Welcome to our blog! Here, we explore communication not just as our profession, but as an essential part of daily life. Our posts cover both perspectives, offering insights that resonate with both work and everyday interactions.
The greatest myth in health communication is believing that information alone changes behavior. Countless facts and studies are available, yet people often turn away from the messages that matter most. Real change happens only when a message is trustworthy and personally relatable.
When people encounter a message, their first thought usually isn’t: “Is this true?” Instead, they think: “Can I trust this? Do I see myself and my daily life in this?” This is the core misconception in health communication: assuming that knowledge is enough. In reality, trust and relatability form the bridge that takes us from information to understanding—and from understanding to action: better choices, seeking help, finding hope.
Facts don’t have a face. Stories do. Empathy doesn’t mean setting data aside. It means opening it up through human experience. A statistic about mental health challenges can be striking, but it’s the story of a young person who dared to seek help and got their life back on track that truly makes us pause and act.
Mental health is a timely example of how words shape reality. When we talk about the “weak” or “burned out,” we reinforce an image of incapacity. But when we speak about the courage to seek help, we change the entire narrative. Health communication is not only about informing—it is also about renewing language, and through it, attitudes.
The next decade of health communication is not just about information—it’s about creating connection:
When we achieve this, health communication won’t fade into background noise. It will become a resource that helps us make better choices and most importantly, helps us feel better.
Information about the harms of drugs alone is not enough to change decisions or behaviors. That’s why our collaboration with Indivior Nordics has been based on long-term, multichannel advocacy: research and policy report, events with decision-makers in Parliament and at SuomiAreena, petitions and campaign websites, story-driven content on social media, and wide-reaching digital visibility.
The result has been public debate, commitment from decision-makers, and societal pressure to improve access to treatment—the very change that statistics alone cannot achieve. This work continues, and it illustrates the core of health communication: facts open the door, but only trust, stories, and ongoing dialogue take us through it.
Want to strengthen your organization’s communication and impact?
Contact maria.kesti@ahjocomms.fi 050 443 7655.
