Yellowknife (July 31/06) - The top doctor in the Northwest Territories says more plain talk is needed when it comes to explaining health issues to the public.

Doctor Andre Corriveau, the NWT's chief medical health officer, says that was one of the issues discussed at a July 20 - 21 conference in Whitehorse, which brought together medical health officers from across northern Canada and Alaska.

A conference guest speaker - Washington state health officer Dr. Maxine Hayes - advised using less jargon when explaining issues like bird flu preparedness.

"I kind of had discovered that on my own," Corriveau says of the need for clearer language. Health professionals sometimes use too many Power Point presentations and terminology they learned in medical school, he says.

"It becomes an impediment rather than a help."

Corriveau says the Whitehorse conference has given him more ideas on how to communicate with the public.

"I try to improve my style with every outing," he says.

Corriveau believes issues could be discussed through a style of communication that is more like storytelling.

"I think we need to be more conscious of our audiences," he explains. The Whitehorse gathering was the second annual Public Health North of 60 conference. It discusses issues of common interest to medical health officers from across the North.