Identifying Who Needs to Know What and When

Kathleen G. V. Melville

doi:10.1017/9781009449069.003

Chapter 3 - Identifying Who Needs to Know What and When

It’s Not a Surprise What Your Audiences Need to Know

from Part I - Precrisis Planning

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2025

Kathleen G. V. Melville

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Kathleen G. V. Melville: Affiliation:
Tulane University School of Medicine, Louisiana

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Summary

Communicating includes sending and receiving messages. Effective communicators take time to learn the values, attitudes, beliefs, and preferences of their intended audiences. By understanding who makes up the audience, a communicator can develop messages that resonate with the audience, motivating them to take action. For public health emergency risk communicators this means creating messages that educate and motivate people to protect their health during an emergency. This chapter explains how to identify audiences through audience segmentation by identifying risk variables such as age, health status, and geographic location. Stakeholder management theory provides critical insights into how to work and communicate with partners, stakeholders, and the public during a health emergency. Key information about public health laws including libel, slander, HIPPA and Right to Know is included, analyzing how public health laws impact emergency risk communication. Descriptions of public health powers for state and local health departments are included. A student case study analyzes the Jackson, Mississippi, Water Crisis using the Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication framework. Reflection questions are included at the end of the chapter.

Keywords

crisis audiences audience segmentation emergency response partners stakeholders stakeholder analysis stakeholder management public health law defamation libel Right to Know public health powers homerule states’ rights Jackson Mississippi water crisis CERC analysis CERC case study emergency risk communication crisis communicaiton risk communication

Type: Chapter
Information: Risk Communication in Public Health Emergencies
Practical Guidance Rooted in Theory
, pp. 51 - 75

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009449069.003 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2025

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