Module Four Risk Communication Preparedness & Planning

1. Module FourRisk Communication Preparedness & Planning National Center for Food Protection & Defense Risk Communicator Training

2. Risk Communication Preparedness and Planning Topic 1 Preparedness Begins with Pre-crisis Planning Topic 2 Risk Communication Team: Roles, Responsibilities & Response Topic 3 Key Audiences: Publics, Partners & Stakeholders Topic 4 Crisis Communication: The First 48 Hours

3. Module FourLearner Outcomes • Outline the main components of a risk communication plan • Begin an organizational audit to assess rapid response capabilities of your organization during a foodborne outbreak • Describe the individual roles & responsibilities of each risk communication team member before, during and following a food-related crisis

4. Learner Outcomes - continued • Create strategies to expand external networks and build partnerships with key audiences • Describe strategies and resources needed to “be first, be right, and be credible” during the first 48 hours of a foodborne outbreak

5. module fourRisk Communication Preparedness & Planning topic one Preparedness Begins with Pre-crisis Planning

6. No time to plan now? Would you rather plan when… • Environment is high stress, emotional • Staff feels overwhelmed, tired, prone to “meltdowns” • Full of unknowns • Public & media demanding information - NOW • Decisions are made without having all the information desired • Leadership is not available for approvals

7. It takes a Risk Communication Plan to… Be first Be right Be credible

8. Pre-crisisAction NOW! Initial phase the critical first 48 hrs Maintenance expansion of response Resolution recovery & evaluation A Risk Communication plan is more than an emergency response plan

9. Pre-crisis Action NOW! Initial phase the critical first 48 hrs Maintenance expansion of response Resolutionrecovery & evaluation ARisk Communication plan addresses all 4 Stages of a Crisis

10. Audience Assessment Audience Involvement Message Risk Communication components • Logistics • Metamessaging • Listening • Self-assessment • Evaluation Which components require actions before or after the crisis?

11. Pre-event preparedness activities • Involving key audiences • Publics • Partners • Stakeholders • Relationship-building with media • Message development & testing • Train & practice with staff

12. Components of a Risk Comm Plan • Risk Communication team • Organizational audit or assessment • Key audiences: publics, partners, stakeholders • Risk communication goals • Resources: messages & vehicles • Media relations • Emergency response strategies • Post event recovery & evaluation strategies

13. Key features of the plan • Organizational audit • Addresses relationship building, trust & credibility, transparency & openness • Risk Communication team • Equal emphasis on planning & response • Key audiences • Strategies to “listen” to audience • Building trust and credibility • Factors in emotional response to event

14. Plan features - continued • Risk communication goals • Pre- and post- event goals as well as emergency response goals • Media relations • Working relationship with the press prior to an event • Emergency response • Be first, right & credible • Recovery & evaluation • Key audiences involved in evaluation process

15. Completion of the plan… is just the beginning! • Is a living document, integral to your organization’s SOP • Launches a series of pre-crisis activities for building relationships, trust, partnerships, etc. • Is evaluated & updated regularly • Is shared with partners & stakeholders • Requires ongoing monitoring with new & revised messages & vehicles • Requires ongoing training & drills

16. Applying the concepts Part I: Risk Communication Goals

17. module fourRisk Communication Preparedness & Planning topic two The Risk Communication Team: Roles, Responsibilities & Response

18. Purpose of Risk and Crisis Communication teams • Provide broad input to identify issues • Develop & maintain trust-based relationships • Create effective communication plans and processes

19. Potential team members

20. Team preparedness activities PRE-

21. Team response activities FIRST

22. Team response activities NEXT

23. Team recovery activities Post -

24. Applying the concepts Part II: Risk Communication Team

25. module fourRisk Communication Preparedness & Planning topic three Key Audiences: Publics, Partners & Stakeholders

26. Key audiences & preparedness • PublicS – unlimited subsets • Education, knowledge of event or issue, age, language, cultural orientation, geographic • Employees – overlooked “public” – should be included in plan • Partners – formal & informal relationships • Stakeholders – Groups or individuals who have influence or are involved in the decision-making process

27. Key audiences elected officials universities professional organizations FDA employees trade organizations

28. Audiences in a crisis Source: CDCynergy

29. NCFPD Research on Under-represented Communities • Value of multicultural research teams • Building relationships takes time • Proprietary issues & the need to communicate results • How research will benefit the community • Religion and culture Considerations when conducting communication research with Native & New Americans:

