Motivation That Works: Clinical Threat or Soulful Serenade?

One of the funner things that came out of last week’s Health 2.0 developer’s conference in San Francisco was also one of the most unexpected: a new approach to making health stuff “sexy”…

Roni Zeiger is Chief Health Strategist at Google, where he helps lead the Google Health PHR application and all sorts of health search efforts; Alexandra Drane is President and Co-Founder of Eliza Corporation, which develops interactive communications programs for healthcare companies. Who would have thought these two industry types would have interest — and also enough free time — to launch a new blog / video / twitter project about making healthcare messages more positive and palatable for those of us on the receiving end? On Thursday, they launched SeduceHealth.org, with the tagline, “Talk Health to Me, Baby!”

Today’s musings come courtesy of these two positive thinkers:

A Guest Post by Roni Zeiger and Alexandra Drane

Take a look at the picture below, then watch the video which is addressed at the same Hank. This one should be pretty self explanatory: acclaimed spoken word artist Sekou’s soulful serenade versus a threat-filled intrusion into our innermost sanctuary… our home, our couch, our treasured time with a loved one. A fear based approach does work for some — but not most. Ask yourself, which one lights your fire?

If you listen hard enough, you’ll realize the majority of our healthcare communications are crying. Why? For the most part, they’re not proud of who they are and they don’t feel good about what they do — and don’t do. Where is the passion? The inspiration? The joy and soul in our health messaging? Take a moment to reflect on your own life… are you the embodiment of a stress case as are so many of us? Fully aware at all times that there is more to be done (and done well) than you could possibly accomplish in a lifetime of lifetimes? Stay in that space for a minute — research shows it’s where most of us spend most of our days — and reflect on this: what gets and keeps your attention when the world is screaming at you? Joy. Soul. Humor. Warmth. Inclusiveness.

Find that joy in you, and infuse it into the next ‘call to healthy action’ you give to your patients, your peers, your family, your members. Getting healthy is vitally important. It’s also not a piece of cake (mmmm — cake). So let’s take a note from the book of Sekou — and start inspiring folks to take little steps every day to a bigger happier life… one that’s just a teeny bit less stressful, a teeny bit more wholesome, and eventually, a whole lot more healthy.

Seduce health with us, baby!

You too can start following the positivity on Twitter soon at @SeduceHealth