What a tremendous event in Chicago this week! As always, the SHSMD Connections Conference was filled with amazing people, presentations and conversations.
I know many attendees left with a variety of takeaways that will impact their work. The content was inspiring and insightful.
Here are five quotes that stood out to me from keynote and concurrent sessions I attended.
Those quotes are all great, but I especially like the idea of “disrupting distraction.” Isn't that what we’re all called to do? Looking for messages, strategies and connections that break through the daily noise of our work and personal lives. Disrupting distraction is going to be a theme for me in 2024!
Top takeaways from each day
Note: All the summaries below were posted during the conference on LinkedIn. You can also find more content from me and other conference attendees by searching for “#SHSMD23” on LinkedIn or Twitter.
DAY 1:
🎤💡 Keynote: Sparking creativity: Live with wonder, wisdom and whimsy - Brad Montague
“Stories inspire more stories.”
“It’s important to tell real stories, true stories, stories that inspire people to tell their own stories that bring people together.”
“Absurd times call for absurd amounts of love.”
DAY 2:
🎤💡 Keynote: Data-driven DEI: Make DEI part of your DNA – Dr. Randal Pinkett
There is a strong business case for DEI, but making personal connections to the value of DEI work is the real key to success.
Greater diversity of thought drives innovation, something that benefits both organizations and individuals.
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🎤💡 Building a thought leadership program – Sharon Delaney McCloud; Jamie Williams
"Building a successful thought leadership program starts with building trust."
"Communicators should be true collaborative partners with executives."
"Discomfort is critical for leaders to grow as speakers and presenters."
"Effective thought leadership content disrupts distraction."
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🎤💡 Never let a good crisis go to waste – David Perry, Lin MacMaster; Christine Albert; Jennifer Weiss Wilkerson
"An organization’s brand strategy bridges the gaps between different functions and brings the organization together."
"A strong brand strategy is built off a strong base of research."
"Building a brand strategy is much easier than implementing one. You need governance to make things happen."
"Experience is everyone’s job in a health system."
DAY 3:
🎤💡 Keynote: Achieving AI’s promise and transformative power to shape healthcare’s future – Laura Adams
“The HOPE is that AI can help us solve some of our most vexing problems in healthcare.”
"COVID-19 exposed the depths and consequences of disparities. We have an opportunity with AI to stop disparities in their tracks.”
“The HYPE is that AI will ‘automagically’ solve all our problems.”
“We’re nowhere near the peak of AI hype yet.”
“Remember that humans trust humans.”
“AI holds enormous promise, but only if we avoid the peril.”
“Humans won’t be replaced by AI, but they may be replaced by other humans using AI.”
“Lean in and learn!”
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🎤💡 Trends in AI/Chat GPT – Brent Lamm; Patrick Higley; and me
“AI can be an extender of our workforce. It can help alleviate staffing issues and burnout.”
“Within clinical care, AI has the potential to ease the way for patients: easier, faster connections to care and information."
“As health care strategists, we can’t pretend that AI won’t impact our organizations and careers.”
Five considerations to keep in mind:
Keep connected with new developments in AI.
Use some of the available AI tools so that you understand them.
Be at the table for governance and usage discussions.
Verification, fact-checking and brand voice alignment are critical with AI-produced content.
External-facing content requires extra scrutiny.
Looking ahead to 2024
Mark your calendars now for October 13-15, 2024. I’m already counting down the days to seeing everyone in Denver. In the meantime, don’t forget to:
Leave feedback for the sessions you attended using the mobile app
Select and save your favorite content
Schedule any follow-up meetings ASAP
Share what you learned with others
I look forward to seeing all of you next year!
