Understanding Risk Communication

Understanding Risk Communication

Risk communication, within the public health context, is the process of sharing information or recommendations with the public so they can make informed decisions about risks to their health and safety. Several factors make health risk communication difficult and different from other types of health communication:

• Risk is situational, and the choices on how to mitigate and reduce risk may be highly personal. This means different circumstances may lend themselves to different types of messaging and dissemination channels. It also means different people may respond to the same risk message very differently.

• Risk can involve hard decisions and trade-offs. Often, decisions about risk communication are made when there is a sense of urgency or when emotions are running high among the public. Risks can also emerge and grow over time, or even come back again once handled.

• People have emotional responses to risk. These responses can influence the way people process and use information about risk.

• Risk changes over time. This could be because the science evolves, the threat evolves, or we learn new information...or all of the above.

• Inaccurate health information about a risk can spread quickly through many channels. People seek information online and through social media, where inaccurate information can spread quickly.

CDC's Public Health Risk Communication guide provides the latest guidance from risk communication science on how to effectively communicate about emerging, ongoing, and evolving public health risks. It's designed to help public health professionals:

• Identify challenges in the information environment (like scientific uncertainty) that will impact communication

• Determine how to prioritize and apply core risk communication principles to address these challenges

• Consider the longer-term investments that would be needed to build trust and improve risk communication practices over time. This guide refers to these practices as foundational health communication principles.

Foundational Health Communication Principles

We know that good risk communication starts long before a public health threat or risk emerges. The following foundational health communication principles present practices that are essential to successful public health communication before, during, and after a risk situation. In other words, these communication practices should be considered the "norm" rather than an "extra" activity during a public health risk. They require long-term investment in planning, time, and training.

• Consider your audience: Account for varying levels of health and digital literacy skills, access to high-speed internet, and abilities. Solicit input from community members and experts.

• Practice clear communication: Follow plain language best practices, use familiar language and examples, and apply information design principles like bulleted lists and short "chunks" of content. In a risk situation, clear communication signals transparency, builds rapport, and improves understanding.

• Work with community partners: Build trust with community members over time through empathy, transparency, and responsiveness. Take the time to understand the unique perspectives, experiences, values, and information preferences of the community.

• Be open, transparent, and empathetic: Communicate at regular intervals. Explain the decision-making process behind specific actions and recommendations. Invite questions and feedback.