Course Description

Risk Communication is the interactive exchange of information and opinions about hazards and risks, risk-related factors and risk perception.

The Risk Communication course focuses on the interactive exchange of information and opinions about hazards and risks, risk-related factors and risk perception to a variety of stakeholders.

This course presents the basics of risk communication as it is practiced in the U.S.A. with applications to food safety.

Prerequisite: While not required, it is recommended that this course be taken after you have completed our Introduction to Risk Analysis and the Regulatory Process and Risk Management course. Those two courses provide contextual information about risk analysis that is not repeated here.

Overview of Topics

Principles of Risk Communication, Knowing your Audience, The Messenger and Risk Communication, Message Development, Channel Choices, Dealing with the Media

• Defining Risk Communication
• Risk Communication and Crisis Communication: What is the difference?
• Persuasion: How we use persuasion as a risk communication goal
• Audience: The basics of knowing who you are addressing
• Risk Perceptions: How people perceive risks serves is the basis of their attitude and behavior
• Involvement
• Anxiety
• We all are Risk Communicators
• Defining Credibility
• Expertise
• Communicating Trust
• The Practical Aspects of Messages
• Message Maps
• Message Choices
• Basics about Journalists

Learning Objectives

• Understanding the goals of risk communication
• Differentiating between proactive and reactive risk communication
• Recognizing communication competence and communicator credibility
• Understanding how to communicate expertise and trustworthiness
• Recognizing the importance of nonverbal communication in communicating credibility
• Understanding the phases of message design and the research that corresponds with each phase
• Understanding the practical aspects of message design such as message timing and message organization

By the end of the session, you should be able to

• Distinguish among the common goals of risk communication, their respective assumptions, and why this matters
• Understand the relationship between emotion and risk perception
• Recognize the major contextual factors that influence perceived risk
• Appreciate the importance of “market segmentation” and of understanding the needs of your audiences
• Describe the characteristics of a good risk communicator
• Differentiate between proactive and reactive risk communication
• Understanding how to communicate expertise and trustworthiness
• Recognizing the importance of nonverbal communication in communicating credibility
• Understanding the phases of message design and the research that corresponds with each phase
• Understand the practical aspects of message design such as message timing and message organization

This course meets a requirement of the JIFSAN Core Certificate in Food Safety Risk Analysis.