Recently, I had the pleasure of attending the 2026 Healthcare Communications Conference, which gathered communicators from hospitals, associations, care providers, and healthcare organizations across the country. These communicators are working in uniquely high stakes, often literally life or death, environments. The hills and valleys they must navigate are steeper than most, vacillating between inspiring stories and high-profile crises. They are also aware of the vital importance of their work and its place in the larger healthcare context: communication is clinical care. From vaccine awareness to fundraising efforts, effective communication directly impacts the way patients experience healthcare, and their outcomes.
In this environment, healthcare communicators are driven to learn from their peers, employ best practices, and think outside the box to ensure the gold standard in communications.
Whether you would classify yourself as a professional communicator or not, you are part of telling your organization’s story and building key relationships. Here are four lessons from healthcare communicators that may help you communicate with greater clarity and purpose:
- Starting with Data: The best decisions are grounded in data. This is truer than ever in today’s era of misinformation. That’s why Counsel has a dedicated research team, and that’s why I was pleased to hear data raised again and again at the Healthcare Communications Conference. Healthcare communicators get it. They are out there talking to their partners, verifying their assumptions, and genuinely listening to the needs of their communities. They know that without data, they are pouring scarce resources into a strategy that might be built on assumptions, not fact. (For more on this, see this piece from Counsel’s Stephanie Coulter on using research to inform strategy.)
- Cultivating Internal Relationships: External audiences, whether they be clients, patients, media, government, or the general public, are very important. Sometimes, however, we focus so much on the outside that we neglect the staff, volunteers, Board, and internal partners who can be our greatest resource or greatest liability. Staff can show pride in the organization and carry your positive stories to new audiences, or they can become embroiled in internal politics and dissatisfaction that ultimately leads to a crisis you have to manage.
Healthcare communicators, often working in large, multi-department hospitals and organizations, know the importance of internal audiences. They are connecting with doctors to gather amazing research and patient stories, walking the halls to catch issues before they turn into crises, and making sure the Board understands the impact of communications on patient outcomes. And they are seeing results, as these efforts turn into strong media stories, successful fundraising campaigns, and more resources for communications teams.
- Building Message Clarity Beyond the CEO: Strong internal relationships also allow healthcare communicators to ensure that brand consistency and authentic key messages are carried through the whole organization. At Counsel, we often advise clients to shift their thinking: instead of providing media training only to the CEO, we encourage them to deliver communications training to senior leadership. Leadership should then take those lessons to the rest of the team, empowering everyone in the organization to carry the narrative.
Healthcare organizations are walking this talk. Think of a large, urban hospital. They employ hundreds of staff who interact with the public daily. Their CEO may be in the media talking about groundbreaking new research or a new hospital build, but how will patients feel about the organization if staff are noticeably unhappy? If recruiters at job fairs don’t have accurate information about the new build? If front-line staff and fundraisers are telling entirely different stories? Healthcare communicators need to be crystal clear on their organization’s driving mandate, what the public needs to know, and what information their team needs to communicate effectively.
- Leading with empathy and authenticity: Empathy and authenticity are essential during a crisis, because when people are upset, they listen with their hearts first. In a healthcare setting, and particularly with today’s pressures, nearly every day is a crisis. Healthcare communicators are therefore leading with empathy constantly – they are putting their patients first, listening to community needs, and ensuring that their messages are followed by real action.
As we navigate a world where AI and misinformation make it easy to lose sight of authenticity, all of us are hungry for real, human interaction. Not only is it possible to be human without losing professionalism or message consistency, it’s essential. Communicating as a person first and a business second will take you far.
It was heartening to see these lessons reflected by communicators at this conference, and I was quickly able to find common threads with other sectors. Day to day, I am lucky to see firsthand how communications can support organizational health and translate into positive impacts for clients, staff, and the broader community. I know from working with Counsel’s clients that these four principles can help any organization communicate more effectively, regardless of its size or sector.
Looking to carry these principles into your organization’s communications efforts? Counsel provides a full suite of communications services, including communications training, crisis planning and response, research-backed strategic planning, and public relations campaigns that integrate with your government relations goals. Contact us to learn more.