National Center for Food Protection & Defense
Risk Communicator
Training
Module Four

module four Risk Communication
Preparedness and Planning
Topic 1
Preparedness Begins with Pre-crisis Planning
Topic 2
Risk Communication Team: Roles,
Responsibilities & Response
Topic 3
Key Audiences: Publics, Partners &
Stakeholders
Topic 4
Crisis Communication: The First 48 Hours
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module four Module Four
Learner Outcomes
 Outline the main components of a risk communication plan
 Begin an organizational audit to assess rapid response capabilities of your organization during a foodborne outbreak
 Describe the individual roles & responsibilities of each risk communication team member before, during and following a food-related crisis
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Learner Outcomes continued
 Create strategies to expand external networks and build partnerships with key audiences
 Describe strategies and resources needed to “be first, be right, and be credible” during the first 48 hours of a foodborne outbreak
4

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Risk Communication
Preparedness & Planning topic one

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No time to plan now?
Would you rather plan when…
 Environment is high stress, emotional
 Staff feels overwhelmed, tired, prone to
“meltdowns”
 Full of unknowns
 Public & media demanding information - NOW
 Decisions are made without having all the information desired
 Leadership is not available for approvals
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module four
It takes a Risk Communication Plan to…
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module four A Risk Communication plan is more than an emergency response plan
 Pre-crisis
 Initial phase
 Maintenance
 Resolution
Action NOW!
the critical first 48 hrs expansion of response recovery & evaluation
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module four
A Risk Communication plan addresses all 4 Stages of a Crisis
 Pre-crisis
 Initial phase
 Maintenance
 Resolution
Action NOW!
the critical first 48 hrs expansion of response recovery & evaluation
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Risk Communication components
 Audience
Assessment
 Audience
Involvement
 Message
 Logistics
 Metamessaging
 Listening
 Self-assessment
 Evaluation
Which components require actions before or after the crisis?
10

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Pre-event preparedness activities
 Involving key audiences
 Publics
 Partners
 Stakeholders
 Relationship-building with media
 Message development & testing
 Train & practice with staff
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Components of a Risk Comm Plan
 Risk Communication team
 Organizational audit or assessment
 Key audiences: publics, partners, stakeholders
 Risk communication goals
 Resources: messages & vehicles
 Media relations
 Emergency response strategies
 Post event recovery & evaluation strategies
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Key features of the plan
 Organizational audit
 Addresses relationship building, trust & credibility, transparency & openness
 Risk Communication team
 Equal emphasis on planning & response
 Key audiences

Strategies to “listen” to audience
 Building trust and credibility
 Factors in emotional response to event
13

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Plan features - continued
 Risk communication goals
 Pre- and post- event goals as well as emergency response goals
 Media relations
 Working relationship with the press prior to an event
 Emergency response
 Be first, right & credible
 Recovery & evaluation
 Key audiences involved in evaluation process
14

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Completion of the plan… is just the beginning!
 Is a living document, integral to your organization’s SOP
 Launches a series of pre-crisis activities for building relationships, trust, partnerships, etc.
 Is evaluated & updated regularly
 Is shared with partners & stakeholders
 Requires ongoing monitoring with new & revised messages & vehicles
 Requires ongoing training & drills
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Applying the concepts
Part I:
Risk Communication
Goals
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Risk Communication
Preparedness & Planning topic two

module four Purpose of Risk and Crisis
Communication teams
 Provide broad input to identify issues
 Develop & maintain trust-based relationships
 Create effective communication plans and processes
18

module four Potential team members
Communication
Leadership
Marketing
Legal
RISK
COMMUNICATION
TEAM Govt
Relations
Technical
SMEs
Community
Outreach/
Education
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module four
PRE-
Team preparedness activities
Pre-crisis communication assessment and planning
Relationship-building – publics, partners, stakeholders, media
Monitor emerging issues
Prep spokesperson, train staff
Test, practice, evaluate and modify, update
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Team response activities
FIRST Verify situation
Conduct notifications
Assess level of crisis
Issue assignments
Prepare information & obtain approvals
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Team response activities
NEXT
Release information to public
Remain accessible to media
Revise and update messages
Communicate and coordinate with external partners and networks
Monitor, maintain, and make adjustments for the remaining life of the crisis
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Team recovery activities
Post Determine if goals were met
Listen to the public
Coordinate with partners & stakeholders
Conduct public education as needed
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Applying the concepts
Part II:
Risk Communication
Team
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Risk Communication
Preparedness & Planning topic three

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Key audiences & preparedness
 PublicS – unlimited subsets



Education, knowledge of event or issue, age, language, cultural orientation, geographic
Employees
– overlooked “public” – should be included in plan
Partners – formal & informal relationships
 Stakeholders – Groups or individuals who have influence or are involved in the decision-making process
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FDA
Partners
PublicS
Key audiences
Stakeholders local government
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Audiences in a crisis
Source: CDCynergy
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module four NCFPD Research on Under-represented Communities
Considerations when conducting communication research with Native & New Americans:
 Value of multicultural research teams
 Building relationships takes time
 Proprietary issues & the need to communicate results
 How research will benefit the community
 Religion and culture
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module four Preliminary Focus Group Findings
Native & New Americans
 More likely to pay attention & react to a crisis event that is closest to their family & personal interests


Preferred crisis messages that were simple, answered the 5 W’s & offered selfefficacy steps
Credible spokespeople is preferably from the community or pair agency spokesperson with respected person from the cultural community
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

