“Why do you need to dribble? It would be faster to run with the ball.” This statement from a six-year-old stopped me in my tracks as I was teaching the fundamentals of dribbling to 60 elementary-age kids at my annual basketball camp. It was a great question!

If you don’t know anything about basketball, dribbling makes no sense whatsoever. I mean, it is faster to run with the ball rather than bounce it while someone is trying to take it from you.

As medical marketers, we need to stop and think about the baseline of knowledge that consumers have when we describe the latest and greatest medical option on a website or in an ad. Like the six-year-old who was questioning the logic of bouncing a ball when just running was faster, consumers considering a new medical therapy often get information from providers and manufacturers as though they have the knowledge level of a fourth-year medical student. In fact, each time I conduct consumer market research, I am reminded that medical knowledge for most consumers is very basic, but probably more advanced than my knowledge of astrophysics.

The next time you are working on patient or consumer communication, keep in mind some basic questions:

• What exactly is the problem—what’s wrong that needs fixing (use basic terms)?
• How does that problem manifest itself—how do I know if I have it?
• What will life be like if I don’t fix the problem?
• What will life be like if I do fix the problem?
• What is the solution and how does it help me? Keep it simple—anything over three syllables warrants consideration.
• Is there bad stuff that can happen with the solution? If so, how bad is it in relative terms—think heart attack versus a hangnail.
• If I think I want the solution, what is the next step?

These are questions I now ask myself at work—and before teaching a new skill at basketball camp.

Clay Wilemon is the CEO and Chief Strategy Officer at DevicePharm, a marketing strategy and integrated marketing communications firm based in Irvine, CA. You can email Clay at clayw@DevicePharm.com.