L&M Blog
As we round the final turn of this truly bizarre and challenging year of 2020, we must look back and commend ourselves on the monstrous pivot we all undertook, made necessary by the COVID pandemic1. We must also ensure that changes implemented as a result of COVID continue to enhance, evolve and refine how we roll out successful speaker programs in 2021. This article will provide you with specific actions steps you should consider to ensure continued success in your Speaker Bureau activities in 2021.
The lingering effects of a global pandemic, gradual economic recovery, political instability and re-thought personal priorities will be critical to keep in mind with regards to your efforts to support Peer-to-Peer education and communications moving forward.
Whether you’re an employee of a pharmaceutical or biotech firm or an agency support company, there are numerous critical issues to think about as we head into 2021. We have the luxury of hindsight to inform us that we must anticipate that a highly unsettled global environment will force adjustments to your once tried-and-true plans and tactics and an evolution of your thinking. A current and reactive Peer-to-Peer program will ultimately enable deeper engagement between your company and the health care community.
Several critical issues must be explored and integrated into your Peer-to-Peer programs:
1. Nurture your Key Opinion Leader and Speaker relationships:
• Provide opportunities for your speakers to participate in the educational process and evolve their critical speaking skills
2. Create content and learning environments which engage your target audience regardless of the educational venue:
• There are a myriad of new program formats being implemented which go beyond the Zoom grid, and which take advantage of different times of day and learning preferences for your critical audience.
3. Constantly evolve and innovate your data management and portal technology:
• Now is the time to ask yourself, is your Speakers Bureau portal the best, and most modern system it can be? Are there features you’ve longed to have, and still can’t seem to implement?
4. Work with legal, compliance and operations to maintain rigorous and standardized operational processes and workflow but leave room for creative thinking:
• View your extended team through the lens of keeping your program safe and compliant, while allowing for new programs and business rules to accommodate these radical new times. Provide evidence and plan to your professionals, so that the automatic answer isn’t always….no.
5. Remain highly compliant through accurate transparency and reporting:
• The current environment poses a myriad of challenges, not the least of which are compliance and reporting issues. You must remain vigilant about sign in sheets, expense reporting, and timely payments. There are some amazing technologies, which represent relatively simple solutions, to critical problems.
Watch this space in the coming weeks for additional posts on this topic. We at L&M Healthcare Communications will share our expertise to help you address these vital changes for you and your clients.
Thanks for reading.
Adam Margolis
CEO, L&M Healthcare Communications
