GOLD Learning Speakers

You have a voice. Amplify it! Mothers need education and support beyond the hospital setting. Today’s advocacy landscape involves engaging with mothers and families across a variety of channels. This may seem daunting for any individual or organization to manage on their own, considering the limited resources, the volume of competing conversations and the myriad of engagement channels out there. How can the breastfeeding movement effectively communicate critical messaging, easily build “brand advocates” and use media, social media and other avenues to amplify our voice across the social networks? This advocacy training presentation will explore six key steps to hone advocacy skills for amplifying breastfeeding messaging and outreach across communities. It will explore the fundamentals of powerful advocacy from creating compelling narratives to building a foundation of understanding. It will illustrate the role of media, the legislative process and community organizing. Attendees will be able to understand the power of storytelling and describe simple ways to increase the relevancy of their message and make sure the message is being received. It will improve cultural competency in speaking to various communities and attendees will have an interactive opportunity for role play and to being creating a personal or organizational strategic advocacy plan.

You have a voice. Amplify it! Mothers need education and support beyond the hospital setting. Today’s advocacy landscape involves engaging with mothers and families across a variety of channels. This may seem daunting for any individual or organization to manage on their own, considering the limited resources, the volume of competing conversations and the myriad of engagement channels out there. How can the breastfeeding movement effectively communicate critical messaging, easily build “brand advocates” and use media, social media and other avenues to amplify our voice across the social networks? This advocacy training presentation will explore six key steps to hone advocacy skills for amplifying breastfeeding messaging and outreach across communities. It will explore the fundamentals of powerful advocacy from creating compelling narratives to building a foundation of understanding. It will illustrate the role of media, the legislative process and community organizing. Attendees will be able to understand the power of storytelling and describe simple ways to increase the relevancy of their message and make sure the message is being received. It will improve cultural competency in speaking to various communities and attendees will have an interactive opportunity for role play and to being creating a personal or organizational strategic advocacy plan.

The word communication comes from the Latin root word meaning “shared” as in a shared language. However, we often find that different practitioners—doctors, nurses, IBCLCs, etc.—each have their own “language”, which is often not the language of mothers and fathers. How do we actually develop a “shared” language? What are the tools needed to better understand the “speak” of mothers in your community? This presentation will outline the challenges of current common communication efforts, highlight best practices from across the U.S. and explain critical cultural nuances of words and communication techniques for mothers and fathers. It will offer a virtual toolkit for understanding the “language” of local parents and how to quickly start speaking that language to improve community engagement outcomes and breastfeeding goals.