View source for Communicating in a Crisis - Risk communication for Public Officials

{{Guideline
|Publishing Organisation=SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)
|Language=English
|Year Published=2019
|Target Audience=Policy Makers, Practitioners
|Status=Published
|Covers Thematic=Crisis communication
|Audience Experience Level=Intermediate
|Source Website=https://store.samhsa.gov/sites/default/files/d7/priv/pep19-01-01-005.pdf
|Synopsis='''CONTENT'''
*Communications Fundamentals 
*Communicating Complex, Scientific, and Technical Information 
*Myths, Principles, And Pitfalls 
*Understanding and Working with the Media 
*Using Social Media Before And During Crises 
*Correcting Errors and Rumor Control 
*Assessing Personal Strengths and Weaknesses 
*Presenting Information at Public Meetings
*Recognizing Opportunities to Speak Out


This guide focuses on the following areas:
* A brief orientation and perspective on the media for public officials, including discussion of how the media thinks and works, and on the public as the end-recipient of information
* Techniques for responding to and cooperating with the media in conveying information and delivering messages before, during, and after a public health crisis
* Tools of the trade of media relations and public communications
* Strategies and tactics for addressing opportunities and challenges that may arise as a consequence of communications initiatives




'''AVOIDING PITFALLS'''
* Abstractions:
** Use examples, stories, and analogies to make your point.
** Don’t assume there is a common understanding between you and your audience (even when you are using stories and analogies to make your point).
* Attacks:
** Respond to issues, not to people. 
** Strive to end debates, not further them. 
** Don’t respond to an attack with an attack of your own.
* Attitude/Nonverbal Messages:
** Remain calm, attentive, and polite. 
** Adopt a relaxed, neutral physical stance. 
** Don’t let your feelings interfere with your ability to communicate positively. 
** Never convey disgust, frustration, indifference, or smugness. 
** Never lose your temper. 
** Don’t allow your body language, your position in the room, or your dress to affect your message.
* Blame:
** Accept your share of responsibility for a problem. 
** Don’t try to shift blame or responsibility to others and don’t magnify the fault to be found in others in order to deflect criticism or minimize your culpability.
* Costs:
** Focus on the benefits to be derived, not on the costs entailed.
*** If costs are an issue, voice respect for the need for responsible stewardship of public funds. 
** Don’t discuss issues in terms of their dollar value, or complain about a lack of funds.
* Guarantees:
** It is better to offer a likelihood, emphasizing progress and on-going efforts. 
** Don’t make comments like, “There are no guarantees in life.”
* Humor:
** Avoid it. 
*** If used, direct it at yourself. 
** Don’t use it in relation to safety, or health, or in describing risk.
* Jargon:
** Define all technical terms and acronyms. 
** Don’t use language that may not be understood by even a portion of your audience.
* Length of Presentations:
** Plan, practice and deliver a cogent 15-minute presentation. 
** Don’t believe that what you are saying is inherently more interesting than other topics and therefore warrants more time. 
** By the same token, don’t end your remarks after 15 minutes if there are important audience questions in need of answering.
* Negative Allegations:
** Refute allegations succinctly. 
** Don’t repeat allegations or refer to them in ways that give them credibility.
* Negative Words and Phrases:
** Use positive or neutral terms. 
** Don’t cite national problems, or make highly charged analogies, which may belittle the current situation (e.g., don’t say, “This is not 9/11.”).
* “Off the Record”:
** Always assume everything you say and do is part of the public record. 
** Don’t make side comments or “confidential” remarks. 
*** The rule is: Never say anything that you are not willing to see printed on the front page of a newspaper.
* Personal Identity:
** Speak for the organization. Use the pronoun “we.” 
** Don’t give the impression that you, alone, are the authority on the issues being raised or the sole decision-maker. 
** Never disagree with the organization you are representing, e.g., “Personally, I don’t agree,” or “Speaking for myself ...,” or “If it were me. ...”
* Promises:
** It is better to state your willingness to try. Promise only what you can deliver.
** Don’t make promises you can’t keep and never make a promise on behalf of someone else.
* Reliance on Words Alone:
** Use visuals and hand-outs to emphasize key points. 
** Don’t rely entirely on the spoken word to explain your point.
* Speculation:
** Stick to the facts of what has, is, and will be done. 
** Don’t speculate on what could be done, or on what might happen, or on possible outcomes other than the intended one(s), or about worst case scenarios.
* Statistics:
** Use them to illuminate larger points and to emphasize trends and achievements.
** Don’t make them the focus of your remarks, or overuse them.
* Technical details and data:
** Focus on empathy, efforts, and results. 
** Don’t try to fully inform and educate audiences on the minutia of issues.


'''Five Rules for Building Trust and Credibility'''
*1. Accept and involve the public as a partner. 
**Work with and for the public to inform, dispel misinformation and, to every degree possible, allay fears and concerns.
*2. Appreciate the public’s specific concerns. 
**Statistics and probabilities don’t necessarily answer all questions. 
**Be sensitive to people’s fears and worries on a human level. 
**Your position does not preclude your acknowledging the sadness of an illness, injury, or death. 
**Do not overstate or dwell on tragedy, but do empathize with the public and provide answers that respect their humanity.
*3. Be honest and open. 
**Once lost, trust and credibility are almost impossible to regain. 
**Never mislead the public by lying or failing to provide information that is important to their understanding of issues.
*4. Work with other credible sources. 
**Conflicts and disagreements among organizations and credible spokespersons create confusion and breed distrust. 
**Coordinate your information and communications efforts with those of other legitimate parties.
*5. Meet the needs of the media. 
**Never refuse to work with the media. 
**The media’s role is to inform the public, which will be done with or without your assistance. 
**Work with the media to ensure that the information they are providing the public is as accurate and enlightening as possible. 
**If your agency or organization has a communications office, work with them on approaches to dealing with the media.


''SOURCE: Covello and Allen, 1988; Palttala, Boano, Lund, & Vos, 2012''
|Is Archived=No
|Disaster Management Phase=Before, During, After
|Data Sources=Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
}}