greatestmicromedia

LESSON3.
COMMUNICATINGINANEMERGENCYThispageintentionallyleftblank.
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1INTRODUCTIONVisual3.
1KeyPointsThislessonpresentsstrategiesforcommunicatingeffectivelyinemergencysituations.
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2StudentManualFebruary2014INTRODUCTIONVisual3.
2KeyPointsTranscript:Duringanincident,communicationwiththecommunitybecomesespeciallycritical.
Emergencycommunicationsmayincludealertsandwarnings;directivesaboutevacuation,curfews,andotherself-protectiveactions;andinformationaboutresponsestatus,familymembers,availableassistance,andothermattersthatimpactresponseandrecovery.
Well-conceivedandeffectivelydeliveredemergencymessagescanhelpensurepublicsafety,protectproperty,facilitateresponseefforts,elicitcooperation,instillpublicconfidence,andhelpfamiliesreunite.
Theextenttowhichpeoplerespondtoawarningmessageisinfluencedbymanyfactors,includingindividualcharacteristicsandperceptions,whetherthemessagecomesfromacrediblesource,howthemessageisdelivered,andthemessageitself.
Youhavemanycommunicationtoolstochoosefrom,includingin-personevents,printandbroadcastmedia,andInternetandsocialmedia.
Eachhasadvantagesandlimitationsdependingonyourcommunicationobjectiveandtheintendedaudience.
Whatevercommunicationtoolsyouuse,besureyouremergencycommunicationsareclear,containspecificandadequateinformation,areinsyncwithotherinformationbeingdisseminated,andareaccessibletothewholecommunity.
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3INTRODUCTIONVisual3.
3KeyPointsAtthecompletionofthislesson,youshouldbeableto:Indicatehowday-to-daycommunicationdiffersfromcommunicationduringanincident.
Identifystrategiesforcommunicatingeffectivelyinanemergencysituation.
Selectthemostappropriateformofcommunicationforagivensituation.
Indicatehowsocialmediaandothercommunicationstechnologycanbeusedtocommunicatewithmembersofthecommunity.
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4StudentManualFebruary2014DELIVERINGEFFECTIVEEMERGENCYCOMMUNICATIONSVisual3.
4KeyPointsDeliveringeffectiveemergencycommunicationsisanessentialpartofemergencymanagement.
Thislessonpresentsinformationaboutthreeaspectsofcommunicatinginanemergency:EmergencyCommunicationChallengesEmergencyCommunicationToolsCreatingEffectiveEmergencyCommunicationsLet'sbeginwiththeimportanceofemergencycommunicationandthechallengesitpresents.
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5EMERGENCYCOMMUNICATIONCHALLENGESVisual3.
5KeyPointsStudiesshowthatduringanincident,informationisascriticallyimportanttopeopleasfoodorwater.
Notonlycanaccurateinformationmeanthedifferencebetweenlifeanddeath,itcanprovidereassurancethatresponseandrecoveryaretrulyunderway.
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6StudentManualFebruary2014EMERGENCYCOMMUNICATIONCHALLENGESVisual3.
6KeyPointsPublicinformationduringanincidentservesmanyimportantfunctions.
Itcan:Savelivesandreduceinjury.
Knowingtheproperprotectiveactionstotakeenablespeopletoreducetheirrisk.
Protectpropertyandtheenvironment.
Understandinghowtomitigaterisktopropertyandtheenvironmentmaylessenthedamageinflictedbydisasters.
Facilitatethetacticalresponsebycalmingfearsandmanagingexpectations.
Peoplewhoknowwhattoexpectaremorelikelytofollowinstructionsandallowresponderstodotheirjobs.
Educate,inform,andchangebehaviorandattitudes.
Aneducatedpublicismorelikelytoprepareforemergenciesandbereadywhentheyoccur.
Seekthepublic'scooperation.
Whethertheneedisforvolunteerstohelpwithsandbagging,citizenstocooperatewithinvestigators,orresidentstoevacuatetheirhomes,publicinformationisaninstrumentthatcanhelpmakeithappen.
Instillpublicconfidence.
Providingtimely,accurate,andunderstandableinformationbuildsconfidenceinemergencymanagement'scompetence.
Provideinformationtohelpfamiliesreunite.
Publicinformationaboutsheltermessageboards,hotlines,survivorregistries,andotherlinkagescanhelpreunitefamiliesandenablethemtomoveforwardwiththeirrecovery.
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7EMERGENCYCOMMUNICATIONCHALLENGESVisual3.
7KeyPointsEmergencycommunicationsdifferfromroutinecommunicationsinseveralways:Barriers:Itismoredifficultforpeopletohearmessagesduringanemergency.
Stress,changeofroutine,andlackofsleepallcanbehurdlestoovercomewhencommunicatingduringemergencies.
Timeliness:Ifofficialanswersarenotavailable,rumorandspeculationquicklyfilltheinformationvacuum.
Then,notonlymustyoudisseminatecorrectinformation,butyoualsoneedtocounteranymisinformationthatcirculated.
Tousemediainatimelyfashion,learnlocalmedianewscyclesanddeadlines.
Forexample,ifanewseventoccursat4:00p.
m.
,youcanmostlikelygetitontheradioimmediately,ontelevisionintimefortheeveningreport,andintothenextmorning'seditionofthelocalpaper.
Onlinenewsoutletscanbeupdatedatanytime.
RequiredResponse:Emergencywarningsdifferfromotherkindsofmessagesbecausetheirpurposeistoelicitaspecificresponsefromthepublic,ratherthanmerelyraiseawarenessorprovideknowledge.
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8StudentManualFebruary2014EMERGENCYCOMMUNICATIONCHALLENGESVisual3.
8KeyPointsSuccessfulwarningsarethosethataretakenseriouslyandrespondedtoinatimelyandeffectivemanner.