30. More likely to pay attention & react to a crisis event that is closest to their family & personal interests Preferred crisis messages that were simple, answered the 5 W’s & offered self-efficacy steps Credible spokespeople is preferably from the community or pair agency spokesperson with respected person from the cultural community Preliminary Focus Group FindingsNative & New Americans

31. Stakeholder theory • Stakeholders Groups or individuals who have influence or are involved in the decision-making process • Stakeholder Theory Encourages organization to expand critical relationships to include other groups from: • Community • Industry • Government

32. Why stakeholder relations? • They may know what you need to know • They provide external points of view • They help communicate key messages • Increases their buy-in • Common ground between your organization and stakeholders helps assure food supply is safe.

33. Stakeholders in a crisis • Stakeholders with a vested interest in the success of the organization are likely to be supportive during a crisis • Stakeholders that are not involved are more likely to withdraw organizational support in the face of a crisis

34. Stakeholder relations & effective Risk Communication • Increases your credibility • Crisis communication plan factors in roles & responsibilities of other partners • Promotes information sharing and communication pre- and during a crisis • Promotes message consistency or clearer acknowledgement of differences • Builds sense of shared responsibility for preparedness and response

35. USDA Community stakeholders • Health care organizations (hospitals, clinics, health plans, professional associations etc.) • Preparedness organizations (Red Cross, etc.) • Advocacy, neighborhood organizations, cultural agents • Consumer and “watchdog” groups, lobbyists CREES

36. CREES Government stakeholders • Municipal or county: food inspectors, public health, first responders, law enforcement • State: health, agriculture, environmental, transportation, public safety • Federal: DHS, HHS (CDC, FDA), USDA (FSIS), FBI • Elected officials • Schools & other educational institutions • Extension specialists FEMA

37. Industry Stakeholders • Growers, producers, processors, transportation, retail • Business and trade associations • Unions and co-ops • Industry lobbyists and consultants USDA

38. CDC Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) From research institutions, community, government & industry • Epidemiologists, risk assessment experts, academics, health educators, risk comm experts, etc. • Provides independent credible” statements, facts, images, etc. • Presents scientific data, statistics, up-to-date knowledge, background

39. Stakeholders breakdowns • Inadequate access – they can’t reach you • Deafness – you don’t list to their concerns • Impersonality – you don’t empathize… • Perception of arrogance – input not valued • Lack of clarity – they can’t understand you • Dullness, lack of energy for response

40. More mistakes • Timeliness - too little, too late • Minimize the negative by emphasizing factors that inspire trust • Failure to identify relevant stakeholders • Failure to ask for their opinion • Failure to provide information • Being perceived as an advocate “marketing” to them rather than dialoguing with them

41. Applying the concepts Part III: Key Audiences

42. module fourRisk Communication Preparedness & Planning topic four Crisis Communication: The First 48 Hours

43. CRISIS COMMUNICATION Preparedness = Concepts & Skills • Review of concepts that serve as a foundation for your response capacity in the first 48 hours of crisis

44. Goal:Acknowledge hazard, validate concern, give people ways to act Crisis / Emergency Communication High Outrage (fear,anger) Low High Hazard (danger)

45. FEAR as a adjustment reaction Fear is our natural reaction in a crisis. • It is automatic • It comes early • It is temporary • It is a small over-reaction • It may need guidance • It serves as a rehearsal • It reduces later over-reaction Fear is a useful response. Let it happen!

46. Reactions to perceived risk Over-reaction is our initial reaction to a new, potentially serious risk. • We pause • We become hyper-vigilant • We personalize the risk • We take extra precautions that are probably unnecessary, or at least premature SOURCE: Peter Sandman

47. Trust Factors in HIGH stress situations All other factors 15-20% Competence & Expertise 15-20% Listening, Caring & Empathy 50% Honesty & Openness 15-20% SOURCE: Vincent Covello

48. HIGHSTRESS Impact on communication Sender – perceived trust & credibility critical Receiver – reducedability to process complex information Message – needs to be simplified Feedback – what is receiver hearing, feeling? Mental noise– harder to hear, understand, remember SOURCE: Vincent Covello

49. Communication Shifts in LOW to HIGH Stress Situations SOURCE: Vincent Covello

50. Based on Rule of Three During high stress situations: • Present 3 key messages • Repeat key message 3 times • Prepare 3 supporting messages for each key message During “normal” situations, we can process up to 7 information bits.