The Burness Effect Blog

How Healthy Is Northern Virginia?

A new report from the Northern Virginia Health Foundation (a Burness client) tells us that residents of Northern Virginia may not be as healthy as you think.

If Richard Can, You Can

Anyone can be transformed from “muddled to mesmerizing.”

Mission Statements—Eight Words or Less or Forget It

What does your audience want to hear? That’s the first question we ask before we work with trainees on messaging, and with good reason: targeting your statements and messages to your audience is imperative.

Dialing Back on the Drivers of Global Disease Outbreaks: A Look Inside the ‘Black Box’

These ‘causes of causes‘ of zoonotic disease outbreaks and their spread are pinpointed in a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Scientists argue in this paper that we’ll only become capable of preventing or stopping the next pandemic when we better understand the drivers of disease emergence.

Believe in Science? Look No Farther Than Your iPhone

We recently worked with The Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement celebrating their 40th Anniversary with a panel discussion on the future of the environment. The panel discussion, moderated by MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, sparked a fascinating discussion that ranged from the lessons learned in dealing with Quaaludes (yes, you read that correctly) to climate change, energy, agriculture, biodiversity and the public’s acceptance of science.

Building Capacity…In Developing Stories That Grab Reporters

We all know that building capacity in the developing world—whether by providing technical training to laboratory staff or equipping a clinical trial site with a reliable power source or setting up financial management systems—is a worthy endeavor. But is it newsworthy? Especially when you don’t give concrete examples of how you’re helping people help themselves? The answer, all too often, is “no.”

Francis Collins, How Do I Love Thee? Let Me Count the Ways.

I’d like to take a moment to pay homage to an expert communicator whose clear explanation and skilled delivery makes my heart skip a beat every time I see him interviewed. I am talking about Dr. Francis Collins, Director of the National Institutes of Health. Take note – if you do half as well as Dr. Collins on staying on message, you’ll likely nail your interview.

Changing the Way Doctors Are Paid

According to a report from the National Commission on Physician Payment Reform, a Burness client, changing the way doctors get paid is the first step to fixing our health care system. The report details 12 sweeping recommendations aimed at reining in health spending and improving quality of care.

Sound Smart…Mean Nothing

Two words that most people would not think to find on a “no jargon” list: capacity and community. ThThink about it. What capacity are we building? Capacity to do what? And by the way, who makes up the community? What people are we talking about? These vague and bland words leave you with more questions than answers.

Politicians aren’t trusted as a source for information on climate change, reported NPR on Tuesday. Also – unsurprisingly – scientists are the number one trusted source for climate change research. What caught my ear during this Morning Edition story, however, was the second most trusted source: local TV weathercasters.