This weeks #Otalk is on the topic of “promoting the profession” and will be hosted by Mark Whiteman (@mrkwhtmnOT).

Here is what Mark had to say…

To set the scene, we have seen how media outlets such as the Guardian newspaper, YouTube videos and TED talks, can be used to promote and educate the wider public, and Occupational Therapists too, about Occupational Therapy. You may also recall that, at this year’s conference, the #COT2017 Blog Squad summarised a Media Relations session too (contributed by @AylaOT). In that blog entry, the Guardian Public Services editor was reported as noting that print still seems to be held in higher esteem amongst the wider public but that the alternatives, blogging and vlogging, were beginning to usurp traditional media outlets.

So how can we share our collective thoughts on how we can harness media to, for example, share our success stories, demystify our profession or to help cultivate a research culture (amongst Occupational Therapists). Media can be anything in the broadest sense; social media, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, but also newspapers, magazines, and billboards, or even broadcast media such as radio, television or online… anything goes!

One of the questions below focuses on promoting an increase in ‘research capacity’ amongst Occupational Therapists; the idea for this question stemmed from Diane Cox’s Elizabeth Casson Memorial Lecture calling for Occupational Therapists to undertake research and to ‘Publish! Publish! Publish!’.

Some questions for consideration:

Where else could we promote #OccupationalTherapy on social, print or broadcast media? How or what could we contribute?

To whom do we need to communicate messages about our profession to? What kind of messages?

Anything goes for this question! What would your ultimate media promotion campaign look like?

What do we need to see on media platforms, such as social media, to foster a ‘research culture’ amongst registered & pre-reg OTs?

Relevant Links

#OTalk Blog Squad: Media Relations for Occupational Therapists

#OTalk Blog Squad The Elizabeth Casson Memorial Lecture: Life as an occupational being.