COVID-19 and the Seven Pillars of Effective Risk and Crisis Communication

Starting in March 2020, risk and crisis communicators around the world faced a new and daunting challenge: communicating effectively about COVID-19. COVID-19 presses nearly all the hot buttons that cause intense fear. COVID-19 is new, invisible, involuntary, and dreaded. In confronting fear, COVID-19 risk and crisis communicators must (1) listen to and understand their audiences; (2) be honest and transparent; (3) coordinate and collaborate with other credible sources; (4) meet the needs of traditional and social media; and (5) empathize and speak clearly. Risk and crisis communicators must first let people know they care before they share what they know. Best practices in COVID-19 risk and crisis communication are built on seven pillars: (1) the “Trust/Benefits/Control” Pillar; (2) the “Compassion/Conviction/Optimism” Pillar; (3) the “Primary/Recency” Pillar; (4) the “Rule of 3” Pillar; (5) the “One Negative equals Three Positives” Pillar; (6) the “Anticipate/Prepare/Practice” Pillar; and (7) the “Message Mapping Pillar.” The Message Mapping Pillar is particularly helpful to communicators. It is a science-based risk and crisis communication tool that organizes information about more than 60 COVID-19 questions into an easily understood format.