Preparedness Webinar: Risk Communications-Preparedness Webinar: Risk Communications

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The American College of Preventive Medicine's fifth webinar on public health emergency preparedness and response focused on risk communication, led by Dr. Patrick Remington. He revisited topics from previous webinars on general communication methods, stressing the importance of understanding your audience and evaluating communication impacts. Dr. Remington highlighted the complexity of defining risk, noting that it comprises both actual and perceived elements. He discussed how risk can be objectively measured or socially constructed, with the public's interpretation often diverging from scientific facts.<br /><br />The webinar delved into the dual risk thesis, which emphasizes that perceived risk is influenced by personal and social factors such as familiarity, control, and dread, with social media potentially amplifying these perceptions. Dr. Remington categorized risk communication into three approaches: outrage management, precaution advocacy, and crisis communication, depending on the mismatch between perceived and actual risk.<br /><br />He emphasized the necessity of credibility and trust in effective communication, advocating for empathy and transparency. Furthermore, the evolving media landscape and the infodemic, characterized by the overwhelming amount of information and misinformation, compound the challenges faced in modern risk communication. Dr. Remington stressed moving beyond mere fact-sharing to understanding audiences' perspectives and emotions.<br /><br />The latter part of the webinar was devoted to crisis communication, highlighting the importance of timely, accurate information coupled with empathy and respect. The presentation concluded with an interactive Q&A session, where Dr. Remington addressed queries on preparing effective risk communication in today's polarized society. Overall, the webinar provided a comprehensive overview of risk communication strategies to enhance public health response.

Keywords

risk communication

public health

emergency preparedness

Dr. Patrick Remington

perceived risk

social media

credibility

infodemic

crisis communication

audience understanding