Stakeholder theory
Stakeholders
Groups or individuals who have influence or are involved in the decision-making process
Stakeholder Theory
Encourages organization to expand critical relationships to include other groups from:
• Community
• Industry
• Government
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Why stakeholder relations?
 They may know what you need to know
 They provide external points of view
 They help communicate key messages
 Increases their buy-in
 Common ground between your organization and stakeholders helps assure food supply is safe.
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Stakeholders in a crisis
 Stakeholders with a vested interest in the success of the organization are likely to be supportive during a crisis
 Stakeholders that are not involved are more likely to withdraw organizational support in the face of a crisis
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module four Stakeholder relations & effective Risk Communication
 Increases your credibility
 Crisis communication plan factors in roles & responsibilities of other partners
 Promotes information sharing and communication pre- and during a crisis
 Promotes message consistency or clearer acknowledgement of differences
 Builds sense of shared responsibility for preparedness and response
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Community stakeholders
 Health care organizations
(hospitals, clinics, health plans, professional associations etc.)
 Preparedness organizations (Red
Cross, etc.)
 Advocacy, neighborhood organizations, cultural agents

Consumer and “watchdog” groups, lobbyists
CREES
USDA
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Government stakeholders
 Municipal or county: food inspectors, public health, first responders, law enforcement
 State: health, agriculture, environmental, transportation, public safety
 Federal: DHS, HHS (CDC, FDA),
USDA (FSIS), FBI
 Elected officials
 Schools & other educational institutions
 Extension specialists
CREES
36
FEMA

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Industry Stakeholders
 Growers, producers, processors, transportation, retail
 Business and trade associations
 Unions and co-ops
 Industry lobbyists and consultants
USDA
37

module four Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)
From research institutions, community, government
& industry
 Epidemiologists, risk assessment experts, academics, health educators, risk comm experts, etc.
 Provides independent credible” statements, facts, images, etc.
 Presents scientific data, statistics, up-to-date knowledge, background
CDC
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Stakeholders breakdowns
 Inadequate access – they can’t reach you
 Deafness – you don’t list to their concerns
 Impersonality – you don’t empathize…
 Perception of arrogance – input not valued
 Lack of clarity – they can’t understand you
 Dullness, lack of energy for response
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More mistakes
 Timeliness - too little, too late
 Minimize the negative by emphasizing factors that inspire trust
 Failure to identify relevant stakeholders
 Failure to ask for their opinion
 Failure to provide information

Being perceived as an advocate “marketing” to them rather than dialoguing with them
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Applying the concepts
Part III:
Key Audiences
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Risk Communication
Preparedness & Planning topic four

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Preparedness = Concepts & Skills
 Review of concepts that serve as a foundation for your response capacity in the first 48 hours of crisis
43

Goal: Acknowledge hazard, validate concern, give people ways to act
High
Outrage
Management
Crisis /
Emergency
Communication
Outrage
(fear,anger)
Public
Relations
Precaution
Advocacy
Low
High
Hazard (danger)
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FEAR as a adjustment reaction
Fear is our natural reaction in a crisis .







It is automatic
It comes early
It is temporary
It is a small over-reaction
It may need guidance
It serves as a rehearsal
It reduces later over-reaction
Fear is a useful response.
Let it happen!
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Reactions to perceived risk
Over-reaction is our initial reaction to a new, potentially serious risk.
 We pause
 We become hyper-vigilant
 We personalize the risk
 We take extra precautions that are probably unnecessary, or at least premature
SOURCE: Peter Sandman
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All other factors
15-20%
Trust Factors in
HIGH stress situations
Competence
& Expertise
15-20%
Listening,
Caring &
Empathy
50%
Honesty &
Openness
15-20%
SOURCE: Vincent Covello
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Impact on communication
Sender – perceived trust & credibility critical
Receiver – reduced ability to process complex information
Message – needs to be simplified
Feedback – what is receiver hearing, feeling?
Mental noise – harder to hear, understand, remember
SOURCE: Vincent Covello
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module four Communication Shifts in
LOW to HIGH Stress Situations
LOW Stress
Process avg of 7 messages
Info processed in linear order
(1,2,3)
HIGH Stress
Process avg of 3 messages
Info processed in primacy
(1,3,2) or recency order (3,2,1)
Info processed at avg grade level
Focus on competence, expertise, knowledge
Info processed at
minus 4 grade levels
Focus on listening, caring, empathy, compassion
SOURCE: Vincent Covello
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During high stress situations:
• Present 3 key messages
• Repeat key message 3 times
• Prepare 3 supporting messages for each key message
During “normal” situations, we can process up to
7 information bits.
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module four Initial response/1 st 48 hours communication strategies
 Be first, be right, be credible
 Acknowledge with empathy
 Explain & inform about risk
 Describe what you know, don’t know, & doing about it
 Commit to continued communication
 Keep communication channels open
Recovery
Preparedness
Response
Maintenance
Initial
Response
First 48 hrs
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 Checklists
 Contact lists
 Message maps
 Pre-scripted


Message maps
Messages


Fact sheets/Q&As
Webpages
Response tools
52

module four
If a food defense
event occurred tomorrow, would you
& your organization be prepared to…
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module four
Applying the concepts
Part III:
Message Development
& Delivery
54

Risk Communication
Preparedness & Planning
• Conduct pre-crisis planning
• Foster partnerships with the public
• Collaborate & coordinate with credible sources process
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