Multiplefactorsmayhaveanimpactonwhetherpeoplerespondtoawarning,including:Individualcharacteristics—Age,education,language,accessandfunctionalneeds,familycomposition,andlengthofresidency,amongothers.
Perceptions—Previousexperiencewithahazardandperceptionsofproximityandrisk.
Messagesource—Whoissuesthewarning,credibilityofthewarningsource,andtheleveloftrustinthatsource.
Themessageitself—Accuracy,clarity,timeliness,consistency,andspecificityofthemessage;anditsfocusonimmediateneeds.
Thejobaidonthenextpageprovidesadditionalinformationaboutfactorsthatinfluencemessageresponse.
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9JobAid:FactorsThatAffectResponseResearchhasidentifiedanumberofcommunity,experiential,andindividualfactorsthatinfluencetheextenttowhichalertsandwarningsarereceived,comprehended,andheeded.
CommunityFactorsTypeofcommunity:Residentsofruralcommunitiesmayhavemoredifficultyreceivingwarningsthanthoselivinginurbanareas.
Levelofcommunityinteraction:Peoplewhohavemorecontactsinthecommunitywillreceivemorewarningsandaremorelikelytoact;also,theyaremorelikelytotrustofficials.
Familycomposition:Families,morethanindividuals,tendtoheedevacuationwarnings.
Researchindicatesthatpeopletendtoconferwithfamily,extendedfamily,andfriendspriortomakingadecision.
Theydothistoensurethattheirlovedonesaresafeandalsotodeterminewhethertheymayneedtoprovideprotectionfortheirlovedones.
Theirdecisionsarebasedonthefollowingfactorsrelatedtofamilycomposition:oFamilynetwork:Peoplearemorelikelytoactiftheyhaverelativesnearbywhomaywarnthemandofferthemshort-termshelter.
oPresenceofchildren:Concernforchildren'ssafetywillelicitquickerresponsefromparents.
oPresenceofpets:Peopleoftenviewtheirpetsastheywouldtheirchildrenandwilltakeactiontoprotectthem.
However,whereasfamilieswithchildrenusuallyactmorequicklytotakeprecautions,inemergenciesrequiringevacuation,peoplewithpetsmayendangertheirownlivesbyrefusingtoevacuate,becausemanypublicsheltersdonotallowpets.
ExperientialFactorsInterpretationofmessage:Whendifferentpeoplelistentothesamemessage,theremaybeavariationinwhattheyhear,leadingtodifferentinterpretationandresponse.
Previousexperiences:Oftenpeoplewillrelyontheirpreviousexperienceswiththehazardtodeterminewhatactionstheyinitiallytake(ordon'ttake).
Observations:Individualresponsestowarningsvary,butmostpeoplewillseeksomeformofconfirmation.
Forexample,somepeoplewilllookformoreinformationthroughenvironmentalcues,whileotherswillseektocontactothertrustedsources.
Optimismbias(thinkingthat"disastershappentootherpeople")isovercomewithconfirmation.
Perceptionofrisk/proximity:Peopletendtomakearapidassessmentoftherelativesafetyoftheirlocation,producinganemergentperceptionofrisk.
Iftheirperceptionofpersonalriskishigh,peoplewillactquickly.
Whentheperceptionislow,theywilldelayacting.
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10StudentManualFebruary2014JobAid:FactorsThatAffectResponse(Continued)IndividualFactorsAge:Childrenandolderadultsmaynotbeabletoreceiveand/orrespondappropriatelytoalertsandwarnings.
Manyinthisgroupmayalsoneedassistance.
Language:Non-English-speakingpersonsmaynotunderstandwarningsthatareprovidedinEnglish.
Communitieswithhighpercentagesofnon-English-speakingpeopleshouldissuewarningsintheprimarylanguage(s)ofthepopulationaswellasinEnglish.
Lengthofresidency:Transients,tourists,andnewcomerstothearealackknowledgeoflocalhazardsandthehistoryoflocaldisasters,sotheymayreactdifferently.
Accessandfunctionalneeds:Individualswithaccessandfunctionalneedsmayneedalertsinaccessibleformatsandadditionaltimeandassistanceforevacuating.
Accessibilityofalertandwarningmessagesreferstowhetherindividualshearandunderstandthem.
Alternativealertandwarningmethodsareneededforindividualswithaccessandfunctionalneedssuchasthosewhoareblindordeaforhavelowvisionorhearing.
Bothaudioandequivalenttextmessagesshouldbeavailable.
Levelofindividualpreparedness:Peoplewhohavetakenthetimetoprepareforhazards(i.
e.
,theyhaveaplananddisastersupplykit,andhaveexercisedtheplan)aremorelikelytoheedwarningsandactappropriately.
Gettingthepreparednessbuy-inisoftenthechallenge.
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11EMERGENCYCOMMUNICATIONCHALLENGESVisual3.
9KeyPointsAkeydecisioninplanningemergencycommunicationsishowyouwillgetthemessagetotheaudience.
Thisdecisionisinfluencedbyseveralfactors,including:Theaudience—WhomareyoutryingtoreachUrgencyofthemessage—HowquicklydotheyneedtheinformationReliabilityofthemedium—HowreliablearetheavailablemediaAppropriatenessofthemedium—WhichmediabestcommunicatethemessageinthesecircumstancesResources—WhatresourcesmayberequiredThejobaidonthenextpageprovidesadditionaldetailsonthesefactors.
