NEHA November 2024 Journal of Environmental Health

ADVANCEMENT OF THE PRACTICE

Open Access

 DIRECT FROM CDC ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SERVICES

Challenge Your Assumptions for Clearer Communication

Traci Augustosky, MA, MAIS

Allison Chatham, PhD

Alison Cooper

You likely are not an expert on your audi- ence’s life. Or, you may have a significantly dierent view of a situation than your audi- ence. In these situations, it is important to get to know what your audience thinks. If you do not understand how they think or why they may not act, how can you encourage them to protect themselves? Put the audience first. Consider their strengths, barriers, desires, and experiences to make your messages eective. Talk to community members or a trusted commu- nity partner with insight into your audience. Learn as much as you can about the audience. See Figure 1 for tips on audience research. Assumption #2: My Readers Understand Me Remember Field of Dreams , the 1989 Kevin Costner movie? An Iowa farmer hears a ghostly, “If you build it, he will come.” He builds a baseball diamond in his backyard, waiting for the specter of baseball’s long-gone legends to appear. And they do, of course, because it is a fictionalized tale. Similarly, we often assume, “If I write it, they will read it.” In that assumption is an even more problematic assumption—that our readers are equipped with the health literacy skills needed to understand our messages. But we know better. Only 12% of U.S. adults are proficient with health informa- tion (Kutner et al., 2006). According to the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC, 2024), educa- tional attainment may not make the dier- ence we assume. For example, approximately 15% of participants in PIAAC who do not have a high school diploma had low literacy skills, which is similar to the 16% of partici-

Editor’s Note: The National Environmental Health Association strives to provide up-to-date and relevant information on environmental health and to build partnerships in the profession. In pursuit of these goals, we feature this column on environmental health services from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in every issue of the Journal . In these columns, authors from CDC’s Water, Food, and Environmental Health Services Branch, as well as guest authors, will share tools, resources, and guidance for environmental health practitioners. The conclusions in this column are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of CDC. Use of trade names is for identification only and does not imply endorsement by CDC or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Traci Augustosky, Dr. Allison Chatham, and Alison Cooper are colleagues and writer–editors for the National Center for Environmental Health and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry within CDC.

C ommunication is key to protecting communities from persistent and emerging health threats. As envi- ronmental health professionals, we strive to provide clear, plain-language information to our audiences. Less Hunch, More Knowledge Wisdom comes with age. Mothers-in-law are di cult. Things will work out. Our lives are filled with these types of assumptions. We accept some things as true or certain, even when we do not have proof (Spacey, 2023). Embracing opinion without enough thought or analysis inhibits our public health com- munication, too. We regularly make assumptions about our- selves, our readers, and our content. These assumptions or hunches can derail our mes- sages. Avoid assumptions by first acknowledg-

ing them and then replacing them with facts, analysis, and clear communication practices. Assumption #1: I Know What Is Best You may have subject matter expertise, but that does not mean you know everything you need to communicate eectively with your audience or to persuade them to act. Even if you have considered the educational attain- ment or other literacy measures of your audi- ence, do not assume you know what is best for eective messaging. Your audience makes decisions by weighing many dierent experi- ences and pros and cons (Bonaccio & Dalal, 2006). Literacy or health literacy levels are only a piece of the puzzle. Even individuals with college degrees or expertise in one sub- ject can struggle to make decisions in dier- ent contexts.

Volume 87 • Number 4