The Tribune

WE are tired of the COVID-19 pandemic and there is no end in sight. The Prime Minister made the ridiculous statement a few weeks ago that the pandemic is over for the vaccinated. That was far from the truth. While some of us have some protection, we are all still vulnerable to COVID-19 and its effects.

We risk exposure on a regular basis because there are some things we just have to do in person, especially if we do not have the resources to assign tasks to other people or conduct all of our activities online.

We are still experiencing tremendous loss. Many of us are expending an inordinate amount of energy either trying to get others to get vaccinated or arguing with people about whether or not the vaccine is safe, good, and/or necessary. Unfortunately, most seem to be going about it the wrong way if they actually want people to listen to them and get vaccinated.

Over and over again, we go through periods of frustration with each other because we are not truly communicating. In the absence of proper awareness and education led by the government and due to our distrust of the government, we are left to figure things out for ourselves and try to bring others along with us. When they do not easily follow, there is annoyance and, in some cases, anger.

We do not understand why our loved ones do not just take our word for it. We do not understand why they do not simply trust and use the same sources we have come to rely on. We do not actually want to have to face the questions they have, have the gaps in our own knowledge exposed, or explain how we have come to make different decisions for ourselves.

We want to proclaim that we know better and compel others to follow our lead. Those other people, of course, want to do the same.

There are not enough people who are willing to change their minds, so their communication is only for pushing a message and receiving favorable responses. This, we should know by now, does not work.

To be able to convince a person or group of people of something when they already believe something completely different, you have to understand what they believe and why. When information is available, you need to find out why they are not able to access it, refuse to access it, or do not accept other people’s interpretations, summaries, or material based on it.

Is there a problem with the source? If so, what is the problem? Is it difficult to access? If so, how can it be made accessible? Who can be engaged to create new version or distribute the existing material? What has already been created based on the most accurate information available? Have people seen it, understood it, and used it in their decision-making process? If not, why not? Without this information, there is no way to know how to approach the topic with your audience.

Know your audience

In the case of the COVID-19 vaccines, it is important to know how your audience views COVID-19. For example, if they do not think the virus is that bad, think it only adversely affects or kills older people, or that their immune system is great, your arguments about the effectiveness of the vaccine is not likely to work.

You first need to disprove their ideas about the virus itself. One of the first things taught in marketing classes is you need to know your audience, and this applies to more than the business world. You need to know your audience when you are trying to convince anyone of anything. What works for one group of people may not work for another. Find out where they are, and then make sure you start there.

Know the arguments

Beyond knowing the point of departure—the place where your views and the audience’s views take separate paths—you need to know why your audience is going another way.

Why do they think COVID-19 is not that bad? Why are they so sure it will not affect them? You need to know if they are paying attention to the news. Have they seen the numbers? Do they know how many people have contracted COVID-19, how many were symptomatic, how many were hospitalized, and how many died? Do they think those numbers are not correct? Why not?

Sometimes there are sub-arguments that need to be addressed. If people think the government is lying about COVID-19 cases, why is that? What would be the point of publicly sharing false data, and why would so many people go along with it?

In some cases, it may be necessary to go deeper into these kinds of arguments to find out how they make sense to people, even if it is not possible to convince them that those arguments do not hold up. It is sometimes better to leave those arguments and redirect, especially if you can find common ground.

If you are willing to leave the audience with the belief that the Bahamian government is falsifying data, it may be helpful to point to data from other parts of the world. If data is not a good place to work from, you may need to shift the discussion to personal experiences. Who do you both (or all) know who has been affected and is not elderly or immune-compromised?

Have accurate information

It is not enough to know something for yourself. Where did that knowledge come from? Not only do you need to know your sources, but you need to be clear about which sources are accessible and have the potential to be believable to your audience.

If you are a PhD student getting your information from research papers, good for you. That is not going to be helpful to you in convincing an audience that is not made up of academics. First, they are often behind paywalls or required university library credentials. Second, they are usually not written for the general public.

Are there other sources you can find and share? Can you use the complicated sources to create accessible information, and would people trust what you produce? The information you share needs to be easy to understand, from a trusted source, and address the specific arguments presented by your audience.

Listen to the concerns

For some people, it is about more than understanding COVID-19 as a threat to our health, economies and social lives. It is about more than knowing what vaccines are, how they are developed, what they are meant to do and what may occur as a result of receiving them. People have other concerns, and it is not helpful to dismiss them or act as though people deserve to die for having them.

If you listen to people’s concerns, you can respond to them, find another source to help, or convey those concerns to the people who can properly address them. Many of the concerns are likely connected to the lack of clear information about the development of vaccines and the idea—which is incorrect—that the vaccine was developed in a matter of months.

Similar to the need to address sub-arguments from time to time, sometimes we need to take a few steps back. Vaccines became available, the government encouraged people to make appointments and get vaccinated, and no one actually explained in a clear, concise way that COVID-19 is not the first coronavirus. Scientists have been working on coronavirus vaccines long before this pandemic, and how the urgent need for vaccines is connected to the funding necessary to make those working hours possible.

No one has explained what the approval for emergency use actually means. People have concerns. People have fears. They should not be brushed aside, and people should not be rebuked for having gaps in their knowledge and refusing to be moved until they have better information. If you have a real conversation, you will be able to hear those concerns and find answers.

Refer to experts and trustworthy sources

You do not know everything. None of us do. You do not need to pretend to have all of the information that exists regarding COVID-19 and the vaccines. We are all constantly learning more about the virus and the vaccine. Our knowledge will continue to change as more information becomes available and as the virus mutates.

Be okay with admitting that you do not have the answer to a question. Do not make answers up. Tell your audience about trusted sources and what qualified them to share the kind of information you are trying to find. It is a good idea to have a diverse set of sources, including newspapers, doctors, researchers, community health workers, government agencies, international non-government organizations, universities, and faith-based organizations. People want to hear from those they expect to know and from those they hear from regularly and trust with other issues.

Show you care

Your audience will know why you are starting the conversation. Make sure you know why, too. You need to start from a place of care. You care about their wellbeing. You care about your community. You care about the toll this is taking on everyone, especially the most vulnerable people among us. You want your audience to be and stay in good health. You do not want them to die, even if they are wrong.

This is not a game you are trying to win. This is not about your ego. It is not about you being right and them being wrong. You want to contribute to people making the best possible decision for themselves, so you are choosing to engage them in a productive, empathetic way. You will listen at least as much as you speak.

Your goal is not to win an argument. With some skill and a lot of care, you will not even have an argument. You are going to have a conversation with the hope that you will walk away with a better understanding of someone else’s perspective and maybe even another person or a group of people truly considering the vaccine as a real option.