SEVENSEAS Partner Publications Social Science Community Newsletter: October 2016 | Page 3

Communicating the Right Words at the Right Time By Dr. Timothy L. Sellnow & Dr. Deanna D. Sellnow, University of Central Florida “The right words at the right time save lives.” This adage is at once the inspiration and challenge for those who design and share risk and crisis messages. We have dedicated the last two decades of our lives to building a generalizable model that is easy for communication practitioners to use for meeting the challenge of effectively communicating risk and crisis messages. Our four step IDEA model aids practitioners in aligning key information in risk and crisis messages that fits with a variety of communication channels and contexts ranging from formal press conferences to brief messages on social media. The four components of the model are internalization (who is in danger), distribution (choosing the best communication channel/s), explanation (what is happening and why it is a risk), and action (what specific actions do you want the listener to take). After years of case study analysis, message testing experiments, and field trials, we are convinced that succinct messages attending to each of these four factors constitute the most compelling risk and crisis messages. Internalization answers questions such as: Am I at risk? Is my family at risk? When is the risk the greatest? Who else is at risk? Thus, the model begins by creating a clear awareness of who is in harm’s way and when. Distribution is increasingly complicated by new technology. Traditional forms of communication such as press releases, press conferences, and television advertising are still effective with some audiences. A growing segment of the population, however, relies solely on social media or news sources adapted to the Internet for their information. As we consider who we want to receive our The IDEA Model Credit: Drs. Tim and Deanna Sellnow3 messages, we must consider how they choose to receive their information. In most cases, the same message can be distributed through multiple channels. Explanation comes most easily to many practitioners. Experts in all fields have tremendous knowledge at their disposal. Public audiences, however, do not share the same knowledge or enthusiasm. We find that audiences want to know what is happening and why it is happening. They accept that they are not likely to comprehend much of the science behind the risk, but they do want to know the basics. Our goal is to give enough information to remain credible, but not to overwhelm our audience. Finally, action statements are essential. We should never assume that our audiences will know precisely how to respond to the risks we describe. The action steps may seem obvious to us, but we find that audiences want confirmation and reassurance that they are taking the best steps toward reducing their risk. We should never publicly identify a risk without giving our audiences something meaningful they can do to reduce their vulnerability and the vulnerability of their families. Communicating effective risk messages will continue to be a major challenge for practitioners. Through abundant research, we are convinced that employing the IDEA model can help practitioners share the right words at the right time, and, ultimately, save lives. For more information, contact Dr. Tim Sellnow ([email protected]) or Dr. Deanna Sellnow ([email protected]) Page 3 of 6