Development of “risk communication basic patterns” in order to relieve the communicators' dilemma and its learning process

Abstract

  Risk communication is generally conducted in order to promote good management for minimizing the negative effects of risks and resource expenditure. The means of reaching the intended audience is a problem for risk communicators. It is difficult for them to achieve good communication in conflict situations in which there is scientific uncertainty. Particular attention should be paid to environmental risks for children’s health, which is often the cause of disputes about solutions. In the present study, we focused on communicators’ anxiety and problems in the communication patterns related to risks, and organized a workshop that aimed to visualize anxiety, problems and their solutions. A total of 51 patterns (categorized into ten categories) were extracted for communication related to potential emerging risks. The extraction process in our workshop was also an effective opportunity for the participants to learn about risk communication. This approach will be repeated with different communities to achieve greater extraction and visualization of the risk communication pattern, and will improve techniques for achieving effective and substantial risk reduction.