Crisis and Risk Communication

1. Crisis and Risk Communication Session 7 Slide Deck Session 7 Slide 7-1

2. Session Objectives • Summarize Actions Performed to Assess Risk Communication Needs • Explain the Importance of Risk and Vulnerability Assessments • Define and Analyze the Target Audience • Identify Appropriate Solutions Slide 7- Session 7

3. Assessing Needs • Risk communication begins with the identification of the problem(s) the campaign will address • In a perfect world, it would be possible to communicate all information about all hazards • Communicators must understand the problem if they are to bring about change, and must achieve a balance in size/scope Slide 7- Session 7

4. Communication Problem Factors • Factor 1: The hazard or hazards (which are the root of risk) • Factor 2: The population at risk from the hazard • Factor 3: The risk reduction ‘solutions’ Slide 7- Session 7

5. Problem Questions • Factor 1: What hazard or hazards will our campaign address? • Factor 2: Who are the people that our messages will be designed to address? • Factor 3: What can we tell people to do that will decrease their vulnerability and/or risk? • For each, the answer lies between two extremes Slide 7- Session 7

6. Why Limit the Problem? • As the number of hazards grows in size, the amount of information and related material grows as well • The burden of time, attention, and understanding on the part of the audience members also grows given the amount of material and information they will have to cull through • Because all people and all groups communicate differently, the range of communication preferences grows in scope as the size of the target population grows in size Slide 7- Session 7

7. Why Analyze Communication • To better understand hazards and risk • To delineate the communicators’ role • To better understand the audience • To identify viable risk reduction solutions • To determine what to say, how to say it, and who will do the talking • To manage the project • To identify obstacles Slide 7- Session 7

8. Three Steps • Performing Hazard Risk and Vulnerability Assessments • Defining and Analyzing the Target Audience • Identifying Appropriate Risk-Reduction or Preparedness Solutions Slide 7- Session 7

9. Hazard Definition • Any event or physical condition that has the potential to cause: • Fatalities • Injuries • Property Damage • Infrastructure damage • Agricultural loss • Damage to the environment • Interruption of business • Economic losses or instability • Other types of harm or loss Slide 7- Session 7

10. Hazard Categories • Natural Hazards • Technological Hazards • Intentional Hazards Slide 7- Session 7

11. Five Steps of Risk Assessment • Hazard Identification • Hazard Profiling • Risk Analysis • Risk Comparison • Vulnerability Assessment Slide 7- Session 7

12. Hazard Identification • Goal = understand all hazards that can cause negative impacts • Begins by identifying each hazard affecting the geographic area in question • Identified through brainstorming, expert analysis, and/or other information sources Slide 7- Session 7

13. Hazard Profiling • Provides a much better understanding of hazards • Provides communicators with all the hazard information they need to begin identifying a target population and vulnerability reduction solutions in one place Slide 7- Session 7

14. Risk Analysis • Risk = likelihood X consequences • Risk analysis tells us how often the hazard will occur, and what will happen if it does • Consequence measures the human, structural, economic, and environmental effects Slide 7- Session 7

15. Risk Comparison • Prioritize hazards according to severity • The risk matrix plots risk likelihood on either the X or Y axis, and consequence on the alternate axis – it is the most common tool used to accomplish comparison • Relative severity becomes apparent when direct comparisons are made Slide 7- Session 7

16. Vulnerability Assessment • Risk analysis does not adequately explain why figures are the way they are • Vulnerability = “a measure of the propensity of an object, area, individual, group, community, country, or other entity to incur the consequences of a hazard.” • A combination of factors or processes are considered • Vulnerability is distinct between individuals, families, groups, neighborhoods, religions, ages, and many other designations. Slide 7- Session 7

17. Vulnerability Profiles • The Physical Profile • The Social Profile • The Environmental Profile • The Economic Profile Slide 7- Session 7

18. Audience Profiling • Communicators consider many populations when conducting risk analysis • Each group/individual differs with regards to risk and vulnerability, abilities and capacities to mitigate, prepare, respond, or recover, and methods for receiving and processing information • There is no single solution  • Resources are always limited Slide 7- Session 7

19. Audience Determinations • What messages must be developed • How those messages are communicated • What risk reduction options are possible • What results are likely to be achieved • Also called “Market Research” • Primarily defined by demographics and defining characteristics Slide 7- Session 7

20. Defining Characteristics • Gender • Literacy • Ethnicity • Employment or school status • Psychographics • Health • Language • Population by location • Physical or mental ability • Urban or rural livelihoods • Income • Transience • Religion • Age Slide 7- Session 7

21. Baseline Questions • What people make up this group? • What are their special characteristics and needs? • What specific hazard consequences affect them? • How are they vulnerable? • How do they perceive risk? • What specific characteristics places them at increased risk? • What abilities do they have to address risk/vulnerability? • Does this group want to reduce vulnerability? • What obstacles does this group face? • What could help affect change / influence message delivery? • What benefits are associated with behavior change? • Etc. Slide 7- Session 7

22. Risk Solutions • Those things the communicators are going to tell the target population to ‘do’ • Seek to: • Decrease hazard likelihood (mitigation) • Reduce impacts (mitigation) • Prepare for response (preparedness) • The chosen solution(s) will be that or those most likely to succeed. Slide 7- Session 7

23. Solution Analysis • Benefit • Cost • Time • Availability • Secondary negative consequences • Sustainability • Target audience obstacles • Feasibility obstacles • Likelihood that individual members of the population will take the mitigation or preparedness action • What, if any, segment of the population is already taking this action, and their successes and failures in doing so Slide 7- Session 7