Abstract
Recently, the recognition of Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (CERC) tools in natural hazard management and disaster reduction has gained prominence. A successful CERC will ensure the relevant stakeholders are effective communicating with each other. This requires a clear plan and set of principles that enables the stakeholders to function effectively in a crisis. Students hoping to work in the emergency and natural hazard management field need to develop these skills. This paper outlines the development of a range of risk communicating activities including simulation exercises for undergraduate Geoscience students. Progress in the development of the students risk communication skill through the series of activities is tracked and evaluated. Results indicate that 87% of the students perceived their risk communication skills were good or excellent after undertaking the exercises compared to 26% before. This paper also evaluates the impact of the activities and if they motivated them to learn more about the subject as a whole. Students generally indicated that the exercises motivated them to learn more about natural hazard management and they felt that they have become better risk communicators. They also indicate that they gained a more in-depth understanding of the requirements of effective and timely communications should they need to develop a CERC strategy during a crisis.
Highlights
Stakeholders to communicate the right message in a timely manner and in a way that people understand and can act upon in a crisis (Palenchar, 2008)
2 As such, this paper aims to evaluate the development of risk communications skills amongst a group of Geoscience students studying Natural Hazard Management at an undergraduate level at the University of Chester, UK
This paper evaluates the student’s perception of their developing Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (CERC) skills through a series of exercises, including: how well they engaged with CERC strategies and their perceptions of the limitations of the techniques used
Summary
Stakeholders to communicate the right message in a timely manner and in a way that people understand and can act upon in a crisis (Palenchar, 2008). CERC personnel often work under impossible time constraints and must both accept and communicate uncertainty of risk to a wide range of stakeholders, which can be very challenging. The most important element of an effective CERC is well-trained personnel (Covello, 1992). Training helps the individual to learn about CERC strategies that will help prepare for and respond to public emergencies effectively, including: how to review and disseminate risk information as well as emerging/current crisis and emergency risk information, and how to systematically plan, develop, implement, and evaluate crisis and emergency risk communication activities. Risk and Crisis Communication about a potential disaster, a crisis event and/or the recovery process after a disaster effectively (CDS, 2012; Smith & Petley, 2009; Alexander, 2002). Students who aspire to work in the field of hazard management agree that it is important that they have an opportunity to develop such skills as part of their undergraduate training (Miller & France, 2012). The exercises outlined here aim to help students in this regard
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