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12StudentManualFebruary2014JobAid:FactorsAffectingCommunicationStrategiesTheAudience:Selectmediathathavethegreatestlikelihoodofreachingtheintendedaudience:AreyousendingyourmessagetothegeneralpublicHowmanypeopledoestheinformationneedtoreachDoesyourmessageapplyonlytopeoplelivinginaspecificgeographicareaIsyourmessageintendedforemergencymanagementpersonnelonlyWhatistheprimarylanguageoftheintendedaudienceArethereotherlanguagesthatmustalsobeaccommodatedWheredoesthisaudienceusuallyobtainnews—TVRadioNewspapersCommunityvenuesOnlineSocialmediaUrgency:Matchthespeedandfrequencyofthemediatohowquicklyandforhowlongyouraudienceneedstoknow:IsthisinformationrelatedtoimmediatesafetyIsthisreferralinformationforfuturerecoveryShouldurgencytakepriorityoverstyleandformatWhendovariousmediaair,publish,orbroadcastinformationHowlongwillthisinformationbeusefultotheaudienceHowmanytimesdoyouthinkyouraudienceneedstoseeorhearyourinformationbeforetheyactonitReliability:Ensurethatyourchoiceofmediaisreliableduringtheemergency:Duringthisemergencysituation,whichmediaarefunctionalAretheradio,television,andnewspapercompaniesfunctioningnormallyAreresidentscurrentlylocatedattheirnormalmailingaddressesIsmaildeliveryinterruptedAretherewidespreadpoweroutagesthataffectsomeorallmediaoutletsCanyouidentifypublicplaceswhereyouraudiencecanassembleAppropriateness:Chooseappropriatemediatoenhancecomprehension:IsyourmessagetoosensitivetosendviafaxIsyouraudiencegeographicallyconcentratedenoughtomakeapublicmeetingpossibleCanyoumakeyourpointonabillboardResources:Consideryourresourcesinyourmediachoice:WhichstaffwillyouneedtoimplementthismediaapproachCanyourbudgetaffordatelevisedpublicserviceannouncementCanyoudeliveraneffectivepublicspeechLesson3.
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13ACTIVITY:EMERGENCYCOMMUNICATIONCHALLENGESVisual3.
10KeyPointsPurpose:Thepurposeofthisactivityistoidentifyemergencycommunicationchallenges.
Time:5minutesInstructions:Entiregroup:YourinstructorwillreadeachstatementintheStudentManualandaskifitistrueorfalse.
Bepreparedtoexplainyouranswers.
Statements:Publicinformationduringanincidentcanfacilitatethetacticalresponsebycalmingpeople'sfearsandmanagingtheirexpectations.
Mostpeoplerespondtoemergencymessagesinthesamewayregardlessofexperienceorindividualcharacteristics.
Stress,changeofroutine,andlackofsleepcanaffectthewaypeopleprocessinformationduringanincident.
Itisimportanttomatchthespeedandfrequencyofthecommunicationmediumtohowquicklyandforhowlongtheaudienceneedstheinformation.
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14StudentManualFebruary2014EMERGENCYCOMMUNICATIONTOOLSVisual3.
11KeyPointsDuringanincident,awidevarietyofcommunicationtoolsareavailabletoprovidevitalinformationtothecommunity.
Thissectionofthelessonwillfocusonthevarioustoolsavailableandfactorstoconsiderinchoosingamongthem.
Choosingtherightcommunicationtoolisamatterofgettingtherightinformationtotherightpeopleattherighttimesotheycanmaketherightdecisions.
Remember,themosteffectivecommunicationtoolisonethat:Reachesthetargetaudience.
Getsinformationtotheaudiencewhentheyneedit,foraslongastheyneedit.
Canbeexpectedtodeliverthemessagereliably.
Enhancescomprehensionofthemessagecontent.
Canbeaccessedwithinresourcelimitations.
Mostoften,youwilluseacombinationofmethodstodeliveraconsistentmessagetothewholecommunity.
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15EMERGENCYCOMMUNICATIONTOOLSVisual3.
12KeyPointsToolsandmethodsforemergencycommunicationsinclude:In-personevents—briefingsandpublicmeetings.
Printmedia—newspapersandmagazines.
Broadcastmedia—televisionandradio.
Internetandsocialmedia.
Thefollowingpagespresentinformationaboutadvantages,limitations,andrequirementsofeach.
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16StudentManualFebruary2014EMERGENCYCOMMUNICATIONTOOLSVisual3.
13KeyPointsIn-personeventssuchasmediabriefingsandpublicmeetingscanbeusedtogetinformationtothemediaandthepublic.
Whenproperlyplannedandexecuted,theseeventscanbeapowerfultooltoaidyouincommunicatingthemessagesyouwantdisseminatedtothepublicwhileguidingthenewsmediatoimportantinformationforthepublic.
Advantages:Interactive,allowingparticipantstovoicetheirquestionsandconcernsandgivingyoutheopportunitytorespond.
Canbetargetedtospecificpopulations.
Limitations:Requiretheabilitytostayonmessagewhentheaudiencebecomesvocal.
Mayexposeyoutodifficultquestions.
Requirements:Anappropriate,accessiblevenue.
Publicaddressequipment.
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17EMERGENCYCOMMUNICATIONTOOLSVisual3.
14KeyPointsPrintmediasuchasnewspapersandmagazinescanbeusedtodisseminateinformationthatisnottime-critical.
Thesemediaareespeciallyeffectiveforpresentingindepthanalysisofdevelopingsituationsandforeducatingthepublicaboutpreparedness.
MostnewspapersandmagazineshaveWebsiteswheretheywillalsopostyourstory.
Advantages:Allowformoredetailandindepthtreatmentofthesubject.
Permitavarietyofapproaches—e.
g.
,newsstory,interview,backgroundpiece.
Limitations:Takelongertogetthemessageout.
Maybefilteredthroughanotherspokesperson.
Requirements:Detailsandbackgroundinformation.
Accesstosubject-matterexperts.
Accesstophotoopportunities.
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18StudentManualFebruary2014EMERGENCYCOMMUNICATIONTOOLSVisual3.
