Risk communication is intended to provide audiences with information to make independent risk judgements about health, safety and environmental risks. It involves systematically disseminating information to diverse audiences like individuals, communities and institutions to facilitate informed decision making about risks. Successful risk communication occurs when there is holistic learning, facilitation and trust between information senders like government agencies and receivers like communities. Factors that affect success include the content and form of messages, communication channels and recipient perceptions. Sensitivity to cultural differences is also important for effective risk communication.

1. Risk
Communication
sonny l. dinoso
4.29.2022

2. Risk communication is communication intended to supply audience
members with the information they need to make informed, independent
judgements about risks to health, safety, and the environment (US
Environmental Protection Agency).
Risk communication used to be viewed primarily as the dissemination of
information to the public about health risks and events, such as outbreaks
of disease and instructions on how to change behaviour to mitigate those
risks (World Health Organization).
Risk communication entails the systematic dissemination of information
to diverse audiences (e.g., individuals, communities, and institutions)
facilitating their informed, independent decision making about the
existence, nature, and/or severity of risks and hazards affecting health,
safety, and the environment (Ralph J. DiClemente, Jerrold M. Jackson, in
International Encyclopedia of Public Health (Second Edition), 2017).

3. ▪ Risk communication is an important component of
disaster risk management (DRM) because it shapes
people’s perceptions of risk and influences their
actions with respect to disaster preparedness and
disaster response. It also influences the intervention
decisions that are made throughout the disaster
management cycle.
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4. ▪ The credibility of the information source takes a
long time to build and needs to be well
established before a disaster strikes. In Japan,
the level of trust in government and other
official communications was sorely tested
following the nuclear accident at the Fukushima
Daiichi nuclear power station.
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5. Disaster preparedness is often perceived as being
mainly a governmental responsibility, with
information and directives traveling from the top
down. That is the case to some extent, since local
communities generally lack the tools and skills
needed to conduct scientific risk assessments and
fully understand the underlying risk in their localities
without expert assistance.

6. The problem with the top-down approach is that policies may
be imposed on communities without taking local conditions
onto account, and communities may become overly dependent
on information coming from the government. Recent
experiences from the Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE)
showed that when the local community was involved in
planning for disaster preparedness, and people took ownership
of their own safety plans, they were better prepared and
better able to take the necessary actions to protect
themselves.

7. Successful risk communication occurs when
there is holistic learning, facilitation, and
trust. In holistic learning, the gap in
knowledge between the information sender
and receiver is minimal (figure 1). Hazard
maps, booklets, and videos can all help
narrow that gap when it comes to disaster
education and risk communication.

9. Normally, the information generators or senders are
government agencies, universities, or research
institutions that have the capacity to assess risk and
the political mandate to implement DRM measures.
The information receivers are the communities,
businesses, and individuals who have knowledge of
the local area and are the ultimate users of the risk
information (figure 2).

11. The Importance of Trusting the Information Provider
▪ Early warnings greatly influence how people perceive and
evaluate the risks from the imminent hazard and their
subsequent decision to evacuate. In this respect, the level of trust
in and the credibility of the person, institution, or medium issuing
the warning is of crucial importance. Furthermore, factors such as
fatalism can affect evacuation decisions. People who have
responded to too many false alarms may not take the warnings
seriously.
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12. Fake news, its dangers, and how we can fight it
▪ Fake news existed even in the olden days. But what makes it
different now is the ease with which it is produced, spread, and
multiplied, given modern communication tools, particularly social
media.
▪ The damage inflicted by fake news can be serious, and its
ramifications far and wide, as news could travel more quickly on
social media, especially sensational stories, which most
disinformation producers invent in selling fake news.
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Salient Points from the study conducted by Philippine Institute Devt Studies entitled
“Fake news, its dangers, and how we can fight it” by Shieila V. Siar, 2021.

