Availability Bias and delivering messages that change

Greetings all,
I have just arrived home after attending the World Medical Association 'Caring Physicians of the World' Leadership Course, at INSEAD Singapore. Over the next few posts, I plan to share some of the most amazing insights I learnt in a jam packed 5 days, surrounded by doctors and leaders from all over the world.
Today, I'm posting about the first concept that hit me between the eyes and taught me how best to communicate and influence with impact. And it stems from the concept of availability bias.

In a nutshell, availability bias is how news stories are shaped and how we are touched by events that occur around the world. News events are largely made up of stories of tragedies and disasters, or one in a million good luck stories. This shapes our understanding of issues for good or not, far greater than being presented with facts and statistics. Take for example, the horror of a plane crash. An absolute tragedy for all concerned and well worthy of headline news. Availability bias results in the decision we make to take that information and decide whether or not it is safe to fly. Because, after all, there is no report of how many planes landed safely and without incident on any given day. The information available to us leads to a bias in our thinking.

In addition, good leaders tell stories, rather than just present facts. Once the human element is lost and we can't connect on an emotional level, the impact to change is reduced, and the message gets lost within the debate.

As leaders of health debates, we must remember to tell stories and share the personal element of every issue we aim to influence. And as doctors we see and hear first hand these stories every day. As I continue to try and influence issues that impact on patients with mental illness, I will remember to embrace the impact of a human story, an experience or a tragedy rather than just present facts or statistics. We were told "statistics are humans with the tears washed off''. Such an important point of view, and one you can use when delivering powerful messages.

So, next time you are presented with facts about a healthcare issue, perhaps that you disagree with or can't relate to, remember the concept of availability bias. Hear the presenter as a journalist at the airport commenting on all the places that landed safely, and influence with your own personal, authentic story (de-identified of course), for the good of your patients and to really make change.
Best wishes,
Helen