There are oh-so-many reasons why some people might not be jumping to be vaccinated. To name a few: Fear of the government or the medical community. Indifference to the pandemic’s impacts. Misunderstandings about what the vaccines. Lack of vaccine availability in their community. All of these are understandable responses to a complex, politicized situation.
Start with asking questions to understand your friend’s perspective.
“What are you thinking about getting vaccinated?”
“What information is important to you for making your decision about the vaccine?”
“What would need to change for you to be willing to get the vaccine?”
Listen and then listen some more.
Offer support and encouragement. Reflect feelings.
“I appreciate your honesty.”
“I can tell you are being thoughtful about this decision.”
“I see how strongly you feel about this.”
Highlight areas of agreement.
“I am looking forward to things being more normal too.”
“We both care about our community.”
“I agree - the pandemic has been divisive.”
“I too like to deeply understand decisions about my health.”
Ask more questions. Listen some more. Find more areas of agreement.
Suggest ways to connect and strengthen the relationship.
The conversation goals should be to understand, build trust, express compassion, and support your friend in reaching their own informed conclusions.
In the course of the conversation, if your friend asks what you think about vaccines, consider what story you want to tell. A compelling story might convey your process - in this case, perhaps how you first felt fear or hesitancy about the vaccine development or rollout, and then how you overcame those feelings to come to your current understanding.
When you share your story (it might not be in the first conversation!), end it by turning the conversation back to your friend and their process to learn more about what they need and how you can support them.
