The CIDRAP Viewpoint: Part 2: "Effective COVID-19 crisis communication" (May 6, 2020)

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Source: https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/covid-19/covid-19-cidrap-viewpoint

COVID-19: The CIDRAP Viewpoint

Part 1: "The future of the COVID-19 pandemic: lessons learned from pandemic influenza" (Apr 30, 2020)
Part 2: "Effective COVID-19 crisis communication" (May 6, 2020)
Welcome to "COVID-19: The CIDRAP Viewpoint." Our intent with the Viewpoint series is to add key information regarding the pandemic, address issues that haven't garnered the attention they deserve, and reflect the unique expertise among the CIDRAP team and our expert consultants.
In this series of reports we will address timely issues with straight talk and clarity. And the steps we recommend will be based on our current reality and the best available data. Our goal is to help planners envision some of the situations that might present themselves later this year or next year so that they can take key steps now, while there’s still time.
Upcoming reports will address testing, contact tracing, surveillance, supply chains, epidemiologic issues, key areas for research, and other pressing topics. We will release approximately one to two reports per week.
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In the second report, published May 6, 2020, "Effective COVID-19 crisis communication," risk communication experts Peter M. Sandman, Ph.D, and Jody Lanard, M.D., provide government and public health leaders, communications professionals, and others responsible for COVID-19 messaging with six key principles of delivering messages to the public.
The report highlights real-world examples of effective and poor COVID-19 messaging and includes recommendations based on the six principles.
In addition, Sandman and Lanard provide four options for transitioning out of lockdown that reflect a gradient of potential risks to society and healthcare workers. And they underscore that a scenario of coming out of lockdown and rebuilding the economy without a sizable increase in serious COVID-19 illnesses and deaths is simply a pipedream.
Six principles of crisis communications:

1. Don’t over-reassure.
2. Proclaim uncertainty.
3. Validate emotions—your audience’s and your own.
4. Give people things to do.
5. Admit and apologize for errors.
6. Share dilemmas.

“Over-reassurance is the most common mistake officials make when crisis strikes — and they certainly made that mistake about COVID-19,” said Sandman. “The problem with over-reassuring frightened people is that they don’t believe you. They become more frightened and lose trust in the officials. The problem with over-reassuring complacent people and people in denial is that they do believe you. They grab onto the false reassurance and determine not to take precautions.
“Like most crises, the COVID-19 pandemic requires three kinds of risk communication. Before the crisis, the task is ‘precaution advocacy’ — warning a complacent public. We pretty much failed at that one. During the crisis, the task is ‘crisis communication’ — guiding a frightened public.
“As this report documents, we’re not doing such a great job of that. After the crisis or between waves of the crisis, the task is ‘outrage management’ — addressing recriminations about what went wrong. That’s the one that’s on deck right now, as officials face outraged criticism from all sides, much of it justified.”
"It's not enough to know what needs to be said; you need to know how to say it,” said Michael Osterholm, Ph.D., M.P.H., CIDRAP director. “What Drs. Sandman and Lanard give us is a roadmap on how to take uncomfortable facts and share them with straight talk and honesty. This new report is another key contribution in our reality-based Viewpoint series on how to address this pandemic with facts and clarity."