HM502 Unit 3 DQ Topic 1: Effective Risk Communication

Effective risk communication in a crisis situation is essential to increasing comprehension of the threats, risk perception, and ensuring affected groups act safely and appropriately before, during, and after the crisis. As such, effective risk communication has identifiable and replicable characteristics that all homeland security professionals need to understand in depth. In addition, DHS needs all spokespersons for the department to be able to put these characteristics into action when a crisis emerges.

· After reading about risk communication, how would you define it and explain why you think it is important?

· What is the overall purpose of risk communication?

· What are some of the misconceptions concerning risk communication?

· What are some of the challenges to effective risk communication?

Topic 1: Student Response#1 (Respond to John)

John Meyers

“RISK COMMUNICATION: An interactive process of exchange of information and opinion among individuals, groups, and institutions; often involves multiple messages about the nature of risk or expressing concerns, opinions, or reactions to risk messages or to legal and institutional arrangements for risk management.” (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2002, p. 4)

Risk communication is about people talking between each other to coordinate how to deal with some kind of disaster or risky things like hurricanes so that people can deal with the problem or mitigate the problems that could come up but have not yet. This is different than dealing with a problem that is occurring because it is communication that deals with avoiding or decreasing the problems from something that could be dangerous but has not actually done anything to hurt anyone yet. It can also come after the disaster with ways to avoid the problem in the future. Like, if a hurricane wrecks more than what was expected and the aftermath was not handled well then people can communicate about how to do better next time

One of the biggest challenges to Risk communications is making people take the risk seriously before it becomes a problem. If a risk has not become a problem it can wait another day. Eventually that day comes, but as long as the risk has not become a disaster it is not a problem for today.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2002). Communicating in a crisis: Risk communication guidelines for public officials. http://kapextmediassl-