15KeyPointsTelevisionandradiocanbeusedtodisseminateinformationquickly,throughtheEmergencyAlertSystem(EAS),PublicServiceAnnouncements(PSAs),andnewsprograms.
Moreindepthfeaturescanalsobepresented.
Stationsthatbroadcastinotherlanguagescanbeusedasanavenuetoreachspecificpopulationswithinthecommunity.
Advantages:Immediatebroadcastingofurgentmessages.
Variedprogramming.
Canreachawideaudienceandbetailoredtospecificpopulations.
Limitations:Reportingmaybelessdetailed,especiallyontelevision.
Messagesmaybefilteredthroughareporterorotherspokesperson,andmaybeeditedorcuttofitavailabletime.
Listener/viewermustchoosetoturnontheTVorradioinordertoreceivethemessage.
Requirements:Television—visuals,soundbites,stagingarea.
Radio—audiosoundclips,recordedinterviews,recordedPSAs.
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19EMERGENCYCOMMUNICATIONTOOLSVisual3.
16KeyPointsTheInternetandsocialmediacanprovideimmediatemessagedisseminationandawidevarietyofformats.
AWebsitecanincorporatemanydifferenttypesofmediaandaccessibilityfeatures,buttherecipientmustchoosetoaccessthesiteorhavesignedupforautomatedmessagefeeds.
Socialmediaprovidesalmostinstantaneousmessagingtothosewhohaveaccess.
Advantages:Internet—Updatedquickly,canincorporatevariedmedia(e.
g.
,print,photos,graphics,audio,video,livestreaming).
Socialmedia—Veryflexible;messagescanbeshortandquick.
Individualscanoptintonotificationsystemsthatpushmessagestotherecipient.
Limitations:Internet—Updatesmayonlybeatcertaintimes.
Socialmedia—Limitedcontroloncethemessagegoesout.
Requirements:Varyaccordingtothemediumandtypeofmessage.
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20StudentManualFebruary2014EMERGENCYCOMMUNICATIONTOOLSVisual3.
17KeyPointsThekeytousingemergingtechnologyisstayingontopofwhatisoutthere,because"new"mediaisarelativetermandtechnologydoesn'tslowdownforanyone.
Ultimately,newcommunicationtechnologyisallaboutspeed.
Peoplehaveanexpectationofbeingengagedandinvolvedandtheydon'twanttowaitforit.
Theyexpectthattheirgovernmentagencieswillnotonlybetransparentandresponsive,butthattheresponsewillbecustomizedtotheincidentandasrapidastheflowofelectrons.
Thejobaidsonthefollowingpagessummarizevarioustypesofsocialmediaandprovideacomparisonofdifferentmediatools.
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21JobAid:SocialMediaDescriptionsSocialMediaDescriptionBlogAblog(acontractionofthetermWeblog)isaWebsite,usuallymaintainedbyanindividual,withregularentriesofcommentary,descriptionsofevents,orothermaterialsuchasgraphicsorvideo.
Entriesarecommonlydisplayedinreverse-chronologicalorder.
"Blog"canalsobeusedasaverb,meaningtomaintainoraddcontenttoablog.
Manyblogsprovidecommentaryornewsonaparticularsubject;othersfunctionasmorepersonalonlinediaries.
Atypicalblogcombinestext,images,andlinkstootherblogs,Webpages,andothermediarelatedtoitstopic.
Theabilityforreaderstoleavecommentsinaninteractiveformatisanimportantpartofmanyblogs.
CitizenJournalismCitizenjournalismisbaseduponpubliccitizensplayinganactiveroleintheprocessofcollecting,reporting,analyzing,anddisseminatingnewsandinformation.
Theavailabilityoftechnologysuchassmartphoneswithcamerasandvideocapabilitymakesitpossibleforindividualstoreportbreakingnewsoftenmorequicklythantraditionalmediareporters.
Micro-blogAmicro-blogisaformofmultimediabloggingthatallowsuserstosendbrieftextupdates(say,140charactersorfewer)ormicromedia(suchasphotosoraudioclips)andpublishthem,eithertobeviewedbyanyoneorbyarestrictedgroupthatcanbechosenbytheuser.
Thesemessagescanbesubmittedbyavarietyofmeans,includingtextmessaging,instantmessaging,email,digitalaudio,ortheWeb.
PhotoSharingPhotosharingisthepublishingortransferofauser'sdigitalphotosonlinethroughbothWebsitesandapplicationsthatfacilitatetheuploadanddisplayofimages.
Thetermcanalsobelooselyappliedtotheuseofonlinephotogalleriesthataresetupandmanagedbyindividualusers,includingphotoblogs.
PodcastApodcastisaseriesofvisualorsoundfilesthataredistributedoverthecomputerbysyndicateddownload,throughWebfeeds,toportablemediaplayersandpersonalcomputers.
Thoughthesamecontentmayalsobemadeavailablebydirectdownloadorstreaming,apodcastisdistinguishedfrommostotherdigitalmediaformatsbyitsabilitytobesyndicated,subscribedto,anddownloadedautomaticallywhennewcontentisadded.
Likethetermbroadcast,podcastcanrefereithertotheseriesofcontentitselfortothemethodbywhichitissyndicated;thelatterisalsocalledpodcasting.
Thehostorauthorofapodcastisoftencalledapodcaster.
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22StudentManualFebruary2014JobAid:SocialMediaDescriptions(Continued)SocialMediaDescriptionReallySimpleSyndication(RSS)FeedRSS(abbreviationforReallySimpleSyndication)isafamilyofWebfeedformatsusedtopublishfrequentlyupdatedworks—suchasblogentries,newsheadlines,audio,andvideo—inastandardizedformat.
AnRSSdocument(whichiscalleda"feed,""Webfeed,"or"channel")includesfullorsummarizedtext,plusmetadatasuchaspublishingdatesandauthorship.
