Applied Risk Communication for the 21st Century

Every day, information is generated and made available to the public about the risks and benefits of public policies, new products, and corporate behavior. People are accessing this information in real time via traditional news, online media, and word of mouth. The public’s near-instant access to this unfiltered information presents significant new risks, including reputation damage for companies who cause health or environmental damage, or ineffective policy outcomes when health-related guidance is misunderstood or ignored.

This applied program will provide you with the knowledge and skills you need to design effective risk communication messages that improve communication outcomes, increase trust in your organization, reduce public anxiety, and help key stakeholders make better decisions.

You will learn from some of the most notable scientists working on risk communication, crisis communication, public health emergencies, behavioral economics, decision making, big data, and public health leadership and how to apply cutting edge ideas in communicating risk in a complex information environment.

Participants in this course will explore:

• The psychosocial and societal determinants of risk communication through the scientific and systematic overview of risk communication literature
• Strategic communication of risk information including audience segmentation, designing messaging, and executing risk communications
• Message construction formats for the communication of risk, including fear, narratives, exemplars
• Statistical principles to understand how risk information is generated
• Behavioral economics and their role in communicating risk
• Evaluation of the impact of risk communication with an introduction to major methods such as focus groups, nominal group techniques, surveys, and experiments

The Value of Risk Communication

During non-crisis periods, ineffective risk communication can result in low-impact, wasted resources, and other undesirable outcomes. During times of crisis, on the other hand, messaging can be lost in the noise, resulting in unintended consequences, rejected messages, or public fear and confusion. When deployed effectively, risk communication is an invaluable tool for engendering trust, protecting organizational value, and helping the public make informed decisions.

For-profit companies can benefit from risk communication by ensuring that their customers, potential customers, and members of the public have the information they need to properly evaluate the health impact of their products and operations. By keeping the public informed about potential risks, corporations can reduce harm to consumers and protect themselves from reputational damage stemming from human or environmental harm.

Public and non-governmental organizations can use risk communication to protect public health by educating their constituents about health, environmental, and societal risks. Effective communication also increases transparency and credibility, generating trust in the organization. As the public becomes more educated, they will be able to make more informed decisions about their health and well-being.

Regardless of organizational setting, risk communication is an effective tool your organization needs to inform stakeholders, help them make decisions, and protect their health.