Post on 19-Jan-2017
transcript
Reclaiming a Communication Focus in
Risk Communication
Presentation by Jason S. Wrench
Union Carbide Plant in Bhopal, India
2,000 Died Instantly
20,000 Died in the First Week
200,000+ were injured
Three Phases of Risk Communication
Phase I (1975-1984) – Risk Assessment Model
Phase II (1985-1994) – Risk Management Model
Phase III (1994-Present Day)– Risk Communication Model
Basic Terminology
Hazard: Anything that can cause morbidity (injury) or mortality (death).
Risk: The probability of morbidity (loss of limb or injury) or mortality (loss of life) associated with a specific hazard.
Risk CommunicationThe process by which an individual or group of individuals (risk communicator[s]) stimulates meaning in the minds of another individual or group individuals (receiver[s]) about the morbidity and mortality associated with a specific hazard by means of verbal, nonverbal, and mediated messages.
Wrench (2004) “Development and Validity Testing of the Risk Communicator Style
Scale” Communication Variables Democratic. Technical
Nonverbal Immediacy +Communicator Clarity +Receiver Apprehension - +Interaction Satisfaction Cognitive + Affective + - Behavioral +Source Credibility Competence + + Trustworthiness + Caring/Goodwill +
Four Types of Risk Communicators
- Technical + Technical
- Democratic Risk Avoiders Risk Assessors
+ Democratic Risk Feelers Risk Educators
Wrench (2007) “The Influence of Perceived Risk Knowledge on Risk Communication”
Communication Variables RiskKnowledge
Nonverbal Immediacy +Communicator Clarity +Receiver Apprehension -Interaction Satisfaction Cognitive + Affective + Behavioral +Source Credibility Competence + Trustworthiness + Caring/Goodwill +
Wrench, Fiore, & Charbonnette “The Impact of Crisis Communication on
Levels of Acute-Traumatic Stress Disorder As a Result of the September 11, 2001, Terrorist Attacks on the United States”
Variate #1 Variate #2
Receiver Apprehension
-.96 .29
Crisis Knowledge .58 .82Avoidance -.91 .19Intrusion -.41 .82Hyperarousal -.76 .28Canonical
Correlation .50 .20
Impact of Receiver Characteristics
Communication Variables Democratic Technical RiskKnowledge
BeliefAboutHarm
Receiver Characteristics Human Temperament Extraversion Neuroticism + Psychoticism + +Locus of Control + +
ContinuedCommunication Variables Democratic Technical Risk
Knowledge
Belief About Harm
Sociocommunicative Orientation
Assertiveness Responsiveness +Receiver Apprehension - + -Receiver Perceptions Democratic Risk
Communicator Style+ +
Technical Risk Communicator Style
-
Risk Knowledge -
Future Directions More research is needed on crisis communication in general. More receiver characteristics that could impact perceived Risk. I would like to experimentally test the effect of political
affiliation on people’s perceptions of a source of risk communication.
Currently Risk and Crisis Communication is fairly a theoretical, which needs to change.