Webfeedsbenefitpublishersbylettingthemsyndicatecontentautomatically.
TheybenefitreaderswhowanttosubscribetotimelyupdatesfromfavoredWebsitesortoaggregatefeedsfrommanysitesintooneplace.
TheusersubscribestoafeedbyclickinganRSSiconinabrowserthatinitiatesthesubscriptionprocess.
TheRSSreadercheckstheuser'ssubscribedfeedsregularlyfornewwork,downloadsanyupdatesthatitfinds,andprovidesauserinterfacetomonitorandreadthefeeds.
Smartphone(SeeCitizenJournalism.
)SocialNetworkingSocialnetworkingsitesareonlinecommunitiesthatconnectpeoplewhoshareinterestsand/oractivities,orwhoareinterestedinexploringtheinterestsandactivitiesofothers.
Themostpopularsocialnetworkingsiteshavegroups,whichofferchatboardsformembers.
Therearealsoprofessionalsocialnetworkingsiteswithsectionsforjobs.
Allsocialnetworkingsitesallowuserstofindpeopletheyknowamongthemembers,orlookforothermemberswithsimilarinterestsoraffiliations.
Thesesitesmakeiteasytoestablishnetworksofcontacts.
VideoBlogAvideoblog,sometimesshortenedtoavlogorvidblog,isaformofblogforwhichthemediumisvideo.
Entriesaremaderegularlyandoftencombineembeddedvideooravideolinkwithsupportingtext,images,andothermetadata.
VlogsalsooftentakeadvantageofWebsyndicationtoallowforthedistributionofvideoovertheInternetusingeithertheRSSorAtomsyndicationformats,forautomaticaggregationandplaybackonmobiledevicesandpersonalcomputers.
VideoSharingVideoscanbeusedtocommunicateinformationonWebsitesoronvideohostingsites.
Videoisagoodchoiceforsharinginformationbecauseofitsaudioandvisualcomponents.
Web2.
0,WebcastAWeb2.
0siteallowsuserstointeractandcollaboratewitheachotherinasocialmediadialogueascreatorsofuser-generatedcontentinavirtualcommunity.
AwebcastisamediapresentationdistributedovertheInternetusingstreamingmediatechnology.
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23JobAid:SocialMediaDescriptions(Continued)SocialMediaDescriptionWikiAwikiisapageorcollectionofWebpagesdesignedtoenableanyonewhoaccessesittocontributeormodifycontent,usingasimplifiedmarkuplanguage.
WikisareoftenusedtocreatecollaborativeWebsitesandtopowercommunityWebsites.
Adefiningcharacteristicofwikitechnologyistheeasewithwhichpagescanbecreatedandupdated.
Generally,thereisnoreviewbeforemodificationsareaccepted.
Manywikisareopentoalterationbythegeneralpublicwithoutrequiringthemtoregisteruseraccounts.
Sometimeslogginginforasessionisrecommended,tocreatea"wiki-signature"cookieforsigningeditsautomatically.
Manyedits,however,canbemadeinreal-timeandappearalmostinstantlyonline.
Thisfeaturecanfacilitateabuseofthesystem.
Privatewikiserversrequireuserauthenticationtoeditpages,andsometimeseventoreadthem.
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24StudentManualFebruary2014JobAid:CommunicationToolComparisonTypesofMediaAdvantagesLimitationsWhatTheyRequireBriefings,publicmeetingsInteractive.
Allowresponsetospecificconcerns.
Canbetargetedatspecificpopulations.
Requireabilitytostayonmessage.
Exposuretodifficultquestions.
Appropriatevenueaccessibletowholecommunity.
Publicaddressequipment.
Newspapers,magazinesMoredetail.
AvailableonWebsite.
Longertogetinformationout.
Details.
Backgroundinformation.
Accesstosubject-matterexperts.
Accesstophotoopportunities.
TelevisionImmediate.
Variedprogramming.
Lessdetailed.
Visuals!
Soundbites.
Stagingarea.
RadioImmediate.
Canreachspecialpopulations.
Fewfieldreporters.
Audio(soundclipsortelephoneinterviews).
Soundbites.
Recordedpublicserviceannouncements(PSAs).
InternetUpdatedquickly.
Updatesmayonlybeatcertaintimes.
Needscanvaryandmaybeacombinationofprint,television,andradioneedsbecauseWebsitesarecapableofhavingvideos,pictures,andtext.
SocialmediaVeryflexible.
Messagescanbeshortandquick.
Limitedcontroloncethemessagegoesout.
Canaccommodateshort,informal,quickmessages("Tweets,"blogs,postings,texting,etc.
).
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25ACTIVITY:SOCIALMEDIASELF-ASSESSMENTVisual3.
18KeyPointsPurpose:Thepurposeofthisactivityistoidentifyhowcomfortableyouarewithdifferenttypesofsocialmedia.
Time:5minutesInstructions:ReviewthelistofsocialmediaintheStudentManual.
Assesshowcomfortableyouarewitheachtypeofmedia.
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26StudentManualFebruary2014ACTIVITY:SOCIALMEDIASELF-ASSESSMENTVisual3.
18(Continued)SocialMediaSelf-AssessmentIamfamiliarwithit.
Iknowhowtouseit.
Ishouldlearnmoreaboutit.
BlogCitizenjournalismMicro-blogPhotosharingPodcastReallySimpleSyndication(RSS)SmartphoneSocialnetworkingVideoblogVideosharingWeb2.
0,WebcastWikiLesson3.
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27ACTIVITY:COMMUNICATIONTOOLSVisual3.
19KeyPointsPurpose:Thepurposeofthisactivityistomatchthecommunicationtool/methodwiththedescription.
