-Hour Brunch

Becky Volmer is a yoga teacher, proud corporate dropout, sober mom, and stepmom to four teenagers. 

Her book "You Are Not Stuck" empowers people to break the cycles that cause heartache and use soul-guided choices to transform fear into freedom.

We also discuss why so many journalists and strategic communicators burn out and what leaders and friends can do to help. 



https://www.youarenotstuck.com/book/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/beckyvollmer/



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Becky Vollmer on beating burnout, getting unstuck, finding yoga, and avoiding alcohol 

How do strategic communicators manage a crisis when it involves themselves or the people they love?

Sharon Toerek and Carla Vallone are two of the bravest people you'll meet. They share how to manage personal trauma while trying to run a business and what we can do to protect ourselves during times of turmoil. From managing staff to figuring out insurance, listeners will leave with a different way of thinking about their business.



Bios:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharontoerek/

https://www.legalandcreative.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/carlavallone/

https://www.portavocepr.com/

Books:

https://www.amazon.com/Lightmakers-Manifesto-Change-without-Losing-ebook/dp/B08VM1FTDV/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1OKP3BZ7UEY54&keywords=lightmakers+manifesto&qid=1706108816&sprefix=lightmakers%27%2Caps%2C252&sr=8-1



https://www.amazon.com/Clockwork-Revised-Expanded-Design-Business/dp/059353817X/ref=asc_df_059353817X/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=564832755269&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=8781946412407653517&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9014969&hvtargid=pla-1458241186746&psc=1&mcid=9430c146a183348eaf41d84a1ab86e69



https://www.amazon.com/Profit-First-Transform-Cash-Eating-Money-Making-ebook/dp/B01HCGYTH4/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3S9EV5EXAF70W&keywords=profit+first+book&qid=1706108845&sprefix=profit+fir%2Caps%2C135&sr=8-1



PRSA Counselor's Academy:

https://www.prsa.org/home/get-involved/professional-interest-sections/counselors-academy/prsa-counselors-academy-section-2024-conference





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Carla Vallone and Sharon Toerek on Personal Crisis and Managing Your Business

Ken Jacobs, PCC, CPC, an experienced consultant and certified coach, is the principal of Jacobs Consulting & Executive Coaching.

For 10 years, his firm has helped agencies grow and manage business, improve client service and relationships, and enhance staff performance. It does so via consulting and training. In addition, through his executive coaching, he has helped leaders from C-suite executives to managers, achieve and surpass their goals.

In this episode, he shares how we can coach and improve leadership skills for anyone with any level of experience. He also discusses how we can become more focused in offering better feedback, why delegation is a great skill, and what people should do now to grow their business over the next three months.





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Ken Jacobs on Leadership, Feedback, and Building a Better Business Plan 

Chad Millman is Chief Content Officer of The Action Network, a leading source for sports betting news, information, and data. A New York Times best-selling author, Millman also served as ESPN Digital’s Editorial Director and editor-in-chief of ESPN The Magazine.

In this episode, Millman discusses the convergence of storytelling and technology, how he balances content creation with revenue, and why it makes sense to bet on yourself. We close with a discussion of French bistros, fancy cocktails, and why our kids are so damn funny.

Chad's Book Recommendation: What It Takes by Richard Ben Cramer

https://www.actionnetwork.com/

https://chadmillman.com/



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Chad Millman on Storytelling, Technology, Sports Betting, Shiny Objects, and Gambling  on Yourself, 

Jessica Broome owns Southpaw Insights, a leading team of women-led researchers who have worked with some of the world's top brands. Jessica has a Ph.D. from Michigan. She's also worked in the Peace Corps and interviewed people ranging from prison inmates to soccer moms.

In this episode, Jessie explains why strategic communicators need to dig better, how to make survey people want to take, and how to overcome the rift between budget and baseline data collection. We also discuss children's books that still resonate, the best place to find oxtail ravioli, and how Michigan ended up on in the Eastern Time Zone.



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Jessica Broome On Good Surveys, Great Research, The Peace Corps, and Southpaws

It's easy to talk about DEI. How can brands and non-profits showcase tangible efforts in a way people want to consume?

Bernadette Davis and John Avila each run their own communication and design firms. In this episode, each share how to effectively showcase DEI through design and reporting. From the big picture to tactical delivery, they outline content and process to help brands share internal and external critical stories.

