The Art of Effective Communication: An IFT Extension Division Symposium

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The Art of Effective CommunicationAn IFT
Extension Division Symposium
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A Risk Communication Case Study
Best Practices BSEByRobert B.
Gravani, Ph.D.Cornell University
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National Center for Food Protection Defense at
the University of Minnesota
Defending the safety of the food system through
research and education
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National Center for Food Protection and
DefenseRisk Communication Core Team
M. Seeger T. Sellnow F. Shank J. Shutske T.
Tavantzis R. Ulmer S. Venette
R. Linton D. Moore T. OSullivan D. Ropeik P.
Sandman D. Schaffner D. Schmidt
K. Boone C. Bryant L. Briezno P. DeVito F.
Farah W. Hueston D. Klingborg
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Risk Communication Team
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Factors Associated with
Increased Public Concern

• Catastrophic potential
• Unfamiliar
• Decision processes not understood
• Lack of personal control
• Involuntary exposure
• Delayed effects
• Children at risk

• Risk to future generations
• Lack of trust in institutions
• Much media attention
• Previous history
• Unclear benefits
• Potentially irreversible effects
• Origins caused by human actions (vs. acts of
  nature)

Covello, 1989
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Warning Risk danger fear
Permission pending from the Star Tribune
Scientists focus on danger, consumers on fear
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SomeOutrage Factors Involving BSE

• Its a new disease
• Caused by an unusual agent
• Spread by feeding meat and bone
  meal to herbivores
• Long lag time from exposure to
  disease in cattle and humans
• Brain wasting is a horrible disease

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Some Outrage Factors Involving BSE

• No protective vaccine, no treatment or
  cure and all cases are fatal
• Agent is difficult to inactivate, may
  persist for years in the environment
• Prevention measures are hard to enforce
  take years to show effect
• Human form effects young people

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SomeOutrage Factors Involving BSE

• Small amounts of exposure sufficient
  to cause disease
• Cant test food for the agent
• Cant test live animals for exposure to agent
• Cant detect the disease in animals until very
  late in progression

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Effective Risk Communication

• Involves addressing the outrage as well
  as the scientific facts about the disease
• Professionals often focus exclusively on
  the science without responding to the
  emotional perception issues
• Acknowledging the outrage issues will increase
  the trust and credibility of the spokesperson

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Best Practices in Risk Communication

• Pre-event planning
• Form partnerships with the public
• Listen to the publics concerns
• Be honest, frank and open
• Collaborate and coordinate with
  credible sources

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Best Practices in Risk Communication

• Meet the needs of media and remain accessible
• Communicate with compassion, concern
  and empathy
• Provide self-efficacy Advise the public on
  how to protect themselves
• Accept uncertainty and ambiguity

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1. Pre-Event Planning

• Identify risk areas
• Reduce risk
• Plan an initial response
• Update regularly
• Capitalize on new information
• Constantly develop productive and
• proactive partnerships

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Form partnerships with the public

• Build positive relationships with key publics
  BEFORE a crisis occurs
• Customers
• Employees
• Government agencies
• The public has a right to know
• Ideally, the public serves as a resource
• Public panic is less likely with partners

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3. Listen to the publics concerns

• Take the publics concerns into account
• Build a reservoir of good will
• Establish an ongoing relationship
• Respond to the publics beliefs whether
  or not they are accurate

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4. Be honest, frank and open

• These characteristics help to build credibility
  with the public and the media
• Without openness, the public will seek
  information from less accurate sources
• Be clear about any uncertainty or ambiguity in
  the risk or crisis situation

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5. Collaborate and coordinate
with credible
sources

• Establish strategic relationships BEFORE an
  incident or crisis
• Establish a pre-crisis communication network
• Continually seek to validate sources
• Choose subject area experts
• Develop relationships with
  stakeholders at all levels

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6. Meet the needs of the media and remain
accessible

• The media is the primary conduit to the public
• Crisis spokespersons should be identified and
  receive media training in advance of a crisis
• Ideally, communication with the media is a
  free-flowing exchange

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7. Communicate with compassion, concern and
empathy

• Designate a spokesperson with these
  characteristics
• These characteristics enhance credibility and
  perceived legitimacy of the message
• These characteristics do not preclude
  professionalism

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8. Provide self-efficacy Advise the public on
how to protect themselves

• Feelings of helplessness diminish
  public morale
• Taking meaningful action to reduce personal risk,
  energizes the public and increases
  morale

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9. Accept uncertainty and ambiguity

• Avoid the temptation to speak in absolutes or to
  be overly reassuring
• Ultimately, overly reassuring
  messages may eventually hamper
  a spokespersons credibility
• Acknowledge uncertainty and assure that you will
  share accurate and reliable information as soon
  as it is available

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Summary

• The nine best practices are designed
  to be flexible
• The best practices are interrelated
• Any application of the best practices
  should be based on the context
  of the situation

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Three Outcomes of Best Practices

• Effective risk communication
• Reservoir of good will
• Effective crisis communication
• Support for the organization
• Effective post crisis communication
• Renewal and growth

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BSE

• How have the positive findings of BSE in animals
  in the US been communicated to the American
  public?
• Risk experts have said that for the first
  positive case, the agencies could have done a
  better job of communicating the information

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BSE

• In the most recent case, the agencies were quite
  open and honest, although giving a time frame for
  updates would have addressed a number of
  questions about when will we know more about.
• The were comments that bordered on
  over-reassuring
• The uncertainties and ambiguities certainly need
  to be acknowledged

Hueston, 2005
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BSE

• There needs to be more compassion, empathy and
  concern expressed during communications about
  this important issue
• This would enhance the credibility of the
  messages

Hueston, 2005
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CRISIS / EMERGENCY RISK COMMUNICATION

• Empathy and caring
• Competence and expertise
• Honesty and openness
• Commitment and dedication

Build Trust and Credibility by Expressing
Seeger, CDC
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CRISIS / EMERGENCY RISK COMMUNICATION

• Dont over reassure
• Acknowledge uncertainty
• Express wishes (I wish I had answers)
• Explain the process in place to find answers
• Acknowledge peoples fear
• Give people things to do
• Ask more of people (share risk)

Top Tips
Seeger, CDC
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CRISIS / EMERGENCY RISK COMMUNICATION

• Know your organizations policies
• Stay within the scope of responsibilities
• Tell the truth. Be transparent
• Embody your organizations identity

As a Spokesperson
BE FIRST, BE RIGHT, BE CREDIBLE
Seeger, CDC
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CRISIS / EMERGENCY RISK COMMUNICATION
Prepare to Answer These Questions

• Are my family and I safe?
• What can I do to protect myself
  and my family?
• Who is in charge here?
• What can we expect?
• Why did this happen?

Seeger, CDC
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CRISIS / EMERGENCY RISK COMMUNICATION

• Were you forewarned?
• Why wasnt this prevented?
• What else can go wrong?
• When did you begin working on this?
• What does this information mean?

Seeger, CDC
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CRISIS / EMERGENCY RISK COMMUNICATION

• Whats important is to remember ...
• I cant answer that question, but I can
  tell you
• Before I forget, I want to tell your viewers
  ...
• Let me put that in perspective ...
• CONSISTENT MESSAGES ARE VITAL

Stay on Message
Seeger, CDC
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Risk Communication

• Is a key element of effective prevention,
  preparedness, response and recovery to a crisis
  situation

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The End