Andrew Roberts - The Lowdown: Dodging the Bullet - Effective Risk Communications

Effective Risk Communication Skills

by Andrew Roberts, Ph.D. and Andrew D. Powell, Ph.D.

THE LOWDOWN: DODGING THE BULLET EFFECTIVE RISK COMMUNICATION SKILLS

First published in 2010
By Creative Content Ltd, Roxburghe House, Roxburghe House, 273-287 Regent Street, London, W1B 2HA.
Copyright 2010 Creative Content Ltd

The moral right of Andrew Roberts Ph.D. and Andrew D. Powell, Ph.D. to be identified as the authors of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.

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ISBN 978-1-906790-49-3

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Introduction

Anyone watching news coverage live on the morning of September 11, 2001 will forever remember the thunderous impact of one of the worst terrorist attacks the world has ever seen.

That day changed the course of millions of lives. Ordinary men and women set out for work, never to return home. In the days and weeks following the tragedy, one can only imagine the level of anxiety that people faced just going about their daily lives. But that is what most people in New York were required to do: draw a veil over the incident and carry on, go back to work, get back to normal and the man who was called upon to help them do that was New Yorks Mayor, Rudolph Giuliani.

Giuliani may not have been known to many outside of the US before 9/11, but on that day he was thrust into the spotlight in what many see as his defining moment. Giuliani emerged as a great leader, a man who showed remarkable composure in the face of a tragedy that was unprecedented in terms of its impact, not just on New Yorkers, but on all Americans and on the rest of the world.

Giulianis response to the tragedy was immediate. His first communications, as relayed in his autobiography, Leadership, were arguably the most critical and difficult, but were delivered flawlessly. He was sleeves rolled up and hands on at the beginning of the crisis, immediately travelling to his emergency command centre, right next to ground zero. He wanted to see what was happening for himself, despite the danger.

Giuliani, speaking to TV channel New York 1 by telephone, urged people to remain calm and to evacuate lower Manhattan. He assured them that he had spoken to state governor George Betaki and the White House, and that the city was being protected by US military.

Then he said: My heart goes out to all of you. I've never seen anything like this, I was there shortly after it happened and saw people jumping out the World Trade Center. Its a horrible, horrible situation and all I can tell you is that every resource that we have is attempting to rescue as many people as possible. The end result is going to be some horrendous number of lost lives, I don't think we know yet, but right now we have to focus on saving as many people as possible.

He spoke eloquently and sincerely, showing a level of caring for all those connected to the tragedy, in a way that was unexpected not unexpected in its compassion, of course, but rather in the depth and fluency of its extemporaneous delivery under the toughest of circumstances. He sought to reassure, while informing of the need to evacuate. He told a worried public about the citys commitment to saving lives, via the courageous emergency services, and to rebuilding New York.

Since 9/11, Giuliani has been asked about how he remained calm in the face of a crisis of such magnitude. His response was simple: Preparation.

Throughout his term as Mayor, Giuliani and his team conducted simulation exercises in-depth planning of what individuals and agencies would do if the city faced a chemical or biological attack, or terrorist attack at a political gathering.

But it wasnt all about contingency plans and emergency preparedness centres. It also involved specific preparation on how to communicate to a distressed public and a media likely to be clamouring for information.

Anticipation, relentless preparation, compassion, conviction and optimism were all displayed. Short messages, to the point, in plain and simple English all characteristics of a field of communications science especially designed to work in traumatic situations. Mayor Giuliani used Risk Communication strategies that he had learned during his time in office and it was this preparation that enabled him to perform so creditably during the 9/11 disaster.

Risk Communications is the science of communicating in high-stress, high-concern, controversial or low-trust situations and, like Giuliani, many successful exponents of this science have emerged from crises with enhanced reputations.

Risk Communications is a skill that can enable you to communicate like a great leader during difficult situations and to make sure that what you say is remembered in situations of great stress.

Risk communication strategies can be applied across a broad range of situations. We hope that you never have to face anything as daunting as 9/11 but you will most probably face situations of high concern throughout your daily life. It may be on a personal level at home with a loved one, at work with a colleague, or facing a company challenge, such as a product recall, or a restructuring.

In this book we will summarise some of the science behind risk communications, chronicle the four main theories of risk communications and give you practical advice that will help to implement what you have learned both in written and spoken form either at home or at work. These messages will be factual, believable, clear, concise, and positive.

Lets begin.

Chapter 1: What is Risk Communication?

The core rationale underpinning risk communication is that in situations of high stress or concern the normal rules of communication change. Retention of facts is limited; attention span shrinks and different thought processes take over. We encounter a mental state where interference, or static, severely limits the ability to listen.

Think of a 7-digit phone number normally, no problem. Try the same in an emergency situation, and youll be lucky to remember 911 or 999. This medical fact underpins the central theme of this book: In situations of high stress, high concern, high stakes and controversy THE GROUND RULES OF COMMUNICATION ARE DIFFERENT!!

Therefore, in order to communicate with any degree of success in controversial or traumatic circumstances a situation when reputations and relationships can be made or broken a different approach is required. You need Risk Communication skills!

In a nutshell Risk communication is a science-based approach for communicating effectively in situations that are:

• High concern

• Low trust

• Sensitive

• Controversial