1 DISCUSSION DUE IN 24 HOURS
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Chapter10Week5.pptxEffective Crisis Communication
Chapter 10: Risk Communication
Ulmer, R., Sellnow, T., Seeger, M. (2019). Effective Crisis Communication: Moving From Crisis to Opportunity. Sage Publications. Thousand Oaks, CA.
Opportunity #1: Effective Risk Communication (RC) can disrupt a crisis and prevent it from reaching its full magnitude
Important to distinguish between risks and crises
Risk Communication (RC) is future oriented
RC is designed to avert crisis
RC is designed to speculate about what could happen, not explain what did
RC is designed for long term planning vs the immediate problem
RC generally comes from experts foreseeing potential problems versus leaders dealing with a problem.
RC is more personal and internal whereas crisis messages are more public.
RC has the luxury of time with full PR campaigns versus crisis comm that is immediate.
RC can be crafted carefully whereas crisis comm is more spontaneous.
Opportunity #2: A mindful outlook is essential to recognizing new risks
Identifying Risk
Recognizing risk
Learning about it
Prioritizing it
Changing behavior to avoid or mitigate it
Mindfulness – means constantly adapting our perceptual skills to adapt to a changing world
Requires awareness of new information
Requires awareness of different perspectives
High reliability
Preoccupation with failure
Reluctance to simplify operations
Sensitivity to operations
Commitment to resilience
Deference to expertise
Opportunity #3: Risk Communication must account for both hazard and outrage
Best form of risk communication is interactive
Dialogue should be between all stakeholders who might be affected
Dialogue-centered approach
Democratic and all invited to share opinions
Decisions made for greatest good and greatest number
Technology-centered approach
Experts debate and make recommendations on policy
More efficient – none of us have the time to learn and study all the issues (nor do we want to)
“Experts” – should know more than we do
Loses credibility when the public loses trust in the experts (dishonest, bias, etc.)
Opportunity #3: Risk Communication must account for both hazard and outrage
Sandman’s Risk/Hazard Equation
Risk f {Hazard+Outrage}
Hazard is the scientifically determined risk level
Outrage is the public’s determination of high risk
If the public perceives high risk, scientists have a hard time convincing them otherwise
If the public doesn’t perceive high risk, scientists have a hard time convincing them otherwise
Opportunity #3: Risk Communication must account for both hazard and outrage
Dialogue-centered approach takes into consideration public outrage, BUT…
Functions very slowly
Not always based upon fact
Could result in an uninformed public endorsing a risky behavior
Need an interactive compromise approach
Opportunity #4: To ensure social responsibility, all risk communication should be held to the standard of significant choice
Convergence theory and risk communication
The audience’s understanding of a contested risk issue shifts as the argument proceeds
4 Principles
Audience seeks points of convergence within competing arguments
Convergence is most persuasive when the issue is important to them
Changes over time
Individuals seek to diminish convergence with flawed and new evidence
Opportunity #4: To ensure social responsibility, all risk communication should be held to the standard of significant choice
RESPONSIBLE RISK COMMUNICATION
Significant Choice – Giving people the human dignity to make rational decisions
5 Standards allowing stakeholders to make decisions
Stakeholders should be free from physical and/or mental coercion
Choice is made based on all available information
Reasonable alternatives are included in the discussion
Short-term & long-term consequences are disclosed and discussed
Senders & receivers of messages are open about any personal motives
Opportunity #4: To ensure social responsibility, all risk communication should be held to the standard of significant choice
RESPONSIBLE RISK COMMUNICATION
Forms of communication that reduce opportunity to make choices rationally:
Incomplete information
Biased information
Statistical units inadequately defined or incomplete
Vague or ambiguous terminology
Implied relationships between issues when relationships do not exist
False sense of urgency or importance
Highly emotionally charged language which distorts meaning
Fantasy messages
Summary
Opportunity 1 – Effective Risk Communication can disrupt a crisis and prevent it from reaching its full magnitude
Opportunity 2 – A mindful outlook is essential to recognizing new risks
Opportunity 3 – Risk Communication must account for both hazard and outrage
Opportunity 4 – To ensure social responsibility, all risk communication should be held to the standard of significant choice.
