Module Three Message Development

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Module ThreeMessage Development Delivery
National Center for Food Protection
Defense Risk Communicator Training
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Message Development Delivery

• Topic 1
• Communicating in High Stress Situations
• Topic 2
• Message Mapping Practice
• Topic 3
• Developing Risk Communication Messages

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Module 3 Learner Outcomes

• Describe how the traditional communication model
  changes in a high stress situation.
• Describe the factors that enhance spokesperson
  trust during high stress situations.
• List anticipated audience questions that may be
  raised during a foodborne outbreak.
• Complete a message map that addresses a foodborne
  outbreak scenario

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Learner Outcomes - continued

• Identify the main components of an emergency risk
  communication message.
• Define metamessaging and describe how this
  strategy fosters trust and credibility.
• Craft risk communication messages that include
  the key components information, self-efficacy
  statements, and metamessages.

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module three Message Development Practice

• topic one
• Communicating
• in High Stress Situations

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Traditional communication model

• Sender
• Receiver
• Channel
• Message

• Feedback
• Noise
• Environment

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Trust Factors in LOW stress situations
All other factors 15 - 20
Competence Expertise 80 - 85
SOURCE Vincent Covello
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Trust Factors in HIGH stress situations
All other factors 15-20
Competence Expertise 15-20
Listening, Caring Empathy 50
Honesty Openness 15-20
SOURCE Vincent Covello
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Impact on communication

• Sender perceived trust credibility critical
• Receiver reduced ability to process complex
  information
• Message needs to be simplified
• Feedback what is receiver hearing, feeling?
• Mental noise harder to hear, understand,
  remember

SOURCE Vincent Covello
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"We're taking every possible aggressive posture
we can. It's sickening for us to see anybody in
the public suffer in this way, especially if they
got ill from eating at Taco John's."
Corporate Vice President for Marketing E.coli
outbreak - fast food restaurant December, 2006
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Communication Shifts in LOW to HIGH Stress
Situations
SOURCE Vincent Covello
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Adjustments for HIGH stress situations

• Simplify the message (lower reading level)
• Reduce number of message points to maximum of 3
  points
• Use short sentences
• Use numbers carefully
• Use pictures or graphics

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"To be safe, don't eat it."
Minnesota Health Department spokesman E. Coli
spinach outbreak September, 2006
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Posted on company website Chocolate product
recall July, 2006
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We are telling every one to get rid of fresh
bagged spinach right now. Dont assume anything
is over.
Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle Quoted in CBS/AP
news Spinach E.coli outbreak September 16, 2006
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Message strategies during the 4 Stages of a
Crisis
Source CERC
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Preparedness communication strategies

• Build credibility trust with public,
  stakeholders media
• Educate inform
• Message mapping
• Test messages

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Initial response/1st 48 hours communication
strategies

• Be first, be right, be credible
• Acknowledge with empathy
• Explain inform about risk
• Describe what you know,
• dont know, doing about it
• Commit to continued communication
• Keep communication channels open

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1st 48 hours Filling the information void

• There will be an information void, if you dont
  fill it, someone else will
• Preparedness planning will enable you to act
  quickly
• First 48-hours should be a response time, not a
  planning time
• Remember crisis communication concepts
• -dont fear fear or panic about panic
• -high hazard high fear comm goals

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Response maintenance communication strategies

• Continue to help public understand its own risks
• Empower risk/benefit decision-making
• Provide background information
• Gain understanding support for response plans
• Listen to audience correct misinformation

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Recovery communication strategies

• Relief, celebration, thanks for getting through
  the event
• Instill trust confidence in food system
• Listen to audiences perception of your
  effectiveness
• Acknowledge short comings how they will be
  rectified in the future

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Mistakes we normally make

• Over-reassure
• Sound too certain, too confident
• Wait too long (Be first...)
• Fail to communicate the complexity of
  decision-making or acknowledge opinion diversity
• Try to appear objective by excluding emotions
  from our messages and metamessages
• Treat the public as though they are children
• Downplay the mistakes we have made

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Applying the concepts
Unpacking the Message
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module three Message Development Delivery

• topic two
• Message Mapping
• Practice

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What is a message map?
a roadmap for displaying detailed,
hierarchically organized responses to anticipated
questions or concerns. It is a visual aid that
provides at a glance the organizations messages
for high concern or controversial issues. -
Vincent Covello
Developed by Dr. Vincent Covello
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Message maps

• Functions of message maps
• Promotes pre-event preparedness
• Anticipates stakeholder questions concerns
• Provides framework for organizing information
• Crafts clear, concise key messages
• Promotes message consistency within an
  organization

