Take a Journalistic Approach to Gather Insightful Stories!

You jump into KOL scientific exchange with enthusiasm, but after a few attempts, you’re feeling a bit disappointed that the insights and patient experience stories are not coming forth….

You chat with KOLs and they give you just one or two-word answers, they just don’t seem to have anything interesting to say…

Or you ask a group in your clinical presentation to share their patient experiences and you get awkward silence or blank stares as they shift uncomfortably in their seats…
Perhaps you reach out to a few influential thought leaders but it seems that all they want to do is talk off-topic and do not provide any useful insights…

You repeat your KOL meetings as above and keep getting the same lackluster results, wondering where the elusive insights and truly meaningful patient experience stories are…

…perhaps you think that only a highly experienced MSL can get KOLs to open up in a way that makes interesting dialogue to gather deeper insights and real-world stories. You wonder: do I need to become a NY Times journalist to find these stories and uncover the details that lead to excellent insights?

These are questions field MSLs struggle with as they are pushed ever harder to bring in illuminating insights, help shape medical strategies, and uncover more about the patient journey and disease state conditions. Yes, there are great clinical stories within your grasp and everyone does have a story to tell.

Good stories and insights must be earned! You cannot walk into a KOL meeting and demand insights. You ‘earn’ stories by having the patience to interview, listen, and encourage dialogue, nurturing the discussion that will lead you to great content for impactful insights and captivating clinical stories. You need to help people trust you before they’ll feel comfortable talking to you. Trust is key to earning the information you seek.

And interviews are real conversations; often people won’t even know their own stories. They discover their stories by talking to you. You lead the discussion into the storytelling format that allows you to listen fervently and expand your ideas with informative sharing in the cross-talk with your KOL as you guide them into storytelling mode. It’s a new experience for KOLs too, and many will reflect on how you interview them by saying, “I never quite thought about things in the same way before taking the time to tell the complete story to you.” Interview people well and you’ll help them discover more clinical stories that shed light on patient experiences, treatment decisions, and so many useful insights.

I’ve learned there is nothing that people won’t tell you if you ask in a compassionate and legitimately interested approach. MSLs need to employ this strategic tactic for successful interviewing that leads to clinical insights and stories! While we spend time telling stories with clinical data in our scientific exchanges, it is perhaps even more important to learn how to draw out stories from our KOLs and stakeholders which is both a science and an art within the discussion.

Areas to explore with this “journalistic” approach:

Why stories are important and how you can use them
How to encourage clinical storytelling with your stakeholders
How to conduct interviews that will uncover great stories and insights
How to use great clinical stories to learn and expand discussions with others (KOLs, stakeholders et al)

Why Do Stories Matter?

Stories bring context to light. They help us think and consider new or additional elements in our understanding to explain experiences more clearly including the science, relationships, emotional states, and memories as well as elevating questions and areas where conflicts exist. Stories teach us about perspectives and experiences from others’ viewpoints. And, sharing stories builds trust; when others trust us with their stories, we begin to deepen relationships, critical to connecting with others. Stories are influential, communicating vision and ways we want to change current circumstances, learning from what is working or not working in the current situation. Stories are engaging and breathe life into the science we all know but need to see from the perspective of patients and the clinicians who treat them. Stories can elevate empathy for others and what they experience, propelling field MSLs and leadership to work toward innovation through research and novel ideas that make a difference. Suffice it to say that stories are quite powerful and they impart passion and purpose into our field activities.

Communication is a two-way street where we not only tell our stories often with clinical data but also seek to encourage others to share their stories in ways that expand our knowledge, understanding, and appreciation for new views, adding deeper insights that shape medical strategies.

Start with Customers you Engage – KOLs, PAGs, Other Stakeholders

One important caveat: an interview for story content is very different from a survey interview. Survey research might require you to ask several questions in a session, but that kills conversation quickly. Do not fall into the situation where you have a string of questions in your agenda and simply ask random questions as if your discussion is a survey. This never works! Think about proactive probing questions you may receive from internal leaders with key areas to explore with thought leaders; how will you weave them into your conversation in a cohesive manner that does not take the form of a survey? Take time to consider which questions matter most with the KOL you will engage and sequence them within a strategic agenda for a nuanced conversation that flows nicely.