We also discuss agency collaboration, proper self-promotion, and underrated places to get tacos.

https://bdaviscomm.com/

https://www.avilacreativeinc.com/



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Delivering Tangible DEI With Bernadette Davis and John Avila

Bill Shory works two blocks from where a mass shooting occurred in Louisville Kentucky. In this episode, he talks about how this tragedy impacted his strategic communication firm, clients, and community. Bill also discusses his experience as a news director and how strategic communicators can help journalists tell more accurate and impactful stories in times of crisis.

There's no upbeat musical open, no five questions, no chuckles and old TV news stories. There are practical ways any communicator can help their clients and community during a time of need.

https://www.fdlcomms.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7051584853510668288?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop



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Bill Shory on Mass Shootings, Broadcast News, and Using Communication to Help Foster Hope 

Bill Shory works two blocks from where a mass shooting occurred in Louisville Kentucky. In this episode, he talks about how this tragedy impacted his strategic communication firm, clients, and community. Bill also discusses his experience as a news director and how strategic communicators can help journalists tell more accurate and impactful stories in times of crisis.

There's no upbeat musical open, no five questions, no chuckles and old TV news stories. There are practical ways any communicator can help their clients and community during a time of need.



Whitney/Strong offers resources for solutions-oriented media coverage following Nashville Shooting

Common Ground Legislation

 * Whitney/Strong successfully lobbied Congress to pass the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act in 2022, a landmark reform that included enhanced background checks, increased penalties for criminal activity with firearms, and other safeguards.
 * The BSCA also included federal funding for states to implement crisis intervention laws – which temporarily transfer firearms away from people experiencing a mental health crisis and are currently a threat to themselves or others. 19 states currently have some form of these laws.
 * Despite that funding and support from both parties, lawmakers in Whitney’s home state of Kentucky did not take up the Crisis Aversion and Rights Retention bill in this year’s legislative session.  Whitney/Strong is currently urging citizens to contact their lawmakers urging them to give the bill a hearing in the coming months, in hopes of passage next year.
 * In Ohio, Republican State Senator Matt Dolan proposed Senate Bill 357 in the 2022 session, which focused on enhanced safeguards around gun purchases.

Suicide prevention

 * The vast majority of mass shooters are suicidal, which makes it critically important to recognize warning signs and to be prepared to help someone in crisis gain access to expert care. Whitney/Strong provides suicide prevention training and research, as do many other community organizations.

Safety Trainings

 * Schools should continually review and enhance their school safety prevention and reactionary plans. Sandy Hook Promise offers prevention resources to help.
 * Whitney/Strong offers regular “Save-a-Life” trainings, which include training to use “Stop the Bleed” kits in an emergency, as well as other instruction around gun safety.
 * Most school shooters use a gun they have ready access to. Safe storage is a key strategy for preventing mass shootings, and garners widespread support among the general public and gun owners. Whitney/Strong distributes gun locks and gun safety literature provided by the National Shooting Sports Foundation.



Other tips for journalists

 * This survey [https://t.nylas.com/t1/1/afgb0joumy9zl7fzh6ij8gtzx/0/07ec450347da696dd3367513f8815f9fb73146b6bb78462402854b4924e95707] reveals a number of tactics that enjoy wide public support – exactly the kinds of solutions your viewers are asking for.
 * Studies have shown that notoriety is a primary motivator for mass shooters. As a result, most news organizations now have policies in place limiting the use of a shooter’s name and photo, especially as time passes.
 * The same holds true for video. Surveillance and bodycam video can reveal important facts about a shooting – but repeated showings will certainly traumatize survivors and inspires copycats. In addition to dropping video once its informational value has passed, remember to put processes in place to make sure it doesn’t accidentally resurface during follow-up coverage.
 * Journalists should educate themselves on firearms, and be precise in their language (here’s one 

How do we use communication to make the world a better place?

The Strategic Communication Podcast with Dan Farkas tries to answer that question in under 30 minutes each week. Dan features industry leaders who offer tangible advice you can use after the show, and we learn about the people behind the process 

Let’s use communication to bring about a better planet. 

Subscribe today to the Strategic Communicator Podcast with Dan Farkas, part of the Marketing Podcast Network.  

The Strategic Communicator Podcast with Dan Farkas