Vaccine trial workers (primary and secondary)
The primary workers are the technical personnel who work
directly on vaccine trial - in vaccine development, trial protocols, research -
while the secondary workers include everybody else who provides supportive
services to the team (e.g. security officials, communication workers, ethicists,
clerical workers, administrators). No matter who else is included (or excluded)
from the Contact List, these often overlooked, essential people are the
dependable, committed, foot soldiers in communicating information on vaccine
trial and in constructing goodwill. As David Tedone says, these people 'make up
a publicity team ready to spread the word to family, friends, acquaintances and
other organizations'.9 Therefore they should be fully conversant with
all the work, views and official positions of the vaccine team(s).
9 David Tedone, Practical Publicity: How
to Boost Any Cause, The Harvard Common Press, Massachusetts (1983), p. 21.
Note that while it is useful for every person in your team to
have adequate information about the vaccine and the trial, it is not desirable
(nor is it recommended) that every person doubles as the spokesperson of the
team. Select a key, knowledgeable member in your team whose responsibility will
be, among others, routinely to contact the media, offer support, carry out
briefings, and answer questions rapidly and accurately. Then instruct your staff
cheerfully to direct all media questions to the designated person. This
designated person may be your PR specialist, or just a natural, good speaker who
makes him/herself understood, and is
likeable.
