Three Steps to Better Risk Communication
Course Description
Participate in this three-week interactive workshop to learn how to engage communities and move them toward action on coastal hazards planning and preparedness. You will interact with trainers and peers as you explore your individual risk communication challenges and real world examples. Best of all, you will walk away from this workshop with your own actionable risk communication strategy and next steps for how to interact with your audience.
The entire workshop will be conducted online, including live, interactive, instructor-led sessions, discussion with peers, and individual or small group work on your specific project. Space is limited due to the project development approach and high level of engagement between participants and trainers.
Please note that this training focuses on improving risk communication skills for coastal hazards planning and preparedness, not crisis communication when a disaster is imminent.
To host this course, contact us at ocm.tms@noaa.gov.
You will learn how to
- Understand how and why people respond to risk the way they do
- Define an actionable goal you would like your audience to reach
- Assess your specific audiences’ characteristics and values
- Identify ways to engage your audience based on their characteristics and values
- Develop a strategy for engaging your audience that supports the actionable goal you defined
Participant Requirements
No communication experience is required.
The ideal participant will be
- Ready to work on a specific risk communication project (pairs or small groups from an organization or community are encouraged)
- City- or county-level staff or individuals focused on helping the community better prepare for natural hazards
- Focused on risk communication in longer-term planning situations, not on crisis communication when a disaster is happening
As a participant, you will be expected to
- Each week, participate in a 90-minute interactive session (2:00 to 3:30 PM Eastern Time on Wednesday, September 16, 23, and 30)
- Each week, spend up to 90 minutes on your own completing assignments and engaging with course participants online
- Use the following technologies to engage with trainers and fellow participants:
- Headset or speakers and a microphone
- Free Google-based account for Google Docs access
- Adobe Connect and the learning management system Moodle, both furnished by NOAA
If you are unsure whether this course is a good fit for you, email Stephanie Fauver at Stephanie.Fauver@noaa.gov.
Continuing Education Credits
This course offers nine hours of continuing education credits for the American Institute of Certified Planners and seven hours for Certified Floodplain Manager professional certifications.
Three Steps to Better Risk Communication
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