Communicating about
Risks
[Phillip G. Clampitt, Ph.D.]
7/1/2016
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1. What is risk communication?
Communicating about relative
benefits and hazards
– benefits
– hazards
– relative “weighing alternatives”
Examples
– Smoking
– Alcohol
– Drugs
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2. Analyzing risks
Well developed science
Based on fault trees
Major dimensions
– Exposure
– Effect (“who” impacted, children)
“ … the risk may be well understood
in a statistical sense but still be
uncertain at the level of individual
events” (Morgan, Scientific American)
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3. Perceptions of Risk
 Not linear or straightforward
Two dimensions
– Ability to observe
– Ability to control
So what?
– Perceptions change
– Reactions change
– Communications should change
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4. Principles of perception
What is a tolerable risk for some is
intolerable for others
Trust is a critical factor
– Experts
– Science (problem of uncertainty)
Rules of thumb vary for different
audiences
Understanding is not the same as
agreement & participation
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5. Ways of communicating
Ancient way
– Myths, legends, rituals, metaphors
Old way
– Expert Sender
– Concerned Receiver
Another way
– Dialogue allowing perception of
control
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6. The premise of effective risk
communication
 “The essence of good risk
communication is very simple: learn what
people already believe, tailor the
communication to the knowledge and to
the decisions people face and then
subject the resulting message to careful
empirical evaluation” - Morgan
 Example: EPA’s 1st Radon brochure
never address a key myth
– Radon contamination is permanent)
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7. What is your objective?
Minimize concerns
Inform publics of expert opinion
Educate publics
Persuade publics
“provide people with a basis for
making an informed decision”
“successful risk comm. need not
result in consensus or in uniform
personal behavior” (National Research Council)
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8. Developing the strategy
AA
– “Risk communication will suffer to the
extent that the audience(s) is
mischaracterized” National Research Council
– “People tolerate risk for reasons that
may have little to do with factual
details, formal risk estimates, or details
of risk abatement proposals” - Heath
– Perceptions in the risk grid
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Strategy cont.
Creating the right mindset
– Accept the desire for non-expert
audiences to exert control
– Recognize the value-laden nature of
risk assessment (“non-rationale”)
– Realize that you better harvest the
dissent or someone else will
– Trust the power of dialogue over
monologue
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Strategy cont.
Develop the right processes
– Collaborate with audiences in info.
Gathering, risk assessment and
control
– Allow audiences to have a role in the
risk control process
– Build trust over time through
community outreach
– Allow the public to develop & practice
emergency response measures
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Strategy cont.
Facilitate the dialogue
– Acknowledge the uncertainties
– Do not trivialize concerns
– Accept criticism of data and decision
processes
– Participate in dialogue underscoring
both legitimate benefits & potential
harms
– Frame questions/concerns in terms of
experiences & values of audiences
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Strategy cont.
Assess the impact
– Focus groups
– Participation rates
– Question analysis
– Surveys
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9. Implement strategy
Not a one-time event
Publish policy statements
Keep in contact with key audiences
Monitor issues
– locally
– nationally
– internationally
Revise strategy
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