A Guide for Wisconsin Political Leaders & Health Care Officials
Executive Summary
As the pandemic fades into the background, political leaders and public health care officials ought to identify major lessons learned from this time of scientific uncertainty, political strife, and family stress.
This report is divided into two sections. In section one, we highlight the findings from over 90 interviews with front-line medical professionals, media professionals, policy makers, public health officials and health care communication experts. The majority of our interviewees relied on Centers for Disease Control (CDC) as their primary information source, which in turn shaped local policy decisions and communications. We asked interviewees to describe the national-level communication about COVID in three words. The clear “winner” was the word “politicized” with others noting “inconsistent,” “ever-changing,” and “confusing.” Respondents were asked to rate the effectiveness of the national- level communication on a 0 (poor) to 10 (excellent) scale. The average rating of 5 was indicative of the three words interviewees noted above.
In section two, we coupled the findings of our study with reviews of over one hundred different studies and books to form a set of ten strategic recommendations. These recommendations for political leaders, health care officials and other front-line communicators, will be invaluable during future health care emergencies fraught with uncertainty and pushback.
About the Authors
Phillip G. Clampitt (PhD, University of Kansas) holds the Blair Endowed Chair of Communication and was previously the Hendrickson Named Professor of Business at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. Phil has won numerous awards for his teaching and scholarship. His students started calling him “Dr. So What” because he asked, “So what?” so often as a prod to encourage them to think about the implications of their ideas. He embraced the moniker and created a website devoted to improving critical thinking.
Phil has consulted around the world with many companies on leadership and strategic communication issues. The Wall Street Journal highlighted his work on decision downloading, which details how companies can effectively communicate decisions to those not involved in the decision-making process. Most recently, his articles in MIT Sloan Management Review on the “Hard Truths about the Meeting after the Meeting” and “Five Ways Leaders Can Turn Pushback into Progress” have gained accolades from around the world. Phil has written numerous books on communication, leadership, and uncertainty management. His latest book, Leading with Care in a Tough World, was co-authored with Bob DeKoch.
Danielle Bina is an Associate Teaching Professor of Communication at the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay. She teaches courses in Public Relations/Corporate Communication, Media, and Journalism.
Her career path began in media as a news anchor/reporter for several television stations in Minnesota and Wisconsin, including WFRV & WLUK in Green Bay. She also held the position of News Director for the Midwest Communications group. Danielle has extensive consulting experience in public relations and media training. She also works regularly as a voice talent for commercial and corporate projects.
Kaleigh Gale is a student-athlete at the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay. She studies communication, political science, and Spanish, and is a member of the UWGB swim team.
Sarah Hart is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of the University of Wisconsin–Green Bay with a degree in Communication and specialties in organizational communication, social media strategy, mass media, and public relations (2023). She is currently a Marketing Specialist at Capital Credit Union.
Joey Bina is an award-winning photographer, videographer and editor. He holds a Master of Arts in Communication from Loyola University Chicago and a Bachelor of Arts from The University of Wisconsin–Green Bay in Integrative Leadership Studies. Joey is employed by the US House of Representatives as a creative producer, visual storyteller and social media manager.