Homeland Security and Emergency Management

Crisis Communications and Public Outreach

Communicating risk is a delicate business. Every community is made up of stakeholder groups with different objectives and varying levels of interest and participation. The challenge is to find the right strategies for the right groups, bearing in mind the fundamental rule: Trust is hard to earn and easy to lose. IEM helps communicate the right message to the right audience at the right time, so public safety and security are enhanced.

Trust through outreach and education.

Working from extensive research and analysis, IEM developed Community Contours™, a public trust and outreach model that relates the public's perception of safety to the underlying factors that may enhance or destroy that perception. This model has been used to develop targeted outreach messages, interactive multimedia public information tools, risk communication strategies and training, and public opinion surveys.  IEM has also developed performance measures to quantitatively gauge the effectiveness of outreach and education strategies.

IEM communications professionals help:

• Identify and address community concerns.
• Create a positive community relationship.
• Educate the community about the risks they face.
• Prepare the community to respond quickly and effectively to an emergency.
• Communicate accurate, timely information during and after an emergency.