Effective risk communication: theory, tools, and practical skills for communicating about risk
Presented by prominent faculty from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, the Risk Management Centre at King's College London, and the Center for Risk Perception and Communication at Carnegie Mellon University.
From terrorism to refusal of vaccines to natural disasters, new risks arise as fast as the next news cycle. Risks also accompany the benefits we enjoy from many activities and technologies. Making wise choices requires understanding such risks and benefits. Risk communication is a tool for creating that understanding, closing the gap between lay people and experts, and helping people make more informed choices. This introductory program will introduce the scientific foundations for effective risk communication.
This program presents risk communication as a combination of actions, words, and other messages, which validate and work with—not against—people’s perceptions, in order to encourage more informed and healthier decisions. This approach can move your agenda forward, while serving public and environmental health, by encouraging more reasoned behavior among the people you are trying to influence and serve.
Most risk issues involve two hazards: the physical hazard itself, and the reaction to it. In some cases—including vaccinations, terrorism, industrial chemicals, and nuclear power—high public concern can be a greater danger than the hazard itself. In other cases—such as indoor air pollution, food poisoning, obesity, and cigarette smoking—low levels of public concern can also present significant health risks. Biases in risk perception can create hazard in and of itself. These biases can also generate opposition to the siting of facilities, the creation of new products, or the adoption of risk management regulations and procedures.
A combination of theory and practical tools:
This program features the latest scientific findings on risk perception, case studies from around the world, a suite of practical tools, and hands-on skill training. The program will help you and your organization communicate about risk to various audiences.
Upon completion of this program, participants will be able to:
- Understand underlying cognitive and emotional processes in risk perception, the values and concerns brought by various audiences, and likely responses of these audiences to such risk issues as new technologies, facility siting, and new regulations
- Recognize common biases and errors in decisions involving risk or uncertainty
- Develop strategies to enhance understanding and trust among audiences while minimizing conflict on risk issues
- Craft organizational policies and messages responsive to audience risk concerns
What participants will learn:
- Risk Perception
- Findings from cognitive psychology and decision science that provide a basis to understand how people perceive risk and make decisions
- Findings on why public reaction to risk sometimes seems to be “irrational”
- Findings from the latest scientific studies that examine the effects of emotion on risk perception
- Mental Models
- A scientific process for developing the most effective messages for news media
- Reasons why journalists often play up the frightening and threatening aspects of the news
- How to work more effectively with the media
- Lessons from Case Studies
- Acrylamide
- Handwashing
- Application of Risk Communication
- Development and implementation of risk management policy
- Design and execution of communications about policies and issues