Our media training sessions teach you how to advocate for your patients and the health-care system
How can you advocate effectively for your profession, your patients and the system itself? By mastering the art of public communication.
That’s what a group of District 3 physicians set out to do at a recent OMA media and communications training session in Guelph, where they learned how to confidently navigate media interviews, shape key messages and engage the public on pressing health-care issues.
“It’s vital that we put forward ideas that we know, as doctors, will make a difference for our profession and also for our patients,” said our president Dr. Dominik Nowak at the session, reinforcing how our voice in the media can help shift the broader narrative
These media training sessions, hosted by Jordan Kerbel, director of media relations and social media at the OMA, provide you with hands-on experience in media strategy, where you and your peers will analyze real-time case studies and get the chance to participate in mock interviews.
Here’s what your peers attending the recent District 3 media training had to say about the experience.
“We understand the importance of some of these issues better than anybody else. Without attending media training, we may not know how to communicate that message in the most effective way.”
“We all should be equipped to provide strong, concise messaging that represents the OMA. This training actually gave me permission to feel a bit more confident in giving a very direct message, rather than having to couch it all the time and sort of worry about how it might be perceived.”
“We represent a body of professionals, and I think it communicates consistent messaging to our audience, whether it's the public, our patients or colleagues. I think it's definitely a skill that can be learned and improved, and this was a valuable session to introduce some key concepts for us.”
“I think it is useful for physicians to be able to understand how to communicate, not only with media, but also with patients, other physicians, management organizations in which they work, and maybe, in some cases, politicians."
Media and social media are powerful tools for physicians to amplify their voices, engage with the public and advocate for change.
Our social media team also provides expert training with practical tips on crafting impactful messages and strategies to effectively navigate various social media platforms.
Find out more about our media and social media trainings and how you can join a future session by reaching out to info@oma.org.
Or contact your Regional Manager:
Jessica Smith is a staff writer for the OMA.