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Public communication for health emergencies

Module B4

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Module objectives

By the end of this module, you should be able to:

● Describe the importance of public communication in outbreak and health emergency response

● Describe ways of communicating effectively with large audiences during a health emergency

● Describe why media monitoring is important

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Communication is an integral part of public health response to

disease outbreaks and health emergencies

1. People have the right to be informed about risks & how to protect

themselves

2. Communication helps influence behaviour change

3. Misinformation and rumours must be identified early and addressed

4. Frequent and frank communication builds support for the emergency

response and builds and maintains TRUST – this is essential for

people to follow our advice and support the response

Why communicate in an emergency?

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Why use public communication channels?

● Quickest way for reaching wide audiences within the shortest time, in a cost-effective way – to get information out and to listen to concerns

● If used appropriately, communication can help maintain Trust

● The situation evolves rapidly in an emergency. Therefore, it is important to provide updates as quickly as possible so that people can make informed decisions

● Respond to people’s concerns and fears (i.e., social media, dial in radio shows, iReport, etc.)

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Key channels of public communication

● Media

● Social media

● The internet – web, blogs, etc.

● Mobile technology

● Awareness campaigns, social

mobilization

● Distribution of messages through

radio or TV spots or through printed

IEC (information education and

communication) materials

● Other channels

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Know your audiences' characteristics and practices to determine what platform to use e.g. SMS + radio

Find out their preferred channels of communication

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Working with the media

1. Quick way to get information out to

large numbers of people in a cost-

effective and engaging way

2. Influential -- Radio, TV, text messages

were the top 3 sources of information

for the public in the 2014 Ebola

outbreak in West Africa

3. Usually free or at very low cost

Photos: WHO/Joy Rivaca

Why work with the media?

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People think:

1. You are not on the ground

2. You are not responding

3. You are not relevant

4. You do not care

If you are not visible in the mass media

Photo: WHO/A.Bhatiasevi

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For mass media, think and speak in key messages

Think of the headline you would like to see from your interview. You could prepare by:

● Writing three key messages

● Make sure there is no jargon

● Make sure it is a fact and not an opinion

● It is important to say what is known, what is unknown and what is being done by your organization to find out more

● Anticipate and address people's concerns

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Why use social media

● Social media can connect millions of people within a short period of time

● It is the quickest way to monitor what individuals or groups are saying about a health emergency

● Response organizations engaged in social media are able to immediately provide clarification or correct misinformation to large audiences within a short period of time

● It allows for quick and interactive communication and engagement with individuals and groups active in the social media

● Social media fills the gap when spokespeople are unavailable or don’t have time to answer smaller queries

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Tips for using social media

● Show the realities on the ground, highlight immediately key health priorities

● Promote ownership and involvement in the response by social media

● Use social media to highlight fast key messages

● Information should be provided in brief and can be provided as frequently as desired

● Use Images and infographics. They are powerful tools and engage people

● Make sure the messages are evidence-based

● Avoid engaging in an argument and never criticize an individual or organization

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Listen, then communicate, adjust

your messaging. Think of how your

message will be perceived by all of

audience – BEFORE posting on the

internet

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The internet and web blogs

● The internet is the quickest and often one of the cheapest ways to communicate with audiences across the world

● Information on websites are referred to even years after it has been posted, if still available

● It is important to link the information on your website with the various search engines so that they can be easily accessed by various audiences browsing the internet

Image: WHO

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Mobile technology - Using SMS during health emergencies

● Mobile phone technology can be available even in the most remote areas of low resourced settings

● SMS may be one of the quickest ways to get to get to large numbers of individuals at a personal level

● For health emergencies, SMS could be one of the quickest ways to get information to geographically hard to reach populations where other communication may not be easily accessible

● Contact and get service providers to pre-agree to send out health messages

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Awareness campaigns and social mobilization

● One of the most commonly used interventions for raising health awareness, including during emergencies

● An effective way to mobilize and reach out to large numbers of people at the community level

● Allows for quick distribution and demonstration of use of materials for positive health outcome, e.g. distribution of mosquito nets for prevention and control of malaria

● Engages volunteers, identifies potential champions for community engagement

●

Photo: http://unicef.in/CkEditor/ck_Uploaded_Images/img_1174.jpg

Social mobilization is a process that engages and motivates a wide range of partners and allies at national and local levels to raise awareness of and demand for a particular development objective through dialogue - UNICEF

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Production and distribution of IEC materials

● Often the first thing demanded by health responders is production and distribution of materials to raise awareness on the desired health behaviours

● These information, education and communication (IEC) products are often done in the form of posters, flyers, leaflets, brochures, radio broadcast or TV spots

● These products and materials are often used during social mobilization and awareness campaigns

● They must be translated into local languages, contextualised to suit the local population, and account for cultural views

● Also take into account whether communities have an oral or written culture

Photo: Unicef Guinea

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Media monitoring -1

● What is it?

– Process of reading, watching or listening to media on an ongoing basis to identify content that is important to you and its analysis

● Why monitor?

– Spot rumours, misinformation and reputational risks early; shape messaging; respond in a timely manner.

– What to look for in the monitoring report?

– Misinformation, rumours

– Who is making the news related to the emergency? Who is being quoted? These may become your influencers if appropriate

– Mentions of your organization in major media outlets or social media

– Message fidelity and consistency in media, social media and text messaging campaigns

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Media monitoring -2

● What is needed?

– Dedicated staff

– Service providers

– Decision-making mechanisms

● What should we do with monitoring reports

– Compile and analyse daily, or even more frequently

– Ensure all relevant personnel receive and use them

– Have a mechanism for deciding what to ignore, what to monitor and what to respond to

– Integrate any response from media monitoring into the response programme fast

– Monitor the reactions to your interventions

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Reminder

● It is essential to communicate early and frequently in an emergency

● Informed decisions can help mitigate health risks

● Public communication is one of the most efficient channels of communication to a wider audience during an emergency

● Effective and timely information helps build and maintain trust

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