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Based on Rule of Three
During high stress situations

• Present 3 key messages
• Repeat key message 3 times
• Prepare 3 supporting messages for each key message

During normal situations, we can process up to
7 information bits.
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The 27/9/3 challenge

• In a total of 27 words
• Delivered in 9 seconds
• 3 key messages

SOURCE Vincent Covello
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Message mapping
Key Message Should be able to stand alone

• 3 Supporting Ideas
• Supporting factual information
• Visual aids
• Citations to credible third parties info
• Sources of more information

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What should I know about anthrax ?
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Uses for message maps

• Preparedness communication planning for emerging
  or anticipated crises
• Preparing for media interview, press conference,
  forum
• As a first step in creating a risk communication
  message or statement

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Limitations of message maps?

• Creates complacency all Q A
• Focusing on message maps alone may fail to
  consider audience, communicator, etc.
• Can be stiltedignores metamessaging

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Applying the concepts
Message Mapping
1. What are the 3 most important things you would
like your audience to know? 2. What are the 3
most important things your audience would like to
know? 3. What are the 3 most important things
your audience is likely to get wrong unless they
are emphasized?
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module three Message Development Delivery

• topic three
• Developing
• Risk Communication
• Messages

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Message preparation
Communicator Role Purpose
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Message development

• Preparedness
• Strategies
• Trust-building
• Relationship-building
• Partnerships with publics

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Message development

• Key Audiences
• Education
• Knowledge of event or issue
• Age
• Language
• Cultural orientation
• Others?

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Message development

• Key Questions
• Key Messages
• 3 most important things
• You would like your audience to know
• Your audience would like to know
• Your audience is likely to get wrong

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Message development
Metamessage Strategies
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Metamessaging

• Communicate with compassion, concern empathy
• Does not preclude professionalism
• Enhances credibility and trust
• Express feelings I feel terrible I understand
  why youre frustrated
• Demonstrate honesty, candor openness
• Dare to apologize I am sorry that we have been
  unable to
• Admit mistakes We were wrong to withhold this
  information
• Accept uncertainty ambiguity
• Dont wait until all the facts are in
• Express wishes I wish I could say that

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Metamessaging

• Non-verbal messages
• Staging (flags, symbols, re-establish community
  cohesion)
• Clothing appropriate to setting (farm field vs
  city hall attire)
• Appear with credible resources
• If possible go to disaster site
• Not saying anything (no comment)

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• Metamessaging
• Its just not about what happened its about the
  intersection between what happened and US and
  most particularly about how we feel or ought to
  feel about what happened.
• - Peter Sandman

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Message development
3 Messages Components 1. Basic information 2.
Self-efficacy statements 3. Metamessages
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Message development

• Basic Information
• What you know
• What you dont know
• What youre doing about it, or trying to do about
  it
• When youll provide the next update

1. Basic information 2. Self-efficacy
statements 3. Metamessages
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Message development

• 2. Self - efficacy
• What you must do
• What you should do
• What you could do

1. Basic information 2. Self-efficacy
statements 3. Metamessages
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Message development

• 3. Metamessages
• How you say it
• Nonverbal
• Empathy
• Caring

1. Basic information 2. Self-efficacy
statements 3. Metamessages
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Additional suggestions

• DO
• Seek first to understand, not to be understood
• Work for mutually satisfying ends
• Encourage independent investigation or sources
  for additional information
• Adapt your messages to enhance understanding
• Use talking points

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Additional suggestions

• DO -
• Stay on message using bridging
• Use SIMPLE visual aids which are easy to
  interpret
• Use rhymes, acronyms, groups of 3
• Use personal pronouns
• Anticipate, anticipate, anticipate

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Avoid
DO AVOID -

• Insisting on your findings
• Comparing risks
• Using cliches
• Imposing solutions

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Avoid
DO AVOID - continued

• Humor
• Avoid jargon, overly technical information
• Over-used phrases to avoid
• Worse than we hoped
• I feel your pain

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Applying the concepts
Message Practice
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Module 3 Take AwaysThe Art Craft of Message
Development
The Art
The Craft

• Rule of 3
• Key questions
• Key messages
• Communicator role
• Target audience
• Self-efficacy
• must do...
• should do
• could do

• Proactive planning
• Trust-building
• Relationship-building
• Listen to the public
• Metamessaging
• Compassion, concern,
• empathy
• Honesty openness

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for EffectiveMessage Development
Best Practices
For Effective Message Development

• Communicate with compassion, concern empathy
• Demonstrate honesty, candor openness
• Accept uncertainty ambiguity
• Provide messages that foster self-efficacy