It's common to feel at a loss when you need to communicate critical information, and you don’t feel equipped to do so. With these healthy communication skills, you can ensure that you get your message across, while also building deeper connections and trust with your audience.

In service of this year’s theme, We Are All Public Health, I’ve compiled tips on how to improve the health of your communications practices while building and earning trust in the process. Communicating through challenging moments can be easier when we focus on the heart of the message and the people on the receiving end.

The generation gap isn’t an excuse for disconnection and engagement—it’s an invitation to get closer. If you’re leading or managing a team, take this week’s column as a prompt to initiate conversations that can help build back the social support systems we’ve been losing in recent years.

Lean into what’s ahead. Grow through the hard moments. Embrace the adversity and the struggles thrown at you so you can be stronger, more prepared, and ready for what’s ahead. You are capable of great things, my friend. Don't let yourself forget it.

While a “no-agenda” lunch with an old friend won’t solve the complexity of problems we face today, it is something—and something particularly important—to help counteract social isolation and build back up social networks. The real kind. Yes, it’s good to be together. And it’s due time that we take a break from our devices to make it happen.

Political polarization is real and will likely grow in the coming months. Get ahead of it in your workplace by helping your team build the skills to navigate divisive conversations while actively supporting civic engagement.

It’s not how quick you can deliver an answer in the moment. It’s how much you’re willing to sit with the tough questions that come your way. I guarantee that the process of deep thinking will lead to much greater clarity and conviction in the process.

You may not think your actions influence someone else’s path, but they do. Pause today and consider someone who has encouraged, inspired, or stood by you in a difficult moment. And reach out to them to say thank you. They may not even be aware of their impact on your life.

You can’t control what the media asks, but you can control what you say. Let your character shine through by listening carefully to the audience, acknowledging questions, and bridging to your message. And by keeping your audience at the center of the story, you’ll be ready for prime time in no time.

If you’re interested in long-term impact and viability, pay attention to the actions and practices you keep today. Because they'll guide where your organization goes from here.

It’s easy to believe that our team can clinch the win, just as we can imagine landing our own big wins at work. But those magic moments don’t come without conditioning, reflection, authenticity, and follow-through. Stay true to who you are, and keep your end goal in sight.

If you want the process of delivering feedback to serve as an opportunity to deepen trust rather than to damage a relationship, then take time to understand the situation AND the person before rushing to assumptions or judgment. Being clear, candid, and consistent can help move your fear of feedback to a practice of love.

Whether you manage a big brand or a small startup, a team of thousands, or a team of two, there is power in every single one of your decisions: power to shift and shape society for good. So, I dare you to ask, and then explore more deeply, your individual power to make an impact. Consider the effect of your big decisions and your small ones, too. Then, ask again and again, What If?

Listening matters. If you're working for progress of any kind, you have a responsibility to listen—carefully and intentionally. Find ways to get closer to the audience, the content, and the presenter, and use these moments as opportunities to understand the information being shared with you. I guarantee you'll be surprised at how much you can learn.

Your most significant contributions—to the world, your work, your team—cannot be defined by others. They will be determined by the actions you take and the values you practice.

So, pause with me for this moment in time. Set aside the lists, demands, and worries— just for a moment. And think: what tremendous power there is in how we choose to use our time, our most valuable asset.

Rather than try to fit everyone into a preconceived mold, let’s identify and celebrate the characteristics that make us each unique and special. In doing so, we can unlock the best in each other and in ourselves. So find what’s being underestimated, and celebrate it.

Consider what you can do today, this week, or this month to fill up your character bank. What small ways can you focus your energy on someone other than yourself?

There’s always something more to learn and something that might be getting in your way of learning too. I hope this learning list gets your mind going with new ideas and information and invites you to ask: what have you learned that’s getting in your way, and what are you missing now?

It’s never too late to learn and never too late to love. There will never be enough time, so use the time you’re given today running after something, or maybe someone, that you love.