Once the why, what and how for a communication have been established, it is time to reflect more upon specifically ‘who’ the message is for. It is always worth spending a few minutes thinking about how best to approach the audience you’re sharing the communication with.

One of the best ways is to put yourself in the shoes of that person and tune into ‘WIIFM’ – ‘What’s in it for me?’ It’s natural for anyone who hears information to reflect initially upon the implications it has for them, both from a positive and negative perspective.

For example, consider a patient who is contemplating the benefits of taking a regular medication when it may be causing side effects that may be seen to outweigh that gain. Or perhaps a member of the pharmacy team who has the opportunity to train and offer a new service while they are still expected to carry out all the other tasks assigned to them. Or a local stakeholder, such as a practice manager, who is rationalising the benefits versus perceived increased workload of implementing the Electronic Prescription Service.

Some positive WIIFMs for the above situations are suggested in the following table.