How can I be sure…

…in a world that’s constantly changing?

There are many things that are strange about our experience of these rather strange days.

For us – here in London at least – we’ve had beautiful warm and sunny Spring weather. A weird counterpoint to the seriousness of the pandemic and the ever-present stories of the spread of this invisible disease and largely nameless deaths.

How can we have both sunny Spring days in the garden and the pandemic? How can everything be alright with the world and everything be so wrong?

Politicians are hardly helping – again in the UK at least. Their constant spinning and shifting. The bewildered look on their faces as they face the cameras, their eyes and body language shouting

“THIS IS NOT WHAT I CAME INTO POLITICS FOR – THIS IS REALLY HARD”.

To damn right it’s hard.

It is hard to know what to make of it all. And what to do to make sense of this swirling uncertainty.

And it seems to change every day as the numbers change – the numbers of cases, the numbers of deaths, the graphs and the headlines.

Some opinionate about it – online and off (no names, no pack drill)

As if having a strong opinion somehow reduces the uncertainty and the feelings around not being sure.

So we do what we always do.

We check with those we know. Those we think would know. Those who might have insight or personal experience to bring to bear.

Unfortunately, the loudest voices and the ones that come to mind first aren’t necessarily the smartest.

And the striking stories and anecdotes are the ones we remember, not the most representative ones.

Don’t forget: the plural of anecdote is not data

And most of all we remember the striking stories that conform to our previously held ideas and forget or ignore those that don’t give us proof post hoc if you like.

For example, if I don’t believe our government are providing healthcare workers with the appropriate personal protective equipment (‘PPE’)  I will tend to focus on any anecdote that supports this view. For me that’s “data”.

And of course we pick up the ideas and sentiments of those around us, just as quickly.

At least of those from our team, whoever that might be.

Or from our “bubble” if you prefer.

Try doing healthcare communication in this environment…

What would you do?