Future Doctors And Vets Learn Storytelling

Story telling is entertainment, but sometimes it saves lives. As COVID-19 hit the globe, we all learnt the importance of information that doctors, and scientists convey. Communicating their information effectively is in itself an important skill to cultivate, and this is where story telling comes into play.

To help future doctors, veterinarians, and other health professionals gain the important skill of communication, SEAOHUN organized a webinar for students on 28 May 2021. The webinar, supported by the USAID-funded One Health Workforce - Next Generation Project and Chevron, was targeted for students and featured experts who shared advice on making short videos for social change. It was organized as part of the SEAOHUN 2021 Regional Students’ Competition on the Risk of Zoonotic Diseases, which was launched earlier this year.

Over 200 attendees from Australia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Korea, Malaysia, Lao PDR, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam had a chance to learn from communication specialists from the One Health Institute, University of California Davis (UCD) and Chevron’s media and communication experts. These communication gurus have mastered the skill of distilling complex scientific problems simple and engaging narratives for the public and were able to pass this knowledge onto the students.

“Learn about your communities before you talk to them. Don’t suggest something that is too difficult to do, or for which there are not enough resources,” – David Wolking, Senior Manager of Global Programs from the One Health Institute, UCD advised the students.

“The style is important”- reminded Evan Martin, Digital Communications Advisor from Chevron Australia, “all styles have their pros and cons. With infographics it is hard to convey a human story, the interviews are more difficult to film. Choose the one that works best for your story.”

As students are gearing up to make their videos for the competition, SEAOHUN is actively assembling the judging panel. Stay tuned to view contestants’ videos and vote for your favorite to win the People’s Pick Award!

To view the webinar video recording, go here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5FyzZ9mkl4&t=973s

To learn more about the competition, go here: https://www.seaohun.org/student-activities