Economic Impact Award

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In December 2012, the Economics Club of Hampton Roads notified the leadership of Eastern Virginia Medical School that the school would be presented with the 2013 Economic Impact Award at the club’s annual luncheon in February. It was the first time in the award’s six-year history that an institution, rather than an individual, was chosen as the recipient based largely on a report that called EVMS “one of the region’s most powerful economic engines,” estimating its annual economic impact at $823.6 million.


More than 400 community leaders and influencers attend the annual award luncheon, at which the honoree delivers a 40-minute speech. In receiving the award on behalf of EVMS and its founders, then-President Harry Lester had the rare opportunity to raise awareness of the 39-year-old school among a key constituency. His speech, Growing the Health & Economy of Hampton Roads, needed to achieve three objectives: inform the audience about EVMS’ unique history, emphasize its vital economic impact in the region, and promote its essential role in the future of the region’s health care. Other considerations in drafting a speech of this length included how to organize a large amount of information for clarity, the level of detail to include without overwhelming the audience, and how to keep the audience engaged. Delivery of the speech necessitated the speaker using a TelePrompter for the first time and entailed extensive rehearsal and speaker coaching.

By using storytelling techniques, the speech built suspense around points such as whether the school would raise enough money in time to open its doors, which prestigious hospitals accept EVMS students for residencies, and the defense contractors the school is partnering with on mod/sim technologies. A Prezi-based presentation was created to accompany the speech and convey the core visual metaphor. Photos and graphics in the Prezi emphasized key points, and five short EVMS videos were interspersed with the remarks. A 20-page booklet, whose design tied into the core visual metaphor, was produced to distribute at the event as a way of reinforcing the speech and key facts about EVMS.

Audience feedback after the luncheon was overwhelmingly positive. Afterward, the booklet and a link to a summary video were mailed to 219 state and local legislators. A video recording of the speech was shown to faculty, staff and students at an EVMS Town Hall meeting, and the presentation is being turned into six modules that can be viewed individually on the EVMS website. Specific modules will also be used in new employee orientation and donor presentations to support fundraising efforts.

 


This speech earned an Honorable Mention in the 2013 Cicero Awards — an international award sponsored by Vital Speeches of the Day. Other winners/honorable mentions include major companies and organizations such as AARP, BP, Coca-Cola, Royal Dutch Shell, Pfizer, Wells Fargo, and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; some large higher education institutions (University of Florida, Wake Forest University, and University of Michigan); and government officials such as a National Intelligence official and the Minister for Climate, Energy & Building (Denmark).

This presentation also earned a place as a finalist in the PR News’ Platinum PR Awards (2013) speech category. Other finalists include international firms and national organizations such as Ogilvy, Hill + Knowlton Strategies, Diageo North America, and the U.S. Postal Service.