Crisis and Outbreak Communication

Available in English or Spanish, this slide presentation from the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) explains aspects of crisis and outbreak communication. This session lists its objectives as:

1. Understanding of crisis outbreak communication;
2. Communication crucial to managing crisis;
3. Explain WHO Outbreak Guidelines; and
4. Working with the media.

The document then lists 7 characteristics for effective communication and explains what effective communication can do. It gives the United States (US) Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) crisis and outbreak communication definitions; World Health Organization (WHO) objectives; and the skills required for both the preparation phase and the outbreak phase of an environmental disaster or disease outbreak, for example pandemic flu. The strategies include deciding on messages, declaring them publicly with evidence to support them, and conversing with the public to build trust and disseminate information.

Part 1 of the presentation reviews the Peter Sandman model of risk communication and his six areas of crisis communication. The Sandman model first categorises the occurrence (avian flu, pandemic flu, or disaster) according to its degree of risk and the public's emotional response. It then analyses the state of mind of the audience, the task of the communicator in responding to that state of mind, the appropriate medium for the message, and the barriers to its delivery and reception.

It also lists the six areas of crisis communication as:

• Information content;
• Logistics;
• Audience;
• Audience involvement;
• Meta messaging (How to address emotion); and
• Self assessment.

In Part 2, it reviews the WHO Outbreak Communication Guidelines, which are developing trust, announcing early, ensuring transparency, involving the
public, and planning.

Strategies included in this part of the presentation are:

1. Trust: Before the crisis, develop a public perception of responders as honest, competent, and motivated to protect. Also, develop and maintain a trust among communicators, technical staff, and policy makers through listening, involving, sharing, and caring.
2. First announcement: Choose the most important message, disseminate it early, and be prepared for it to be wrong.
3. Transparency: Aim for total candour, don't over-reassure, keep detailed records for meetings, not messages, and promise and deliver regular briefings.
4. Guidelines for Action Involving the Public: Tell people what to expect; offer people things to do; let people choose actions; and ask more of people. The presentation details coping with public emotion and speculation, as well as errors and misimpressions in messages.
5. Planning: Get the endorsement of senior management and political leaders on announcements, transparency limits, the spokesperson, training, messages, and channels of communications. Put communicators in the senior management group.

In Part 3, the presentation covers pandemic preparedness and risk communication strategies including:

• Establish various channels including: internet, television, and radio.
• Elaborate recommendations for designated country spokespersons.
• Distribute information on pandemic influenza and on personal respiratory hygiene and transmission risk reduction.
• Schedule for constant information flow.
• Use an intersectoral team for content and updates.
• Collaborate broadly to integrate information and ensure credibility, continuity, and accuracy.
• Review and update published pandemic materials.

Part 4 explains making presentations to the public and working with the media, including implications of messages and myths on risk communication, managing hostile situations, responding to questions, developing media partnerships, and rumour control.

Click here to download the English version of this presentation in Powerpoint format.

Click here to download the Spanish version of this presentation in Powerpoint format.