13. Fake news, its dangers, and how we can fight it
▪ Increasing awareness of available tools for fact-checking,
engaging citizens, educating children to be analytical early
on in life, making media literacy part of the basic education
curriculum, and viewing the fight against fake news as a
civic and moral responsibility are crucial to combat the
proliferation of fake news in a sustainable manner
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Salient Points from the study conducted by Philippine Institute Devt Studies entitled
“Fake news, its dangers, and how we can fight it” by Shieila V. Siar, 2021.

14. Official Risk Communication Tools: Hazard Maps
▪ Hazard maps are developed to illuminate areas that are
affected or vulnerable to a particular hazard. They are
typically made for natural hazards such as earthquake ground
motion, flooding, landslides, liquefaction, and tsunami. Hazard
maps are tools that when properly utilized by planners,
developers, and engineers, can save lives and economic losses
by avoiding exposure to some hazards while designing other
development to mitigate or neutralize the potential negative
effects of these hazards.
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16. Factors Affecting the Success of Risk Communication
▪ The factors that affect the success of risk communication efforts,
irrespective of the criteria for judgment, can be considered in the
context of the components of the communication process. Studies of
the risk messenger (source) have focused on the issue of trust and,
not surprisingly, reveal that the effectiveness of the communication
increases as trust in the communicator increases. This trust can be
related to the degree of expertise of the communicator but more
often is determined by other factors such as the messenger’s
perceived objectivity or social class and the accuracy of previous
communications by this messenger or other messengers representing
the same organization.
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17. a. The content and form of the
message.
b. The channel of communication.
c. The perception of the recipient.
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18. The results of research on the factors that influence
successful risk communication are the bases for sets of
risk communication principles that have been developed.
One well-known set of principles is titled Seven Cardinal
Rules of Risk Communication. This guide includes steps
to increase trust such as to coordinate and collaborate
with other credible sources, take steps to increase the
recipients’ control such as accept and involve the public
as a legitimate partner, and take steps to increase the
interactive nature of the process such as listening to the
public’s specific concerns.

19. Cultural differences potentially affecting risk communication
efforts
Sensitivity to cultural differences between and within nations and geographic
regions maximizes risk communication preparation and response effectiveness.
Several aspects of cultural differences that should be considered include the
following:
1. Communication style: Both language usage (e.g., dialectic diversity and
vocalization volume) and nonverbal behaviors (e.g., facial expressions and body
gestures) combine to compose communication style. The rules and assumptions that
govern communicative behavior (e.g., conversational turn taking, interrupting, using
anecdotes, humor, or silence, etc.) and dictate communication style can vary
substantially across cultures and even within countries that share the same
language.
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20. 2. Perceptions of conflict: Views on the appropriate degree of
assertiveness, disagreement, and conflict during interactions differ
across cultures. While perceived positively in some cultures, such
communicative behaviors are viewed as embarrassing and demeaning
in others.
3. Decision-making preferences: The roles individuals play in
decision making vary widely from culture to culture. Individual
initiative is valued in some cultures, while consensus is the preferred
mode in others.
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21. 4. Attitudes toward disclosure: The appropriateness of sharing
candid or personal information in professional contexts is often
culturally specific. Comments or questions that may seem natural in
one culture may seem intrusive or objectionable in another.
5. Alternative ‘ways of knowing’: The way that people come to
‘know’ things can differ significantly between cultures. Information
derived through intuition and other less tangible ways of knowing is,
in some cultures, considered of equal or greater value than
information acquired via cognitive means (e.g., counting or
measuring).
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22. 6. Socioeconomic factors: Socioeconomic factors will affect virtually
all risk communication decisions and choices. How socioeconomic
factors influence key population characteristics (e.g., literacy, media
technology ownership) and structural features (e.g., message
production facilities, viable dissemination outlets) within different
cultures must be assessed.
Adapted from Hyer, R.N., Covello, V.T., 2005. Effective Media Communication during Public Health
Emergencies: A WHO Handbook. World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland.
http://www.who.int/csr/resources/publications/WHO%20MEDIA%20HANDBOOK.pdf (accessed November
2007).
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23. Thank you.