Royal College of Occupational Therapists Therapist s Key

Royal College of Occupational Therapists Therapist s Key Messages and Influencing Please use the accompanying notes in the workbook when completing the Group CPD session

Royal College of Occupational Therapists Therapist s Learning outcomes • To develop key messages to use with managers and stakeholders and adapt them for the public and media • To effectively communicate key messages within and about your service • Generate actions to get involved in the Occupational therapy: improving lives, saving money campaign to promote your service and new initiatives. • • To gain experience of articulating key messages to others To apply the skills and knowledge gained from practicing your key messages within the group session with you external stakeholders Page 2

Royal College of Occupational Therapists Therapist s Locus of Control Outside of my control Within my control What is within my sphere of influence? Page 3

Royal College of Occupational Therapists Therapist s Key to influencing Don’t use jargon – use occupational therapy Prepare your headline message. But no more than 3 key messages. Frame your points as a solution/way forward Your experience & examples are hard to argue with – they show your expertise & credibility Be prepared to follow each point with a real life example Page 4

Royal College of Occupational Therapists Therapist s Share your learning on delivering key messages about your service through the media (15 mins). Consider • Does your message communicate what you do? • Is your language clear and free of jargon? • Does your message frame occupational therapy as a solution? • Is your message succinct? Is it memorable? Page 5

Royal College of Occupational Therapists Therapist s Practice and consider how the key messages come across. (30 mins) Activity • Take it in turns to act as an interviewer and interviewee. • Using a mobile phone, record each person being interviewed on their key messages (max 3 minutes recording). • View the recordings back and consider how the key messages came across. Page 6

Royal College of Occupational Therapists Therapist s Agree a plan for raising the profile of your service to different stakeholders using a range of media. (10 mins) Consider: • • Visit Best form of media for each stakeholder group. Who would need to be involved. Timescales. Contacting RCOT for advice and for national promotion. Page 7

Royal College of Occupational Therapists Therapist s Further information Visit: the ILSM pages on the RCOT website available here Contact: Karin. Orman@rcot. co. uk Page 8