Project description

Effective communication is a necessary skill for leading teams. Effective communication and engagement with team members helps to build trust within teams, promote positive working relationships, foster productivity, assist teams to follow new guidance in novel situations, and enhance team well-being. We are creating a 30-minute online training course for people in NHS Scotland leadership positions that will develop their communication and engagement skills through learning 8 evidence-based principles of good practice. The course is underpinned by interviews, surveys and group discussions from NHS Scotland healthcare staff about areas where leaders were effective in their team engagement and where there was room from improvement. It also draws on empirical research in social psychology, leadership and crisis management.

The course will consist of watching an engaging illustrative short video (2-3.5 minutes) for each of the 8 skills for effective communication and engagement. The videos are followed by multiple choice questions to consolidate and test the knowledge gained through the course. 

The course will be made available on TURAS, a modern and accessible digital platform developed by NHS Education for Scotland to support health and care professionals working in the public sector. The course will be available as part of optional continuous professional development for all NHS Scotland staff, but will be particularly targeted to those in leadership positions or who aim to build leadership skills. 

Testimonial 

I am thrilled to provide a testimonial for the Wee Dog Media team and to share the excellent work that they have produced. 

The Wee Dog Media team, spearheaded by Robert Motyka, produced innovative, engaging motion graphics videos that will be made available to all NHS Scotland staff as part of option continual professional development for leadership skills. The Wee Dog Media team worked tirelessly to collaborate with us to ensure that our goals for the videos were met, including accurately conveying all the complex academic and technical information that we needed to be included in each video in an accessible way. They endeavoured to ensure that all content was representative of current NHS Scotland hospital infrastructure, so that the content was relatable and applicable for all staff. 

The creation of the videos included continual collaboration with academics at the University of Edinburgh, Senior Policy Managers within the Chief Nursing Officer Directorate of Scottish Government, and members of the nursing, midwifery and allied health professionals development framework. We are all delighted with the sterling efforts of the Wee Dog Media team. I look forward to the videos being launched since I am confident that they will help to develop leadership skills within NHS Scotland, ultimately making NHS Scotland teams more positive and inclusive spaces. 

Dr Anne Templeton, Senior Lecturer in Social Psychology, The University of Edinburgh

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CREDITS:

Academics at the University of Edinburgh, Senior Policy Managers within the Chief Nursing Officer Directorate of Scottish Government, and members of the nursing, midwifery and allied health professionals development framework: Concept and advice
Marta Adamowicz: Screenplay
Robert Motyka: Project development manager, Storyboard, Graphics, Motion Graphics, Video editing
Szymon Felkel: Project development, Graphics, Motion Graphics.
Annie George: Voice Over Artist