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A Look Inside “Communicating in Risk, Crisis, and High Stress Situations” (Part 3)

A mysterious green ooze was leaking through basement cracks in scattered locations. On one side, the government’s perplexed environmental investigators. On the other, angry homeowners. The approach Dr. Vincent Covello…

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Book Focus: “Communicating in Risk, Crisis, and High Stress Situations”

If the last two years have taught us anything, it’s that communicating difficult technical concepts to stressed audiences presents a major challenge. The task is made easier, though, with the…

Signposts point toward plan A, plan B, plan C, and so on.
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22 Risk Communication Lessons for 2022

A new year is upon us. With ongoing concerns about COVID-19, variants, and vaccine hesitancy, risk communication will continue to hold a prominent place in stakeholder communications. The following are…

Eye glasses rest atop a book.
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Book Alert: Communicating in Risk, Crisis, and High Stress Situations

Risk communication professionals everywhere can head into 2022 with a comprehensive resource from world-renowned risk communicator Vincent Covello: the new release Communicating in Risk, Crisis, and High Stress Situations: Evidence-Based…

A hand stops dominos from falling.
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Who Needs Risk Communication?

On its most basic level, risk communication is communication that conveys information in an easy-to-understand manner so that people can make informed decisions. As such, risk communication entails tools and…

Woman with angry expression and mannerisms.
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Three Facts about Nonverbal Communication in High-Concern Situations

Nonverbal communications can provide more than 75 percent of message content related to trust. Seventy-five percent. Let that sink in. When communicating in high-risk situations, it is easy to concentrate…

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Public Outreach Materials and Risk Communication

Risk communicators use public outreach materials such as fact sheets and FAQs as an important resource for informing stakeholders about risk. These materials, when printed in hard copy or posted…

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Risk Amplification and Public Stakeholders: What Do Risk Communicators Do When the Public and Experts Disagree?

The public does not always agree with experts about the level of risk associated with a hazard. When risk amplification occurs, public stakeholders may rate a risk as high, while…

Risk Communicators strategize in a workspace.
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Practical Tips for Message Development for Risk Communicators

When making decisions about risks and threats, people in high-stress situations will typically rely more on perceptions driven by emotions and instinct than on technical facts. In high-stress situations, additional…

Two figures are seated, with a woman looking skeptical as a man tries to explain something.
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Pathway Reads: The Speed of Trust

Trust is the single-most-important filter through which information about risks and threats passes. With this in mind, it is well worth reading The Speed of Trust: The One Thing That…