Risk Communication || Constraints to Effective Risk Communication

✍ Scribed by Lundgren, Regina E.; McMakin, Andrea H.

• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
• Year: 2009
• Weight: 124 KB
• Category: Article
• ISBN: 0470416890
• DOI: 10.1002/9780470480120.ch4

✦ Synopsis

A number of factors can place limitations on the risk communication effort. In general, the same factors can limit or constrain care, consensus, and crisis communication. Those who are communicating risk need to be aware of these constraints so that they can recognize and overcome the problems to increase their chances of communicating effectively. This chapter discusses the constraints on those who are communicating risk and the constraints that come from the audience, offering advice on how to recognize and overcome the potential problems.

CONSTRAINTS ON THE COMMUNICATOR

Suppose you are faced with a particularly difficult assignment-explain to a group of mothers that their infants have been inadvertently exposed to a highly toxic chemical that may cause mental retardation, physical disabilities, or even death. You can justifiably expect anger and fear, with people yelling and crying, not to mention the likelihood of lawsuits that could close your organization permanently. You plunge into the task, only to find that these difficulties in communicating this risk information are the least of your worries. What could make them worse? Read on.