Transcript RISK COMMUNICATION VLADIMIR NINKOVIC TRANSCONFLICT Communication  Continuous flow of information between partners in social interaction  Code or system of signals enables the transfer of the meaning 

RISK COMMUNICATION
VLADIMIR NINKOVIC
TRANSCONFLICT
Communication
 Continuous flow of
information between partners
in social interaction
 Code or system of signals
enables the transfer of the
meaning
 Successful communication is
the one in which receiver
interprets the information in
the way the sender intended.
ISO’s Definition
 “Risk management – vocabulary – guidelines for use
in standards”, Guide 73, Geneva, 2002:
 Risk communication is the exchange or sharing of
information about risk between the decision-maker
and other stakeholders.
 The information can relate to the existence, nature,
form, probability, severity, acceptability, treatment
or other aspects of risk.
ISO’s Definition
 Silent on two important issues:
1.
Actors involved in the communication process
(who communicates with whom?)
2. Risk communication as a participative process
(stakeholder involvement) could also serve as an
instrument to inform risk decision-makers and
could hence improve risk management.
Outline of RC history
young discipline – Risk Communication was mentioned for the first time in the
scientific literature in 1984, in the context of risks concerning environment, technology and outer security
(Leiss, 1996)
•
Covello and Sandman defined 4 evolutionary stages in the process, each with its own general philosophy and
approach:
1.
The first stage was simply to ignore the public – Pre risk communication stage. The approach is built on
the notion that most people are irredeemably irrational.
Learning how to explain risk data better. This is where many organizations still are today. Risk
communicators learn how to deal with the media, how to reduce or eliminate jargon etc.
2.
Dialogue with the community, especially with interested and concerned stakeholders. If you want people
to listen to you, you have to listen to them first.
3.

4. Treating the public as a full partner. Only limited progress has been made toward achieving this.
WHY?
• Practical reasons – informed citizens feel safer and
better react during crises
• Legal obligation – e.g. Disasters and major incidents law
(Holland) or the European legislative which prescribes
the informing of the public about risks and hazards
•
Serbia: Law of environmental protection – 5th part “Public
information and participation ”
• Moral duty – the concept of the “Social responsibility”
Risk Communication in Risk Management
 ISO : “Risk management –coordinated activities to
direct and control an organisation with regard to
risk.”
 Risk communication in Risk management serves
four main functions:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Education and enlightenment
Risk training and inducement of behavioral changes
Creation of confidence in institutions of risk assessment and
risk management
Involvement in risk-related assessments, decisions and
conflict resolutions
Who are the actors involved in RC?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
The risk managers – could be from industry, politicians, policymakers, regulators…
Experts – risk assessors who assess and evaluate the potential risk
Stakeholders – NGOs, religious groups, consumer associations,
professional bodies, industry… In case they are drawn into the risk
management and assessment they could be too regarded as experts.
The media – decide whether a risk or hazard is worth drawing to the
attention of the public
The public – Should be referred to in plural. Those interested in or
affected by a hazard, can be segmented in many different ways,
according to different age groups, ethnic groups, urban/rural, by
income and educational levels…
 The risk communicator must identify:
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
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Those involved in crisis response (the local authority, the
emergency services)
Anybody who may need to be informed quickly in order to
protect themselves
Those to whom people will turn for advice on what to do if
they are worried about an issue (e.g. medical professionals
following a health scare)
People who need to be informed of issues in advance of
wider publicity (relatives of accident victims)
Those not directly involved but who might be deeply affected
(tourist organisations)
Staff in all organisations affected
The media, who may be vital allies in disseminating
information quickly
Characteristics of information (O´Brien, 2000)
Time
Content
Form
Timeliness:
Information should be
given when it is necessary
Correction:
Information must not
contain errors
Up-to-date:
Inf. must be updated at the
moment of sending
Importance:
Must be relevant for the
situation of interest
Understandability:
The language of
information must be
understandable
Level of detail:
Inf. can be detailed or
summarized
Frequency:
Inf. must be sent as
frequently as it is necessary
Completeness:
Inf. must not be incomplete
Period:
Information on given
period must be provided
in the past, present and
future.
Sequence:
Inf. should be structured
after previously agreed
order
Conciseness:
Presentation:
Only information needed in Inf. Can be presented
the given moment should be verbally, by picture or
provided
statistically
Width:
Information can refer to
wide or narrow area of
interest
Medium:
Presentation or handouts
 RISK COMMUNICATION = EDUCATION +
INFORMATION
EDUCATION
 Precondition of the successful communication-information
in the accidental situations
Seminaries
 Fliers
 TV reportages
 Radio program
 Newspaper texts
 Information on internet

Consequences of an inadequate informing of
the public in accidental situations
 Panic
 Abandonment of the danger zone
 Fear
 Outrage
 Anxiety
 Large material and other losses
 Long-term loss of credibility of all the institutions
and actors concerned
Risk Communication Strategy
 Should be negotiated between risk managers and
risk assessors at their earliest convenience.
 Risk communication strategies comprise
furthermore questions of what should be
communicated to whom and in which form.
Creating a useful risk communication strategy
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Establish a team/network
Decide what you want to achieve
Get to know who the stakeholders are
Decide what form of consultation to use
Engage and involve your stakeholders
Monitor and evaluate your strategy
Maintain the policy communication strategy
(UK Resilience: Communicating Risk)
 How uncertainty is immanent to risk, the success of
risk communication can never be guaranteed.
 The situation does never develops in the completely
predicted way.