Time:5minutesInstructions:Entiregroup:Reviewthelistofcommunicationtools/methodsbelow.
Matcheachcommunicationtool/methodbyenteringthenumberbesidethedescription.
1–In-PersonEvents2–PrintMedia3–BroadcastMedia4–InternetandSocialMediaProvideavehicleforquick,shortmessagesbutcanbedifficulttocontroloncethemessagegoesout.
Arebetterforindepthcoverageandanalysisthanforissuingtime-criticalinformationsuchasalertsandwarnings.
Canbeusedtodistributeinformationquicklytoabroadgeneralaudience;maybelimitedbyprogrammingschedules.
Allowyoutointeractivelylearnaboutandaddressthequestionsandconcernsofaspecificaudience.
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28StudentManualFebruary2014CREATINGEFFECTIVEEMERGENCYCOMMUNICATIONSVisual3.
20KeyPointsAllemergencycommunications—regardlessofthemedium—shouldconformtogeneralprinciplesofeffectivecommunication.
Inacrisis,clarity,specificity,andconsistencyarevitallyimportant.
Besureto:Presenttheinformationinsequence.
Presentthereasonforthemessage,thesupportinginformation,andtheconclusion.
Wordthemessageprecisely,makingeverywordcount.
Avoidjargon,codes,andacronyms.
Usecommonterminologyforallpersonnelandfacilities.
Omitunnecessarydetails.
Speakinsyncwithotherrelatedauthorities.
Keepmessagesconsistentacrossvariousmedia.
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29CREATINGEFFECTIVEEMERGENCYCOMMUNICATIONSVisual3.
21KeyPointsAlertsandwarningsareproductsormessagesintendedtogettheattentionofthepublicandtopromptsometypeofaction—whetherprotectiveactionsoracontinuedstateofalertness.
Terminologyrelatedtowarningscanbeconfusing.
Belowaresomebasicdistinctions.
Watchvs.
Warning:TheNationalWeatherServicedistinguishesbetweenthesetwotypesofmessagesbasedondegreeofcertainty:oWatch—Awatchisusedwhentheriskofahazardouseventhasincreasedsignificantly,butitsoccurrence,location,and/ortimingisstilluncertain.
Itisintendedtoprovideenoughleadtimesothatthosewhoneedtosettheirplansinmotioncandoso.
Fromthelistener'sperspective,awatchletsyouknowthatweatherconditionsarefavorableforahazardtooccur.
Itliterallymeans"beonguard!
"Duringaweatherwatch,gatherawarenessofthespecificthreatandprepareforaction.
oWarning—Awarningisissuedwhenahazardouseventthatposesathreattolifeorpropertyisoccurring,isimminent,orhasaveryhighprobabilityofoccurring.
Duringaweatherwarning,itisimportanttotakeaction:grabtheemergencykitandheadtosafetyimmediately.
Bothwatchesandwarningsareimportant,butwarningsaremoreurgent.
EmergencyMessagevs.
WarningMessage:ThemessageencodingprotocolusedtotriggeralertsovertheEmergencyAlertSystem(EAS)designatesthesemessagetypesbasedonthesignificanceanddirectnessofthethreat.
We'llreturntothisdistinctionlaterinthislesson.
Inpracticalusage,thereislittledistinctionbetweenthetwo.
Inthiscourse,"alert"and"warning"areusedinterchangeablywhenreferringtomessagesissuedtothepublic.
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30StudentManualFebruary2014CREATINGEFFECTIVEEMERGENCYCOMMUNICATIONSVisual3.
22KeyPointsEffectivealertsandwarningsarethosethatresultinmembersofthepublictakingrecommendedactionstoprotectthemselves.
Tohelpensurethatmessagesareeffective,theymustbeissuedinatimelymannerandshouldincludethefollowingcomponents:Specifichazard:WhathazardisthreateningWhatarethepotentialrisksforthecommunityLocation:WherewilltheimpactsoccurDescribethelocationsothosewithoutlocalknowledgecanunderstandtheirrisk.
Timeframes:WhenwillitarriveatvariouslocationsHowlongwilltheimpactslastWarningsource:WhoisissuingthewarningIdentifyanofficialsourcewithpubliccredibility.
Magnitude:WhatimpactisexpectedandhowbadisitlikelytogetLikelihood:HowprobableisoccurrenceoftheimpactProtectivebehavior:WhatprotectiveactionsshouldpeopletakeandwhenIfevacuationiscalledfor,whereshouldpeoplegoandwhatshouldtheytakewiththemAnexamplewarning:AdangerouswildfireismovingtowardNorthHaverbrookandisexpectedtoreachthenorthedgeoftownby2p.
m.
Allpersonsremainingwithinthehazardareamustevacuatenowtoasafelocationtothewestoreast.
AshelterisnowopenatWaverlyHillsHighSchoolgym.
Petsarepermitted.
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31CREATINGEFFECTIVEEMERGENCYCOMMUNICATIONSVisual3.
23KeyPointsEnsurethatalertandwarningmessagesareaccessibletoallaudiencesby:Usingclearandsimplelanguage.
Providinginformationinmultiplelanguages.
Takingcarewithtext-to-speechconversion.
Avoidnonstandardlanguageformatsandterminologywhenusingconversionandtranslationtechnologies.
Ensuringthattheaudioisconsistentwiththetext.
Providingampletextandaudiotoexplainimagesandmaps.
Deliveringthemessagethroughmultiplechannelstoreachallrecipients.
Thejobaidonthefollowingpagesprovidesadditionalinformationaboutaccessiblealertandwarningmessages.
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32StudentManualFebruary2014JobAid:AccessibleAlertandWarningMessagesStyleElementsHowyouwriteanalert/warningmessageisnearlyasimportantaswhatyouwrite.
Poorlywrittenwarningscanunderminebothunderstandingandcredibility.
