This course is part of the Leadership for Public Health Crises Specialization

Brenda Hoffman, Ph.D.

Offered By

Leadership for Public Health Crises SpecializationThe State University of New York

About this Course

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Public health communicators have a duty to communicate health information with integrity, accuracy, and clarity. For messaging to be most effective, public health communicators must help their audiences draw meaningful connections with the information being shared, and connect with them in ways that foster trust and credibility.
This course emphasizes how public health communicators can segment their audiences into smaller groups, thereby allowing them to tailor messages to each group's unique needs. You will explore how public health communicators recognize and overcome underlying biases, assumptions, and stereotypes to create messaging that is rooted in empathy, as well as leverage persuasive communication strategies to frame and deliver messages in ways that appeal to audiences’ core values. You will learn to approach media interviews with confidence, adjust your communication strategy in the moment, and center your focus on your audiences and their needs.

Flexible deadlines

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Earn a Certificate upon completion

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Course 3 of 3 in the

Leadership for Public Health Crises Specialization

Beginner Level

Individuals in leadership positions, with a need to formally communicate health information to public audiences, or those in training.

Approx. 13 hours to complete

English

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Skills you will gain

Audience Segmentation
Message Tailoring
Audience-Centered Communication
Persuasion

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

Learn more about Coursera Labs

Course 3 of 3 in the

Leadership for Public Health Crises Specialization

Beginner Level

Individuals in leadership positions, with a need to formally communicate health information to public audiences, or those in training.

Approx. 13 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Instructor

Brenda Hoffman, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Practice

Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science®

521 Learners

1 Course

Offered by

The State University of New York

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Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Week1

Week 1

3 hours to complete

AUDIENCE SEGMENTATION

People's culture, history, and lived experiences affect how they interpret and engage with health-risk information. Without acknowledging these influences, public health communicators may struggle to successfully engage their audiences with the information at hand. This module explores how public health communicators can segment their audiences into smaller groups, thereby allowing them to tailor messages to each group's unique needs.

3 hours to complete

4 videos (Total 25 min), 5 readings, 5 quizzes

4 videos

Introduction to Audience Segmentation4mDefinition and Origins of Audience Segmentation4mExamples of Audience Segmentation8mBenefits and The Segmentation Process8m

5 readings

Digital Segmentation of Priority Populations in Public Health20mAudience Segmentation Techniques20mSegmentation in Health Communication Campaigns20mAudience Segmentation to Disseminate Behavioral Health Evidence to Legislators20mStimulating Dialogues on Health Topics in Collaboration with Social Media Influencers 20m

4 practice exercises

Check Your Understanding3mCheck Your Understanding2mCheck Your Understanding1mCheck Your Understanding4m

Week2

Week 2

4 hours to complete

APPLY EMPATHY TO CONNECT WITH AN AUDIENCE

To motivate people to act on health information, public health communicators must be able to make that information relevant to their audiences, and connect with them in ways that foster trust and credibility. One way to connect with audiences is through empathy. Taking the time to understand where they are coming from, and acknowledging their perspectives regardless of the accuracy of those perspectives, shows people that you care. This module explores how public health communicators can recognize and overcome underlying biases, assumptions, and stereotypes to create messaging that is rooted in empathy.

4 hours to complete

4 videos (Total 23 min), 5 readings, 5 quizzes

4 videos

Getting to Know Your Audience & Creating Memorable Messages6mRecognizing Biases, Assumptions, and Stereotypes7mOvercoming Your Curse of Knowledge6mStrategizing Your Talking Points2m

5 readings

The Science of Empathy10mCDC: Understanding Audiences in the Context of Crisis Communication20mWEBINAR: Selling without Selling Out: How to Communicate Science1h 2mEmpathy and the Health of Populations10mDuke Experts: Meet Vaccine Skeptics with Empathy15m

4 practice exercises

Check Your Understanding2mCheck Your Understanding2mCheck Your Understanding3mCheck Your Understanding4m

Week3

Week 3

3 hours to complete

PERSUASIVE COMMUNICATION

Whether public health messages are successful at motivating people to adopt a recommended action, is driven largely by the person or entity communicating that information, and the structural components of the message itself. This module explores how public health communicators can leverage persuasive communication strategies, to frame and deliver their messages in ways that appeal to their audience’s core values.

3 hours to complete

3 videos (Total 14 min), 4 readings, 4 quizzes

Week4

Week 4

3 hours to complete

MEDIA INTERVIEWS: CONNECTING WITH INTERVIEWERS AND VIEWERS

For some audiences, a media interview is the only channel through which they will encounter important health and safety information during a public health crisis. During an interview, public health communicators must convey high stakes information in a short amount of time, connect with the viewers, and convince them to adopt actionable steps to protect themselves. This module explores how public health communicators can approach media interviews with confidence, and shift their attention outward with a greater focus on their audience(s).

3 hours to complete

3 videos (Total 18 min), 2 readings, 4 quizzes

About the Leadership for Public Health Crises Specialization

Leadership for Public Health Crises will enable current and prospective managers, directors, unit heads, and elected officials to effectively lead their organizational response to profound health-related emergencies and to build leadership capacity across multiple sectors, agencies, organizations, and divisions. This series of courses prepares graduate students (in, e.g., public administration, public health, social work, business, homeland security, education, and related fields) and practitioners in a range of roles in this broader arena who seek to attain or advance in leadership roles. The courses focus on foundational competencies required to confidently and competently lead in preparation for and response to far-reaching health-related crises, including communication, cross-agency collaboration, organizational contingency planning, and data analysis, especially as these relate to civilian sectors. To learn more about the Leadership for Public Health Crises specialization, please watch the overview video by copying and pasting the following link into your web browser: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHhzlgdHIxU

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.

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Connect with Diverse Audiences during a Public Health Crisis

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