Public Outreach - Running an effective campaign

Public Outreach
Running an effective campaign

Althea Rizzo, Ph.D.
Oregon Emergency Management
503‐378‐2911 x 22237
Althea.Rizzo@state.or.us
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Public Outreach
re h

• Take lots of notes, doodle, and
f , ,
think

Public education and outreach
• According to Wiki
According to Wiki …
– An effort by individuals in an organization or group
to connect its ideas or practices to the efforts of
to connect its ideas or practices to the efforts of
other organizations, groups, specific audiences or
the general public.
– A systematic attempt to provide services beyond
conventional limits, as to particular segments of a
community.

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o d o re h
• initiative to change behavior
initiative to change behavior
• can either be promoted from the top down or
rise from the grassroots
rise from the grassroots
• learn lessons from other outreach programs
• start the conversation about natural hazards
mitigation

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o d o re h
• Understand your community
• Identify your target audience
• Refine your goals
Refine your goals
• Inventory your resources
• Design your program
D i
• Implement your program
• Evaluate your program

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o d o re h
Understand your community
– Learn about your community
– What makes your community unique
What makes your community unique
– Identify leaders
• D fi
Define your community.
it
– Write down the “Who, what, where, how and
why.”
h ”

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o d o re h
– Foster a “sense of community”
• People feel like they belong to the community.
People feel like they belong to the community
• People believe they can influence the community.
• People are integrated into the community.
p g y
• The community fulfills a need of the people.
• There is a shared emotional connection to the
community.

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o d o re h
– Geographic communities
– Communities of culture
Communities of culture
– Community organizations

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o d o re h
Identify your target audience
– The “General Public” should not be your audience.
– Who are you trying to reach with your message?
Who are you trying to reach with your message?
• Policy makers
• Responders
• Parents
• Retired people
• Pet owners

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o d o re h
• Who do you depend on to get information about
hazards in your area?
• Who do you depend on for help during a disaster?
Who do you depend on for help during a disaster?
• What are your concerns about natural hazards in your
community?
• What are your questions about natural hazards in your
h b lh d
community?
y p g g y
• Would you need help during an emergency? What kind
of assistance?
• How do you describe yourself?

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o d o re h
– Find active methods of getting your message to the audiences
– Publications
• Mass media
• Newsletters
• Personal Letters
– Public Meetings
• Knowledge‐imparting
• Action‐creating
– Public Actions
• Drop, Cover and Hold drills
• Tsunami Evacuation Drills
• Door‐to‐door education

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o d o re h
• Define a target audience
Define a target audience.
– How would you reach that audience?

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o d o re h
• How to create actions
– Find out what drives their decisions.
• For each target audience
g
• Barriers to adoption, what incentives work
• How they like to receive their information
• How they make decisions regarding natural hazards
preparation
• Th i f li
Their feelings on and knowledge of natural hazards
dk l d f t lh d
preparation

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o d o re h
• Refine your goals
Refine your goals
– Vague concepts into achievable and measurable
goals.
goals
• 435 residents will receive visits by neighborhood
educators (good goal)
• Increase the number of residents who have go‐kits by
10% (good goal)
• Increase a areness of nat ral ha ards
Increase awareness of natural hazards
– (bad goal, No Cookie!)

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o d o re h
• Barriers
Barriers
– What kind of road blocks you will find?
– Create strategies and back up plans contingencies
Create strategies and back up plans, contingencies
and work‐arounds
• List barriers you might encounter in your
List barriers you might encounter in your
community.
– P ibl
Possible solutions to one of the barriers
l ti t f th b i

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o d o re h
• Inventory your resources
Inventory your resources
– Know what you have to work with

• What are you looking for?
– You are looking for the resources needed to
develop and implement the outreach program.