For story interviews, you should have 3-4 topics you want to cover. What elements about the patient journey are important to query? Where do we need a deeper understanding of the clinical experience? Ask open-ended questions that people can’t reply ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to – and be prepared to dig into topics using probing and clarifying questions to guide you through the discussion, opening up areas that your KOL or other entity seems really passionate about. Let them lead you to where the real story is.

Once you’ve decided who you need to interview, someone you are engaging with using a strategic agenda approach, you need to interview them in a practical way to get great clinical stories. Remember you could just ask loads of questions and get a lot of material – but that won’t guarantee you’ll get good stories. You need a solid plan!

How to plan interviews

You have to carefully plan and conduct your interviews in order to get the types of useful stories you’ll need. Here are some best practices for planning interviews within your agenda for scientific exchange that yields insights and great stories.

1. Give yourself enough time

There are some key stages in planning:

Identify the KOLs / stakeholders you need to approach AND the topics you’re going to talk about. You won’t ask the same questions of every entity; make sure your questions are relevant to each type of KOL you approach. If you’re not clear, focused, and concise at this stage, you’re going to waste time so planning to get it right is essential. Have a strategic agenda!
Set aside time to do interviews. Ensure this is built into your agenda plan. Just deciding to do an interview at random in discussions will not produce the results you are looking for.
Consider using the TED approach; these types of questions help others expand on ideas and experiences that will put them in storytelling mode:
- Tell me more about…
- Can you Explain…
- How do you describe….
- For example, a thought leader may say: “In my clinical experience, patients prefer using medication reminders.” Now add in one of the TED elements: “Tell me more about the medication reminders patients prefer…”
Maybe they share some information that seems interesting but stop without sharing the details; a little nudge such as “How so?” can extend the discussion. For instance, the stakeholder may say: “The clinical data you shared is not consistent with my patient experiences.” Now add in a nudge… “How so?”
Decide how you’re going to collect information – are you taking notes while they talk or downloading after the discussion? Doing both is ideal, as you can reflect on the discussion immediately after and add in more notes. Don’t wait to review your notes after an interview; the longer you wait, the more detail and emotion you will forget. Build in time to review your notes directly after that call.
Have a good idea of the type of content you’re looking for based on medical strategy and what your leadership is seeking, what your internal stakeholders are looking for. Are you looking for in-depth clinical stories that will flesh out the patient experience or will you be focusing on probing questions or key topics of interest; are there areas of focus where insights are most needed? Ensure you weave a cohesive approach within the agenda topics to build a seamless dialogue.
Consider sharing of conversation in your discussion; talking more than the KOLs or stakeholders means you listen less and learn less. Balance how you will share information and keep time as open as possible for others to share information and stories with you.

2. How to make the initial approach to interview prospects

Once you’ve done your agenda planning, it’s time to make the initial approach with scientific exchange. You can’t just say “I’m looking for clinical patient stories and your insights”, that’s too much about you, not something that will persuade someone to give up their valuable time to talk to you. Much better to say, “I am interested in your experience treating patients with condition X; can you share what you find patients struggle with from the initial diagnosis through treatments they try? What do you hear your patients say and share with you?” Any people enjoy talking about themselves. So, make this dialogue about them, not you or your needs.

The traditional approach is to email first, then follow up on replies:

Keep it short and to the point
- Grab their attention and interest in the subject line of the email
- Establish your own credibility (who are you and why are you reaching out)
- Be clear about exactly what you want them to do and why
When people do reply, you need to get back to them quickly while they’re still hot! Reply within 24 hours and offer a firm time and date to connect. (But things do change, so be prepared to rearrange if they cancel)

3. Get the most from your scientific exchange interview approach

Make sure to minimize time pressure to allow discussion to expand beyond the time allotted if it happens and get yourself into the right frame of mind before you begin the meeting. Going over your questions before you begin the agenda discussion is a must. You might find that visualizing successful KOL discussions you’ve done in the past might help set the stage for your current meeting. What went well and how did you open up to get the conversation flowing nicely?

