Myths in risk communication
The literature on risk communication, especially in the business field, is littered with lists of the 'myths' of communication. How many myths, and what they are, varies greatly, inevitably raising questions about their validity. Below, however, is a list of five frequent 'misapprehensions' about risk communication, matches against what is often the more common reality.
| The misapprehansion | The reality |
| Telling is informing | People need to feel that the information has relevance to them, and they understand what it means, if they are to listen to what they are being told |
| Informing is persuading | People need to be able to challenge the information, and see and accept the basis on which it was obtained, if they are to trust it and accept its implications |
| More information is better information | People need to have clear and concise messages - but with the option to obtain more information when they need it |
| One means of communication is sufficient | Different people understand and respond to different media and forms of communication in different ways, so the means of communication needs to be attuned to the audience |
| We read the same words and see the same things | Any form of communication is imperfect due to ambiguities in the message given and distortions in the message received, so different people hear and see different messages |
print version