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Connecticut Department of Public HealthKeeping Connecticut Healthy
*Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication
*Purpose
*Emergency risk communication can help people cope, make risk/benefit decisions, and begin to return their lives to normal.
*Attempt to provide the public with information to make the best possible decisions within nearly impossible time constraints and to accept the imperfect nature of choice.
*In a serious crisis, all affected people…
*Take information in differently
*Process information differently
*Act on information differently
*Six Principles of CERC
1. Be First
2. Be Right
3. Be Credible
4. Express Empathy
5. Promote Action
6. Show Respect
*Contributing Factors to Risk
*Increased population density in high-risk areas
*Increased technological risks
*Aging U.S. population
*Emerging infectious diseases and antibiotic resistance
*Increased international travel
*Increased terrorism
*Crisis Communication Lifecycle
Precrisis
• Prepare• Foster alliances• Develop
consensus recommendations
• Test message • Evaluate plans
Initial
• Express empathy• Provide simple risk
explanations• Establish credibility• Recommend
actions• Commit to
stakeholders
Maintenance
• Further explain risk by population groups
• Provide more background
• Gain support for response
• Empower risk/benefit decisionmaking
• Capture feedback for analysis
Resolution
• Educate a primed public for future crises
• Examine problems• Gain support for
policy and resources• Promote your
organization’s role
Evaluation
• Capture lessons learned• Develop an event SWOT• Improve plan• Return to precrisis
planning
*Contributors to a Poor Public Response to Recovery Plans
*Mixed messages from multiple experts
*Information released late
*Paternalistic attitudes
*No reality check on recommendations
*Not countering rumors and myths in real-time
*Public power struggles and confusion
Connecticut Department of Public HealthKeeping Connecticut Healthy
*Psychology of a Crisis
*Decision Making in a Crisis Is Different
*People simplify
*Cling to current beliefs
*We remember what we see or previously experience (first messages carry more weight)
*Look for additional information and opinions
*Limit intake of new information (3-7 bits)
*Responding to a Crisis
*Accept and involve the public as a legitimate partner.
*Listen to the audience.
*Be honest, frank, and open.
*Coordinate and collaborate with other credible sources.
*Meet the needs of the media.
Connecticut Department of Public HealthKeeping Connecticut Healthy
*Messages and Audiences
*Audience Relationship to Event
*Judging the Message
*Speed counts
*Facts
*Trust and credibility
*Trust is an important component of our ability of getting people to do what we want them to do in an emergency
Source:CNN.comApril 17, 2013http://www.cnn.com/2013/04/17/us/boston-marathon-second-victim/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
*Key Elements To Build Trust
*Intention toward the receiver
*Empathy
*Caring
*Commitment
*Dedication
*Expertise
*Trustworthiness
Accuracy of Information
__________
Speed of Release
Empathy+
Openness
CREDIBILITY
Successful Communication
=+
TRUST
*Initial Message
Must
*Be short
*Be relevant
*Give positive action steps (stick to 3 or 4)
*Be repeated
*Initial Message
Must Not
*Use jargon
*Be judgmental
*Make promises that can’t be kept
*Include humor
*Speculate
Connecticut Department of Public HealthKeeping Connecticut Healthy
*Spokesperson
*Spokepersons
*They give your organization its human form.
*Effective spokespersons connect with their audience.
*Effective spokespersons are made; few are born.
*The spokesperson doesn’t just read a statement; he or she is the statement.
*Emergency Risk Communication Principles
*Establish appropriate level of concern and empathy.
*Remain calm.
*Don’t over-reassure.
*Show competence and consistency.
*Demonstrate openness and transparency.
*Be involved in message development to ensure some ownership.
*Emergency Risk Communication Principles
*Acknowledge uncertainty.
*Emphasize that a process is in place to learn more.
*Give anticipatory guidance.
*Be regretful, not defensive.
*Acknowledge people’s fears.
*Emergency Risk Communication Principles
*Acknowledge the shared misery.
*Express wishes.
*Be willing to address the “what if” questions.
*Give people things to do.
*Ask more of people.
*Pitfalls for Spokespersons
*Use of jargon
*Overly complex messages
*Humor
*Repeating the negative
*Expressing personal opinions
*Showing off your vocabulary
*Using one-liners, clichés, and off-the-cuff remarks
Connecticut Department of Public HealthKeeping Connecticut Healthy
*Working With the Media
*Disasters Are Media Events
*We need the media to be there.
*Play a critical role in informing the public during any crisis or disaster.
*Give important protective actions for the public.
*Know how to reach their audiences and what their audiences need.
*TV and radio are particularly important in crises that develop quickly.
*The Media Today
*Print and TV audiences are smaller and older
*Many younger people rely on Web-based news sources
*Audiences are increasingly fragmented
*Media can now provide immediate and continuous updates on a crisis through contributions from people experiencing the crisis
*Increased demand on organizations to keep pace with information delivery
*Media’s Role
*Telling the public something is happening and that they need to pay attention
*Directing the public to sources of additional information
*Television and radio are particularly important in crises that develop quickly
Connecticut Department of Public HealthKeeping Connecticut Healthy
*CERC, Social Media, and Mobile Media Devices
*What is Social Media?
*Interactive online media that make it easy for users to participate and contribute content
*Allows users to:
*Interact
*Engage in dialogue
*Create and share experiences
*Two-way communication
*Advantages of Social Media
*Provides immediate information
*Can create rapid connections and build relationships with the public
*Helps build and maintain dynamic relationships with the media
*Advantages of Social Media
*Helps dispel rumors by immediately providing accurate information
*Incorporates website links where media outlets and the public can obtain more detailed information
*Works in support of a broader communication strategy
*Disadvantages of Social Media
*Some people mistrust social media or don’t know how to use them.
*Personnel and technology are required
*Continual monitoring and following up are needed
*Limited to terms of how much info can be included
*Some audiences do not use social media
*Some people post to start controversy
Pew Research Center, February 14, 2013, http://www.pewinternet.org/~/media//Files/Reports/2013/PIP_SocialMediaUsers.pdf
*DPH Social Media Users
*Social Media: During a Crisis
*Immediacy of social media is an important feature during a crisis
*Most immediate forms, like microblogging (Twitter) and social media (Facebook) will be prevalent in early stages
*Stakeholders become key sources of information
*Social Media: During a Crisis
*Social Media: During a Crisis
*Hurricane Sandy
*310 storm-related tweets from October 25 – November 7
*68 storm-related posts on Facebook from October 25 – November 8
*1,732 clicks through bit.ly from October 26 – November 8
*February Blizzard 2013
*Social Media: During a Crisis
*Join the conversation, help manage rumors by responding to misinformation, and determine the best channels to reach segmented audiences
*Check all information for accuracy and respond honestly to questions
*Recognize that the media are already using social media
*Remember social media is interpersonal communication
*Questions?
Diana Lejardi, MPH, CHES
Connecticut Department of Public Health
Office of Communications
(860) 509-7599
www.ct.gov/dph/cerc
