Public perceptions and opinions often determine the resolution of high concern, high stress, or emotionally charged issues. They have a profound impact on an organization's success.

Examples of high concern, high stress and emotionally charged issues include:

• Environmental Risk
• Public Health and Safety
• Organizational Change
• Crisis and Emergency Situations

The Center for Risk Communication brings proven techniques to meet public and organizational communication challenges posed by public perceptions and misperceptions of risks and benefits. These techniques, developed from behavioral science knowledge based on university-level scientific research and years of practical experience, are critical when misperceptions of high concern issues create powerful barriers to effective communication. These and similar conditions require the unique solutions and guidance provided by the Center for Risk Communication.

The Center offers the following services and capabilities for meeting communication challenges: Communication strategy development and training:

• Perception and opinion research
• Community relations strategies
• Community outreach programs
• Stakeholder participation plans
• Media relations strategies
• Media training
• Conflict and dispute resolution
• Message mapping

In addition, the Center offers services and capabilities related to Employee and Crisis Communication:

Employee Communication

• Corporate restructuring/reorganization communication strategies
• Implementing innovation and cultural change
• Improving internal communication programs

Crisis Communication

• Crisis communication planning support
• Accident and emergency situation support
• Crisis scenario preparation and exercises
• Crisis communication training
• Media relations strategies for crisis situations

Message Mapping

A unique service provided by the Center is assistance in "message mapping."
Message mapping is an important computer based tool for achieving message clarity and conciseness. Messages maps serve as visual aids and roadmaps for displaying detailed, hierarchically organized responses to anticipated high concern issues, questions, or concerns. They are constructed according to the principles of risk communication and have three goals:

• To organize information in an easily understood and accessible framework.
• To express the current organizational viewpoint on important issues, questions, concerns.
• To promote open dialogue both inside and outside the organization.

Message maps are crucial to ensuring that an organization has a central repository of consistent messages. Once adopted, they allow an organization to speak with one voice.

Research and experience clearly show that one of the most important keys to successful communication in high concern situations is an organization's ability to establish, maintain and increase trust and credibility with crucial stakeholders. Stakeholders include employees, regulatory agencies, citizen groups, the media, and the public.

Training

Managers and public officials who must communicate in a high concern environment need to develop the unique knowledge and skills required for this demanding arena. The Center provides comprehensive training to convey this knowledge and build these skills. The Center further provides strategic assistance to put this knowledge and these skills into practice.

The training seminars and workshops offered by the Center provide participants the knowledge and skills needed to:

• Adapt personal and organizational practices to earn trust and gain credibility;
• Overcome the mental noise that occurs when people are in a high concern state of mind;
• Manage the risk perception factors that distort people's views of actual threats;
• Offset the dominating power of negative words and images;
• Practice the verbal and non-verbal communications skills needed to be effective in high concern situations; and
• Identify traps, pitfalls and opportunities.

As follow-on to the training, the Center for Risk Communication offers a full range of strategic counsel and support to help implement the principles learned during the seminars and workshops. The Center's counsel and support is tailored to the unique and specific needs of each client and situation.