11- Ashley Burningham- Risk and Crisis Communication

Reference:

Crutchfield, N. (2010). Risk & Crisis Communication. Professional Safety, 55(8), 8-9.

Theme:

Social networking analysis can help evaluate communication practices and help enhance effectiveness of risk and safety process development. 

Summary:

- Comprehensive review of definitions, concepts, and considerations for risk and crisis communication. 

- Plan must provide for timely, accurate, and helpful messages. 

- How can these be determined? Social networking. 

- Social Networking Analysis (SNA) has not been used effectively in risk/safety process development. 

- SNA can enhance potential effectiveness. 

- Communicating risk concepts is challenging. 

- Comprehensive plan is not enough. Additional tools and methods are needed. 

- This increases probability that message will get through. 

- SNA is a way to determine quality and scope of personal and organizational group interactions.

- SNA can show who talks to who, quality of the conversation, whether it is positive or negative, etc. 

- Map of interaction (building blocks):

1. Individuals or groups are "actors" or "nodes".

2. Contact between actors or nodes is a "link". 

3. Basic transfer element is a "dyad". 

- This can reveal strengths and weaknesses in a chain of communication. 

Application to lesson:

This lesson was on risk and crisis communication. This article discusses how social networking can improve both types of communication by determining how employees communicate with one another. 

Application to career:

In law enforcement, there will always be people who do not get along. One of the important necessities of law enforcement is having the ability to put aside your differences and work together to achieve a goal. SNA can help determine who lacks a strong communication basis and this can help improve relationships and crisis communication.