Reading Review

After reviewing the readings a couple concepts stood out that could really influence my project. One reading in particular which was Chapter 9 of our Risk Communication book entitled

"Develop Your Message" struck me to be very useful. Sometimes I believe it is hard to distinguish between what your audience wants to hear and what you want them to hear. This is the section with the awful bubble charts that we talked about in class and although they seem confusing I believe that if they were organized better they could really help the risk communicator communicate the message to their audience. My biggest problem when it comes to writing is thinking things through before just typing away. I believe that these charts would really help give the audience the information that they want. The sample message maps really give you a direction to take when wishing to inform an audience. Supporting facts are something that I have a problem with. I assume that since I know something my audience does which is a huge problem when you are trying to communicate risk to someone.

The other reading that I reviewed that I believe could and has really impacted my project is the piece by Melody Rowden and J. Blake Scott entitled "A Rhetorical Toolbox for Technical and Professional Communication." I realize we are supposed to be specific but I really do think the majority of this piece provided great checklists and questions for the risk communicator to ask themselves before relaying the message to the audience. The invention questions on page 38 are really helpful when you are just beginning a piece. As young adults we were trained to write for a grade. By this I mean that all through highschool I wrote for my teacher I knew what the liked and what they wanted to hear so I did what I had to to receive an A. In the "real world" you are not writing for a grade but for a purpose this is a hard transition to make. That is why this class is so helpful on many different levels because it is beginning to make me aware of the audience and just how important they are.

I believe that the problem of Global Warming can and has been approached in two different ways. The emergence of Global Warming was communicated to the public by care communication. Care communication is defined by Lundgren and McMakin as communication about risks for which the danger and the way to manage it have already been well determined through scientific research that is accepted by most of the audience. Global warming is still a new idea not everyone has accepted it as a fact and is still referred to as a theory. I believe that care communication helped to get the public to acknowledge the issue. We already know what is causing the problem and how to solve it we just have to create enough awareness. However, now I believe Global Warming is being communicated through consensus communication and needs to be. In order for this problem to go away we need to have the participation of the audience. Care communication was just used to grab their attention and present the case. Now that a group of believers have reached the realization on the factual level consensus communication can now take place.

Consensus communication is defined by Lundgren and McMakin as risk communication to inform and encourage groups to work together to reach a decision about how the risk will be managed (prevented or mitigated). Global warming is an issue that needs to have participants. The audience and stakeholders need to be involved in order for this crisis to ever go away. Since the audience and stakeholders are also causing Global Warming they are truly the only ones that can make the problem go away. Public involvement is one of the only ways that Global Warming can be solved. The government can only do so much to try to stop it. Without the public’s support behind all the facts nothing will ever get accomplished.

Japan’s government has taken a stand and created a group called Ministry of the Environment this group holds meetings and has a calendar of events each month to encourage the prevention of global warming. Another group that has taken initiative to help solve this problem has a website called the Campus Climate Challenge. It is directed towards college students they have many ways in which you can get involved and list many petitions that you become a part of all benefiting the environment. Different scientists and environmental groups have taken a stand and have provided the public with solutions and opportunities to become involved. The government is slowing beginning to follow. Concensus communication is definately the most effective communication model that can communicate the problems and urgency of Global Warming.

(Photo by John LeGear)

Global Warming has been a hot issue lately. Our Earth’s surface and ocean temperatures are still on the rise and things are only getting worse. There have been more natural disasters in the past five years than ever recorded before. Scientists see this as a result of global warming. According to the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction 254 million people were affected in 2004 by natural disasters. That was three times the amount of people that were affected in 1990. The current level of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere is 380 parts per million. To put this into perspective this is the highest our carbon dioxide level has been in 650,000 years. In correlation with the carbon dioxide level on the rise is also our Earth’s temperature. In fact the ten hottest recorded years have occurred after 1990 and are continuing to follow the trend. Temperatures are rising, glaciers are melting, sea levels are rising, land is disappearing and the carbon dioxide level of the Earth is rising. Is this a coincidence? If we don’t act now it could be too late sooner than we think.

The bigger picture of this problem could lead to tons of destruction. Thousands of miles of land are going to start to disappear as the sea levels continue to rise. There will be millions of people displaced from their home and forced to more inland. The Earth will soon be too small to support all of its inhabitants. We are destroying our resources and need to take action quickly before it is too late. It is affecting every human. However, we are the ones causing the problem and the only ones that can respond to it and change.

Despite all the harm that we have already done to our Earth there are a lot of feasible solutions. There are a lot of individual changes that one can make that can make a huge impact. The type of car you choose to drive can make a huge difference. Researching what vehicle gets the most miles per gallon in its class can cut your carbon dioxide emissions by pounds. Every gallon of gas that you use emits twenty five pounds of thickening gases into the atmosphere. There are also many ways in which you can help and save money around the house. The types of light bulbs you use make a huge impact on the carbon dioxide problem today. It is very important to switch to energy saving light bulbs in your house. If everyone switched to these light bulbs it would be equivalent to taking 6.3 million cars off the road. If you own land you can always plant a new tree to aid the cause. All of these solutions are feasible and also cut costs for the participator. If you cut down on gas and electric use you could save hundreds of dollars a month.

The problems that global warming is causing are very apparent. No one person can solve this crisis because everyone is causing it and affecte by it. This issue will take the dedication and participation of many if not all. It’s not too late but someday it will be. If everyone acts now a significant difference is believed to be apparent in the next ten years. The only question is whether or not we want to see a positive difference or a negative one.

The topics that I plan to explore this semester all deal with crisis communication. My primary focus here at the University of Pittsburgh is in the field of communication. I think that is very important to understand how to communicate clearly and effectively. I believe that this can be a very hard task when there is a crisis going on since some cannot effectively communicate in non-emergency situations.

I believe that communicating under these circumstances is becoming more important and more frequently needed. Certain events such as 911, Hurricane Katrina and The Virginia Tech shootings may not have been responded to as efficiently as they could have been had we had we been more prepared. There was chaos and no clear plan apparent to the masses that were involved. I realize there are some things that you cannot be prepared for however everyone should be aware of how to prepare.

Communicating with the public in these types of situations is crucial. We need to be able to communicate such things as procedure, how to remain calm and how to go about contacting loved ones that may have been involved during. There needs to be a universal checklist to follow. However, we also need to be able to communicate effectively after when the reality has set in and the country, school etc. could be in a state of panic.

These issues are very important because they are happening more and more often. They are also interesting to me because each crisis situation can be handled in so many different ways. When addressing these situations we need to remember that everyone acts differently under pressure. When dealing with a crisis there are so many different aspects that need to be assessed not only might there be people involved but also maybe the economy and ecosystem could be affected.

There is a lot at stake in crisis situations. Credibility of the government or of an institution is a big concern in a crisis situation. This is the last thing you want in a crisis situation especially when you are trying to communicate reason or instructions to the public. This is apparent because I believe George Bush has lost a lot of his credibility since his decisions after 911. That was a crisis that no one was prepared for which is understandable however the messages that were communicated after the fact were not and still are not clear to the public.

We should care about how to communicate in major emergencies because they affect so many people and places. During crises there are many messages that need to reach the masses and must be done so in an efficient and straightforward kind of manner. If we study this and the ways to communicate before, during, and after disaster the cleanup and effects will be lessened tremendously.