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o d o re h
• Groups, agencies, or other sources that already address topic
– Police/Fire
o ce/ e
– Community Emergency Response Teams (CERT)
– American Red Cross (ARC)
• Funding resources
– Grants
– Business sponsorship
– Donations
– Civic organizations
g
• Activities to build understanding about natural hazards
– Curriculum
– Field trips and field schools
• People willing to put the feet to the pavement
l illi h f h
– Local experts willing to give talks
– NGOs and volunteer groups

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o d o re h
Design your program
– Take stock of where you are
– Bring together your steering committee a
Bring together your steering committee, a
calendar, and a box of crayons
– Define your take home message
Define your take home message
– Create incentives

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o d o re h
Design your program
– Motivate people to take action
• Celebrate results
Celebrate results
• Create a good working environment
• Establish clear goals and ownership
g p
• Foster teamwork and communication

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o d o re h
• Implement your program
Implement your program
– Implementing a public education and outreach
program is a very proactive process
program is a very proactive process
– Start off with a bang… with as much media
exposure as you can drum up.
exposure as you can drum up.
• Press release to announce program is starting up
• Media coverage

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o d o re h
• Routine meetings
Routine meetings
• Communication is key between participants
• Feedback
db k
• Timelines and schedules
• Timely notice of public involvement and
activities

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o d o re h
Evaluate your program
– A successful program looks like:
• Comprehensive plan
Comprehensive plan
• Engaged public
• Passionate volunteer
• Creates action in the public
• Self evaluative and adaptive
• Replicable

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o d o re h
Evaluate your program
– How do you evaluate?
• Evaluators
– Assign people ahead of the launch to do a continual analysis
of effectiveness.
• Survey
– Do a pre/ post awareness survey.
• Measurements
– These should come from your goals.

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o d o re h
• Best Practices
Best Practices
– Best Practice 1: Integrate Public Outreach with
Emergency Management
E M t
• Your emergency management agencies have disaster
response plans.
response plans
• They may not have had access to organized and
motivated public outreach individuals such as you.
motivated public outreach individuals such as you
• Leverage teaching moments

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o d o re h
• Best Practices
Best Practices
– Best Practice 2: Identify Key Stakeholders and
Establish a Strong Outreach Advisory Group
E t bli h St O t h Ad i G
• The most important criteria is enthusiasm
• Instill a sense of proprietorship, get people who are
truly interested in the project.
• Use multiple channels

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o d o re h
• Best Practices
Best Practices
– Best Practice 3: Assess Existing Community
Capabilities
C biliti
• You have to know what you have before you can know
what you need
what you need

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o d o re h
• Best Practices
Best Practices
– Best Practice 4: Develop an Outreach Strategy and
Communication Plan
C i ti Pl
• Create a cohesive strategy and communication plan
with your advisory team.
with your advisory team.
• Build in some time between the end of your current
campaign and the next one.
• Always have a mechanism to give people a way to
volunteer.
• G
Grow a contagious passion for safety.
t i i f f t

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o d o re h
• Best Practices
Best Practices
– Best Practice 5: Use Messages consistent with
emergency management t
• Couch your message in positive terms and tell the
public how they can reduce their risk.
public how they can reduce their risk
• The public can be an asset or a victim.

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o d o re h
• Best Practices
Best Practices
– Best Practice 6: Develop Outreach Materials
Tailored to the Audiences
T il d t th A di
• Always end your talk with a call to action and give the
audience a direction, a plan.
audience a direction a plan
• Have representatives from various groups, even if they
don t participate actively.
don’t participate actively

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o d o re h
• Best Practices
– Best Practice 7: Actively Oversee and Manage the
Outreach Program
Outreach Program
• Plan
• Implement
• Assess
• Revise
• Rest
• Repeat

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o d o re h
• Best Practices
Best Practices
– Best Practice 8: Recognize effective efforts
• Have local media spotlight champions

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o d o re h
• Best Practices
Best Practices
– Best Practice 9: Integrate Public Outreach within
Community Networks and Organizations
C it N t k dO i ti

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o d o re h

• Go forth and do good works!

• Thank you!

Public Outreach - Running an effective campaign

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