Teaching about Risk and Resilience:
Communication strategies after a disaster
Bruno Takahashi, Ph.D.
School of Journalism and
Department of Communication
Michigan State University
Key concepts
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Risk communication
Crisis communication
Public relations
Media reporting of crisis, risk and resilience
Role of social media
Communication about different types
of risks
Multidisciplinary perspective in
risk communication
• Decision sciences
– Social psychology (psychometric approach)
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Behavioral economics
Communication science
Environmental studies
Etc.
Risk communication
• What is it? (Covello, 1992; DHHS, 2002)
– The exchange of information among interested
parties about the nature, magnitude, significance,
and control of risks.
What do we mean
by “risk” in PR?
(… different from “uncertainty”?
Risk = Probability x
Consequence
Theoretical approaches
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Mental models approach
Social constructionist approach
Hazards plus outrage approach
Social amplification of risk
Extended parallel process model
Etc.
Some goals of risk communication
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Share information
Change beliefs
Change risk perceptions
Change behaviors
RISK
Key areas related to
RISK COMMUNICATION
Perception (Severity and susceptibility)
Assessment
Messaging
Decision Making
Planning/Management
• Media response to crisis/risk
Optimistic bias?
Familiarity and Dread?
Risk messaging
• Designing information to effectively communicate
about risks
• Content of messages (statistical/narrative, framing,
etc)
Optimistic bias, fear
• Types of appeals
appeals, gain/loss
framing, etc.
• Sources, Channels
• Information Seeking, Literacy
• Theoretical approaches and message design
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EPPM, Prospect Theory and others
What do we mean by “crisis” in PR?
Crisis Communication Plans
Before
During
After
(Pre-Crisis
Planning)
(Crisis
Management)
(Recovery
and Review)
What can you do ahead of time?
• Identify threats
• Identify audiences/stakeholders for threats
• Develop messages for each threat
• Conduct training for spokespeople
• Ensure access to critical resources
Role of the media
Journalistic norms?
(Impact, Relevance,
Timeliness, Uniqueness,
Prominence, Visual
Convenient)
• Journalists and PR
• How does risk and resilience fit within traditional news
values?
• How to communicate risk to journalists?
• Studies of the content of mediated reporting of risk events
– Nature of the content
• Type of information
• Accuracy of information etc.
• Relationship between media and organization/stakeholder
groups
• How to report, work with the media, case studies of
reporting
Role of social media
• The audience has evolved, it is no longer a
passive receiver of information.
• How is social media used in crisis situations?
– From an organizational perspective
– From the audience’s perspective
• Social media use to memorialize victims, for
collective coping, emergency requests,
dissemination of information, etc.
Visual representations of risk
Risk communication best practices
1. Risk com is an ongoing process.
2. Conduct pre-event planning.
3. Foster partnerships with the public.
4. Coordinate and collaborate with credible sources.
5. Meet the needs of the media and remain accessible.
6. Listen to the public’s concerns and understand the audience.
7. Communication with compassion, concern, and empathy.
8. Demonstrate honesty, candor and openness.
9. Accept uncertainty and ambiguity.
10. Provide messages that foster self-efficacy.
Challenges in risk communication
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Limitations of sources/spokes-people
Limitations in available data/message
Limitations of media
Limitations of receivers