Postponed Winter 2024: Risk Communication

This training will be postponed for the winter of 2024

Many communities struggle with how to prepare for hazards. It can be difficult to talk about vulnerability to hazards, and it can be even more difficult to keep people engaged and motivated to take action. This training provides insights into how and why people respond to risk, and helps participants develop new skills to better connect with a variety of audiences. Understanding and connecting with an audiences diverse values and concerns can lead to a higher level of community engagement and can help motivate action to reduce risk. Please note that this training focuses on improving risk communication skills for coastal hazards planning and preparedness, not crisis communication.

Learning Outcomes

• Recognize differing values, and identify how and why people perceive and respond to risks the way they do
• Apply social science and risk communication principles when faced with challenging questions
  
• Respond to difficult questions with more confidence
• Develop an effective risk communication strategy that incorporates relevant and proven principle

Stephanie Fauver has spent over 25 years with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) translating weather and climate information. She began her career as a forecaster with the National Weather Service. Stephanie is currently at the Office for Coastal Management where she helps coastal decision-makers better understand the impacts of weather and climate and use social science tools and resources to find solutions to protect their communities from these hazards. Her current focus is on applying risk communication principles to coastal management problems. Stephanie holds a Bachelors degree in Physical Science from the University of Maryland.