"Style"referstohowyouwrite.
Herearesomestyleelementstoconsiderwhenwritingaccessibleandusablealertandwarningmessages.
Be:Specific:Ifthemessageisnotspecificenoughaboutthe"WhoWhatWhenWhereWhyandHow"thepublicwillspendmoretimeseekingspecificinformationtoconfirmtherisk.
Ifnecessary,bespecificaboutwhatisorisnotknownaboutthehazard.
Consistent:Analert/warningshouldbeinternallyconsistent—thatis,onepartofthemessageshouldnotcontradictanotherpart.
Itshouldbeconsistentwithmessagesthataredistributedviaotherchannels.
Totheextentpossible,alerts/warningsshouldbeconsistentfromeventtoevent,tothedegreethatthehazardissimilar.
Certain:Avoidconveyingasenseofuncertainty,eitherincontentorintone.
Confinethemessagetowhatisknown,orifnecessary,describewhatisunknownincertainterms.
Donotguessorspeculate.
Clear:Usecommonwordsthatcaneasilybeunderstood.
Donotusetechnicalterminologyorjargon.
Ifprotectiveinstructionsareprecautionary,statesoclearly.
Iftheprobabilityofoccurrenceofthehazardeventislessthan100%,trytoconveyinsimpletermswhatthelikelihoodofoccurrenceis.
Accurate:Donotoverstateorunderstatethefacts.
Donotomitimportantinformation.
Conveyrespectfortheintelligenceandjudgmentofyourpublic.
AccessibleAlertandWarningMessagesforPersonsWithAccessandFunctionalNeedsAsthemessageoriginator,youshouldkeepinmindtheneedsofpersonswithaccessandfunctionalneedsbyusing:Clearandsimplelanguage:Ageneralguidelinetofollowistouseclearandsimplelanguagewheneverpossible,withminimaluseofabbreviations.
Themostimportantinformationshouldbepresentedfirst.
Carewithtext-to-speechconversion:Caremustbetakenincomposingtextthatisconvertedtoaudiobytext-to-speechequipment.
Whenconsideringtheseandothertranslationtechnologies,craftmessagesthatavoidnonstandardlanguageformatsandterminology.
ConsultyourNWSWeatherForecastOfficeforlocalguidanceregardingNOAAWeatherRadiorequirements.
Consistentaudio:Theaudioshouldbeasconsistentaspossiblewiththetextandshouldensurethatanyabbreviationsarespokenasfullwords.
Ampletextandaudiotoexplainimages/maps:Ampletextandaudioshouldbeprovidedtoexplainimagesormaps,sothatmessagerecipientscanunderstandthemeaningofwhatisbeingconveyedgraphically.
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33JobAid:AccessibleAlertandWarningMessages(Continued)AccessibleAlertandWarningMessagesforPeopleforWhomEnglishIsaSecondLanguageNon-English-speakingpeoplemaynotunderstandwarningsthatareprovidedinEnglish.
Communitieswithhighpercentagesofnon-English-speakingpeopleshouldissuewarningsintheprimarylanguage(s)ofthepopulationaswellasinEnglish.
Youralertauthoringorothersoftwareprogramsmayprovideautomatedtranslation,butyoushouldvalidateanyautomaticallytranslatedtextwithaspeakerofthelanguagetoavoiderrors.
Theuseofpre-translatedtemplatesmayservetominimizetheamountofinformationrequiringtranslationforactualalerts.
Featuresofmoderncommunicationdevicesownedbyenduserscanalsoprovidetranslationofalertstothetargetedlanguagesupportedbythedevice.
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34StudentManualFebruary2014CREATINGEFFECTIVEEMERGENCYCOMMUNICATIONSVisual3.
24KeyPointsOnewaytohelppreventerrorsoromissionsthatcanoccurinmomentsofurgencyistousetemplatesthataretailoredtothreatsandhazardslikelyinyourwarningarea.
Usingatemplatethatincorporatespre-approvedlanguagecanreducedelaysinissuingalertsandwarnings.
Anotheradvantageisthat,ifyouneedtousealanguageinadditiontoEnglish,yourtemplatescanbetranslatedinadvance.
Anexampletemplateforawarningmessageisprovidedonthenextpage.
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35SampleImmediateEvacuationOrder(EVI)TemplateReplaceallbracketedtextbelow:(Headlinefield)ImmediateEvacuationOrderedfor[geographicdescriptionofareatobeevacuated](Descriptionfield)Effectiveimmediately,andextendinguntil[furthernoticeorexpirationtime],theMayorofDisastervillehasissuedanevacuationorderforallpersonsliving,working,ortravelinginthevicinityof[geographicdescriptionofareatobeevacuated].
Thisareaisatimmediateriskfrom[briefdescriptionofthehazardousconditions].
(Instructionfield)Toprotectyourselfandyourfamilyfromthisdangeroussituation,thefollowingactionsarestronglyurged:*Leaveyourhomeorworkplaceimmediatelyforasafedestinationoutsidethehazardareavia[specifyrecommendedroute(s)oftravel].
*Takeonlypetsandessentialitemssuchasmedicationswithyou.
[*Instructionrelatedtoschoolchildrenifapplicable,e.
g.
,Donotpickupyourchildrenfromschool.
Theyarebeingevacuatedbyschoolofficials.
]Ashelteroperatedby[organization,e.
g.
,theRedCross]isavailableat[addressofpublicshelter].
Ifyouneedevacuationassistance,call555-9999.
Donotcall9-1-1unlessyouhaveaseriouspersonalemergency.
Forfurtherinformation,tunetoradiostationWXYZ.
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36StudentManualFebruary2014ACTIVITY:DEVELOPINGAWARNINGMESSAGEVisual3.
25KeyPointsPurpose:Thepurposeofthisactivityistopracticecreatingawarningmessage.
