The Turnstone: talking about vaccines #1

A quick overview

Welcome to the first of six issues of The Turnstone: talking about vaccines. Over the next two weeks I will be sharing resources to help you have kind and non-judgemental conversations with people who are uncertain about, or opposed to, vaccination.

If you are busy and don't have much time, these resources are for you. They cover:

• reasons why people may not trust vaccines

• how to have kind conversations and build trust

• basic facts about the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine and side effects

• how to have conversations with people whose views we find more difficult, such as serious Covid-19 deniers

The total reading and watching time should be just under an hour. If your time is limited, I recommend that you look at just the first item, the TED talk from Heidi Larson.

TED talk from Heidi Larson, Director of the Vaccine Confidence Project (15 minute video).

Heidy Larson has a lifetime of experience communicating with people about vaccines, working with groups such as UNICEF, GAVI (the Vaccine Alliance) and the World Health Organisation.

Link to Heidy Larson's TED talk on the TED website

Summary of the reasons people may not want to get vaccinated (5 minute read)

This article gives an overview of the 3Cs model (confidence, complacency, convenience). This model was developed by the World Health Organisation expert group to help understand vaccine hesitancy. There are many reasons people may not be vaccinated or may not have their children vaccinated, and the model gives us a way of thinking about those reasons in a more constructive way.

Link to a summary of the 3Cs model from research organisation the Colorado Health Institute

Frequently asked questions about the vaccine and potential side effects (8 minute read)

This list of questions and answers summarises factual information about the Pfizer/ BioNTech vaccine, how it works and what side effects it can have. This summary links to sources that give more information on each topic.

Link to frequently asked questions about the Pfizer vaccine from NZ Doctors Stand Up For Vaccination

Interview with Lee McIntyre about talking to people who don't accept science (14 minute video)

For those needing to talk with people who follow conspiracy theories, this interview gives an introduction to the work of Lee McIntyre, who studies and writes about philosophy and ethics in science.

Link to interview "How Do You Talk To People Who Deny Science"?

Article and graphics by Siouxsie Wiles and Toby Morris (6 minute read, including 2 video graphics)

This article gives more information on communicating with people who have been pulled in by disinformation. It was written a year ago, but it is just as relevant today.

Link to "Bridging the Gap" with Siouxsie Wiles & Toby Morris

Article by a formerly anti-vaccination mother (6 minute read)

This article is written by someone who didn't vaccinate her children then changed her mind. It gives a more personal perspective of why people might be uncertain about vaccines and their experience of communicating with different people about vaccines.

I Was An ‘Anti-Vaxxer.’ This Year, I Changed My Mind. | HuffPost

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I’d love to hear what you think of these resources. Let me know what you found most interesting or useful in the comment box below.