“The use of social media has re-defined how we provide information”
31st of January 2018
Course leader presentation: Max Lum
What Works: Moving Your OSH Information to Action Utilizing Best Practices of Digital Media, Schaeffergarden, Copenhagen area, Denmark, 22nd – 24th of May 2018
Max Lum, EdD, MPA, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Washington, USA
I am currently the e-communication and research translation senior advisor to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (USA) in the Office of the Director where I work to connect with communities, partners and organizations helping to navigate the digital space and creating new channels for providing science-based occupational safety and health information for engagement, action and impact. For fifteen years I served as NIOSH’s Communication Director, responsible for initiatives in health communication, social media, media relations and marketing and served as director of the international program portfolio of the Institute until I attempted to retire in 2011.The ideas explored in my most recent publication will help to inform our NIVA workshop: Communicating Occupational and Environmental Safety and Health Information Effectively: A Practice-Based Approach. In Textbook of Occupational Medicine Practice, 4th edition. Koh, D. and Tar-Ching, AW eds. World Scientific, Singapore (2017).
On the course topic
Social media is a two-way conversation that starts with listening and then moves to providing useful and relevant content. It begins with building trust often referred to as “authority” so as to earn the trust among audiences to create digitally designed social strategies for outreach purposes. Social media provides a cost-effective way to create a more personal connection with our audience, to achieve an expanded reach of our messages and most importantly make our information impactful and secure for long-term engagement. In addition, social media can be used to confirm relationships, seek influencers and identify potential new partners and audiences. The use of social media has exploded over the past several years and has re-defined how we provide information. First and foremost, it provides a more engaging way to identify with our organizational messages and enables better sharing of information, ideas, concerns, and audience feedback. Social media includes platforms such as blogging, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Wikipedia (the big five). With a few country exceptions these digital channels are global in scope. By learning to digitally manage our information in a more strategic and coordinated manner we can provide important information to workers and employers so they can make the necessary decisions to be safe and healthy at work.
On this years course
This is the second time we have conducted this workshop for NIVA. In less than three years the entire digital media landscape has changed and not necessarily for the better. Managing digital media has become increasingly more skilled-based. While we are anxious to share new skills and strategies with you the course has been designed with your strong input in mind- so come and be prepared to contribute your ideas, concerns, questions, thoughts and your use of digital media that will make us all a bit smarter, more confident and a lot more enthusiastic about digitally reaching and influencing our target audiences. Your faculty is from the United States, Sweden, Germany, Norway, Finland, and Denmark so we are expecting robust discussions, some disagreements and probably a few bad jokes but more importantly we want to hear your ideas to make for an exciting and interactive process that satisfies your reasons for giving up your time to attend the workshop.
More information: Course web page
Registration: Course registration
Last registration date: 8th of March 2018