Be bright, confident, and positive right from the start. Remind them who you are and what you are aiming to accomplish.
Confirm that they’re the type of KOL with the information you seek (if they’re not, you want to consider whom they could introduce you to to obtain the info and stories you seek.)
Cover the main points that you absolutely need based on medical strategy focus areas.
Give the interviewee freedom to talk – but keep the focus on what you need to get – good stories and insights for your strategic imperatives, even if what you get is a little surprising. That can be the best meeting when it turns into insights you do not expect!
Listen for usable quotes and take good notes. If the KOL shares verbatims from patients such as how they express frustration or concerns, capture their specific words from the HCP perspectives. Don’t be afraid to ask people to repeat what they said if you didn’t quite take it all in on the first try with your notes. These quotes are useful insights!
Be engaged and keep it a two-way conversation – you’ll get better stories if the interviewee feels like they’re talking to a person, not a wall. Keep the banter flowing; use small prods with few words such as “how so, go on, and tell me more about that….”
Ensure your body language is open; do not cross arms/legs, face the storyteller, and give non-verbal feedback such as some head nods, leaning in, and good eye contact that encourages more open dialogue. Sometimes we forget about how we position ourselves.
An initial interview is good to start, yet it is vital to further relationship development with follow-up meetings that allow you to keep learning from your KOLs and other stakeholders. If you want more time to explore an issue further, don’t be afraid to ask.

4. Be ready for the unexpected

KOL scientific exchange Interviews often do not go exactly to plan – there are both pitfalls and opportunities – here are some short tips!

Conversations often veer off-course – but sometimes this can lead you in an entirely new direction for a unique clinical story that you hadn’t thought of (this might go against our earlier advice to keep focused – but go with your instincts and be opportunistic!)
You can use an “issue bridge” such as “I am glad you mentioned that; it makes me think of….” And this can help bring you back to your agenda when needed, using a smooth approach.
An interview can be significantly longer or shorter than what you budgeted time for, so you’ll need to respond accordingly. If it’s shorter than you expect, be polite, thank the interviewee for their time, and end the meeting if nothing more is needed. If it’s longer than you expect and a good interview, do everything you can to keep going – otherwise, you might lose something fantastic. Build buffer time to allow you to stay longer in case the discussion is truly great and you want to keep it going.
Despite your best efforts to identify key items you need in the KOL discussion, sometimes you don’t get anything usable in terms of insights or clinical stories. If that’s the case, don’t try to force usable content out of a discussion – it just won’t be the impactful insights you seek.

Your next step is to get started

You can get all the advice you think you need, and you can review wonderful clinical stories brought in by your fellow MSLs, but the best way you can learn to draw out clinical stories and compelling insights is to get started doing it. You will hone your process with some practice. Storytelling is not just about what MSLs share with others, but rather what we can learn from the stories others share with us to allow us to be more impactful, shaping internal strategies and fostering an evolving understanding of health conditions, patient experiences and what clinicians manage in their daily clinical cases. Together, MSLs make a significant contribution to assimilating a broad array of knowledge through their scientific exchange efforts and translate this body of information into key value that ultimately aims to help the patient. We all love great stories and they are quite memorable! Make sure to encourage others to share their stories and you will not only elevate your relationships but also drive strategies through the powerful stories and insights you bring back to your team and organization!

About the author:

Cherie Hyder, PharmD, MSL-BC

Cherie Hyder is a Syndicated National MSL Director at Syneos Health. In her previous job at Biohaven Pharmaceuticals, she supported a virtual launch of Nurtec ODT for acute migraine. She has been involved in drug development for more than 30 years, working at the FDA in CDER and pharmaceutical companies including Pfizer, Lilly, Novartis, Solvay, and Avanir, among others. At the University of Missouri, she received a Doctor of Pharmacy degree with the intention to devote her career to pharmaceutical research. She has multiple adjunct faculty appointments and enjoys teaching opportunities.