LESSON 11 READING SUMMARY Risk Communication and Crisis Communication - James Delli Gatti

James Delli Gatti

The Instructional Dynamic of Risk and Crisis Communication: Distinguishing Instructional Messages from Dialogue

Reference: Sellnow, T., & Sellnow, D. (2010). The Instructional Dynamic of Risk and Crisis Communication: Distinguishing Instructional Messages from Dialogue. Review Of Communication, 10(2), 112-126. doi:10.1080/15358590903402200

Theme: Risk Communication and Crisis Communication

Summary:

·         Risk communication is an interactive process of exchange of information and opinion among individuals, groups, and institutions.

·         Risk communication's purpose is to recognize potential risks and to take steps designed to avoid crisis situations.

·         The turning point between risk and crisis occurs when three factors are present: threat, surprise, and short response time.

·         Crises occur by surprise and their threatening nature demands something be done quickly or the situation will continue to worsen.

·         Crisis communication is a rapid exchange of messages designed to gain compliance.

·         Crisis communication is using instructional information strategies that seek to tell stakeholders what to do to protect themselves from the crisis.

·         Failure in one area can foster a serious crisis in another.

·         The world is fraught with increasingly complex risks and ensuing crises.

Application to the lesson topic: In this article; The Instructional Dynamic of Risk and Crisis Communication: Distinguishing Instructional Messages from Dialogue. From the journal; Review of communication it states;

"…crisis is risk manifested. Thus, an acute crisis situation requires the rapid exchange of messages designed to gain compliance from all stakeholders in hopes of minimizing or mitigating harm."

 It is very important when communicating with the media that you are able to distinguish between dialogue and instructional messages as dialogue requires feedback and crisis communication is instructional messages that are designed to gain immediate compliance in order to expedite the mitigation of emergency situations when communicating through the media.

Application to emergency services: Risk communication is more of a dialogue that is used in order to persuade people to act in regards to risk management, while crisis communication is utilized to gain immediate compliance from people with the intent of mitigating a crisis in as expeditious a manner as possible. It is important that you recognize the difference and employ the appropriate form of communication as the environment dictates it.