Time:10minutesInstructions:Workinginyourtablegroup:ReviewthescenariointheStudentManual.
Imaginethisscenariooccurringinyourjurisdiction.
Youmayaddadditionalfactsanddetailsnotcontainedinthescenario.
Developawarningmessagetoaddressthescenario.
Bepreparedtofollowupwithagroupdiscussion.
Scenario:Ahazardousmaterialsaccidenthasjustoccurred,shuttingamajorroadway.
Evacuationsarebeingorderedforthehomeswithina1-mileradiusofHighway1.
Ashelteratthehighschoolisopeningthatallowspets.
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37ACTIVITY:DEVELOPINGAWARNINGMESSAGEVisual3.
25(Continued)Writeyourmessagebelow:Lesson3.
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38StudentManualFebruary2014CREATINGEFFECTIVEEMERGENCYCOMMUNICATIONSVisual3.
26KeyPointsBriefingsandpublicmeetingsenableyoutobringacarefullydevelopedmessagetothemediaandthepublicandtobuildimportantcommunityrelationshipsintheprocess.
Whenplanningthesepublicevents,remember:Usenewsbriefingsforimportanteventsorsignificantnewinformation—notjusttosaythereisnothingnewtoreport.
Don'tdelaythereleaseofimportantinformationforascheduledbriefing—especiallyifitimpactslifeandsafety.
Releaseitassoonaspossible.
Whenpreparingforandconductingamediabriefingorpublicmeeting:Identifyobjectives.
Knowwhatyouwanttoaccomplish.
Prepareofficialsandexpertsinadvance.
Ensurethattheyhavealltheinformationandarepreparedtoaddressthemedia.
Prepareastatementandhandoutmaterials.
Materialsshouldbefocused,concise,informative,andcoverthebasics:who,what,when,where,how,andpossiblywhy.
Anticipatedifficultorsensitivequestions.
Addressrumorsandincorrectnewsstatements.
Preparebrief,honestresponses.
Makeprovisionstocomplywithalllegalrequirements.
Ensurephysicalandcommunicationaccessbyall.
Thejobaidonthenextpageprovidesdescriptionsofmaterialsthatmaybeusedtosupportmediaevents.
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39JobAid:InformationMaterialsforMediaEventsThistablepresentsexamplesofmaterialsyoucanusetogetinformationtothemedia.
MaterialDescriptionNewsreleaseUsedwhenthereisafactualreportofanactivityorincidentofnewsvalue.
StatementUsedinlieuofanewsrelease.
Issuedinprint;lessdetailedthanapressrelease.
Goodtousewhenyou'vereceivedmultiplemediacallsonthesametopic.
FactsheetUsedwhenyouneedtoprovidemoredetailthanispossibleinanewsrelease.
MediaadvisoryUsedtoinvitethemediatoaneventornewsconference.
Providesbasicinformation(what,where,when,andwhy);providesdirections.
TalkingpointsUsedtoprepareyourselforsomeoneelseforatelephoneorbroadcastinterview.
Writtenassoundbites:concise,simpletounderstand.
Forinternaluseonly—notfordistributiontothenewsmedia.
WebproductAnincreasinglyimportantavenue;includesWebpages,blogs,andtweets.
NewsletterarticleUsedtocommunicatewithintheorganizationormaybeafeatureinanewsletterthatreachesanotheraudience.
Publicserviceannouncement(PSA)Usedwhenyouwanttoenlistthecooperationoftheelectronicmediainpromotinganimportantmessage.
Brochure,flier,orotherhandoutUsedtoprovidebackgroundinformationtosupplementanewsrelease,providephotosorgraphics,etc.
Remembernottooverwhelmthereporterwithtoomuchorextraneousinformation.
Sometimes"lessismore.
"Lesson3.
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40StudentManualFebruary2014ACTIVITY:CREATINGEFFECTIVEEMERGENCYCOMMUNICATIONSVisual3.
27KeyPointsPurpose:Thepurposeofthisactivityistoidentifywhethereachemergencycommunicationactionisrecommendedornotrecommended.
Time:5minutesInstructions:Entiregroup:YourinstructorwillreadeachstatementintheStudentManualandaskiftheactionisrecommendedornotrecommended.
Bepreparedtofollowuptheanswerswithagroupdiscussion.
Statements:Coordinateemergencymessageswiththoseofotherauthoritiesandacrossthevariousmedia.
Includeinwarningmessagestheprotectivebehaviorexpectedofthepublic.
Tokeepmediainformed,holdamediabriefingtoannouncethatthereisnonewinformationtoreport.
Createmessagetemplatesbasedonyourlocalthreatsandhazardsthatyoucanusewhenanemergencyarises.
Whenpreparingforamediabriefing,prepareawrittenstatementandhandoutmaterialsfortheaudience.
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41ACTIVITY:CREATINGEFFECTIVEEMERGENCYCOMMUNICATIONVisual3.
27(Continued)Statements(Continued):Whenissuinganurgentwarningmessage,includeasmuchdetailedbackgroundinformationaspossible.
Whenpreparingforapublicmeeting,preparebrief,honestresponsestoanticipatedquestions.
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42StudentManualFebruary2014SUMMARYANDTRANSITIONVisual3.
28KeyPointsThislessonpresentedstrategiesforcommunicatingeffectivelyinanemergencysituation.
Youshouldnowbeableto:Indicatehowday-to-daycommunicationdiffersfromcommunicationduringanincident.
Identifystrategiesforcommunicatingeffectivelyinanemergencysituation.
Selectthemostappropriateformofcommunicationforagivensituation.
Indicatehowsocialmediaandothercommunicationstechnologycanbeusedtocommunicatewithmembersofthecommunity.
Lesson4willpresentstrategiesforimprovingyouroralpresentationskills.