Deanna and Timothy Sellnow Behavioural Sciences︱ is crucial in helping design effective messages for mitigating harm and promoting self-protection in response to a risk situation or crisis event.

A STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION MODEL Effective Effective messaging needs to motivate disparate audiences to pay attention to, comprehend, and take appropriate actions during times of crisis. Grounded communication firmly in theory and empirical research, IDEA uses four key components – Internalisation (I), Distribution (D), Explanation (E), and Action (A) – to in times of risk craft messages and communicate them effectively. The utility of the approach The IDEA model consists of four components: Internalisation, Distribution, Explanation and Action. has been tested and confirmed across a range of risk and crisis contexts (e.g. food contamination, biotechnology, The warning messages and disaster and crisis biosecurity, mass shootings and The IDEA model for translating science to the public terrorism, earthquake early warning alerts issued in times of crisis can be the and forecasting) and across a range of difference between life and death. diverse populations within the United From biosecurity and food n 2009, six scientists and one doubly so when taken together, effective States and globally. will update you as we know more”. social distancing. However, mistakes security to earthquakes and public official were charged with and simple strategic communication is Importantly, it includes the intelligible in Internalisation, Distribution, and health pandemics, disaster alerts Imanslaughter based on failed central to mitigating harm and saving Internalisation involves the key elements translation of science for different Explanation can hamper the Action and warning messages can risk communication regarding the lives. The unfolding COVID-19 crisis needed to motivate receivers to audiences (e.g. different languages, stage. For example, by failing to mean the difference between earthquakes in L’Aquila, Italy. This can – at least in part – be ascribed attend to and remember the message; different literacy levels) and ensuring effectively communicate the risk of life and death. The COVID-19 episode typified the uneasy relationships to failed risk communication. More for example: compassion (people trustworthiness of the information contagion from asymptomatic carriers crisis for example can at least between scientists and policy, scientists effective instructional risk and crisis don’t care what you know until they source. Oftentimes, trust-building in and by playing down the risk to the in part be ascribed to failed and non-scientists, as well as scientists communication could have prevented know you care about the victims and advance of a crisis is critical. In the case young and healthy, many people chose risk communication. At the and communicators. Never before has the loss of many lives. losses), timeliness (e.g. providing a of COVID-19, wrong information about to not socially distance. University of Central Florida, this balancing act been as pertinent as countdown to strong shaking following how the virus spreads was widely shared, Prof Deanna Sellnow and Prof it is now, in the era of information and At the University of Central Florida, an earthquake), proximity (locations and ultimately worsening the pandemic. IDEA IN ACTION Timothy Sellnow, experts in mass communication, where strategic experts in strategic communication maps), and impact (e.g. in the case of The IDEA model has been tried and strategic communication, communication is vital to cut through are tackling this issue by helping COVID, the impact on health, death, Finally, Action involves the key elements tested in multiple diverse settings. On are tackling this issue. The the noise. scientists and policy makers through and the economy). to get receivers to take appropriate the West Coast of the United States, IDEA model uses four key the IDEA model. The endeavour is action. In the case of COVID-19, IDEA was used to improve earthquake components – Internalisation, From biosecurity and food security to led by Prof Deanna Sellnow and Prof Distribution involves the key elements examples of actions that were variably early warning messages (EEW). Based Distribution, Explanation, and earthquakes and health pandemics, Timothy Sellnow, both professors of to reach disparate audiences effectively; recommended included washing hands on the four IDEA elements, a phone Action – to craft effective crisis the warning messages and disaster Strategic Communication. With support for example, ensuring consistent with soap and water for at least 20 app (i.e. the distribution element) communication messages. alerts issued in times of crisis can be the from the World Health Organisation messaging from multiple sources (as seconds, wearing a mask in public, and was developed to provide effective The utility of the approach has difference between life and death. Most (WHO) and various agencies of the different audiences seek information been confirmed across a range of examples, from earthquake recently, through the current COVID-19 United States Government (the United from different places) and various early warning to the Ebola global pandemic, it has become States Department of Agriculture, communication channels (e.g. TV, crisis of 2014. apparent that while scientific facts and USDA; the Centers for Disease radio, face-to-face, apps, Internet, political realties are both complex, Control and Prevention, CDC; the and social media). The COVID-19 United States Geological Survey, crisis highlights the failure of effective USGS; and the Department for distribution – in the United States, US

Homeland Security, DHS), the IDEA federal government information differed Professional/Shutterstock.com ESB model for effective instructional risk from that of local government officials, and crisis communication is based and both differed from the information on decades of research ranging from put out by the WHO, the CDC, and case studies to qualitative surveys and health scientists. interviews to message design and

Blue Planet Studio/Shutterstock.com Planet Blue testing experiments. Critically, the Explanation involves the key elements model provides spokespersons with a to help receivers comprehend accurate The IDEA model has been used to assess national and local responses to crises, framework that is easy to understand, to information, even if this involves saying, such as the Ebola outbreak in 2014. remember, and to employ. The model “this is what we know so far and we

www.researchoutreach.org www.researchoutreach.org Behind the Research

1000Words/Depositphotos.com Dr Deanna Dr Timothy D. Sellnow L. Sellnow E: [email protected] E: [email protected] T: +1 701 793 5196 W: https://communication.ucf. T: +1 701 793 2877 edu/icrc/speakers/sellnow-deanna/ Research Objectives

Profs Deanna and Timothy Sellnow developed the IDEA model for effective strategic communication in times of crisis. Detail

Bio and has published in national and impact of and maintaining resilience Deanna D. Sellnow (PhD) is Professor international journals. in response to crises. He has In the US, a phone app was developed to of Strategic Communication at co-authored five books including improve earthquake early warning messages. the University of Central Florida. Timothy L. Sellnow (PhD) Theorizing Crisis Communication For example, the app would use simple maps Her research focuses on strategic is Professor of Strategic and Effective Risk Communication. showing users the location of the earthquake. instructional communication in a Communication at the University variety of contexts including risk, of Central Florida. His research Funding crisis, and health. She has conducted focuses on comprehension of risk USDA, CDC, WHO, instructional risk and crisis messages explanation over internalisation and highlighted the importance of ongoing numerous funded research projects communication for mitigating the USGS, DHS within ten seconds of an earthquake. action, and highlighted negative over flexibility in communication planning After multiple rounds of testing, the positive factors. This work exposed (the industry had plans in place to most effective approach involved the the need for consistent messaging via address different diseases and was able References Personal Response use of simple maps showing users various organisations and the media, to adapt these plans in a timely manner), Sellnow, D.D., Jones, L.M., Sellnow, T.L., Spence, P., Which agencies/organisations have officially adopted the location of the earthquake, the with such messaging integrating the and the need for clear messaging Lane, D.R., and Haarstad, N. (2019). The IDEA Model the IDEA model? predicted shaking tailored to the as a Conceptual Framework for Designing Earthquake I am unaware of any agencies or organisations that intensity, and a target audience(s). Early Warning (EEW) Messages Distributed via Mobile have “officially” adopted the IDEA model; however, many countdown to when It also became Phone Apps. In: Santos-Reyes (ed). Earthquakes – Impact, Adopting the principles of IDEA do use it as a model for effective messaging. The United strong shaking was clear that without Community Vulnerability and Resilience. Available at: https://www.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.85557 States Geological Survey (USGS) did ultimately propose it expected to start offers organisations and media internalisation and as the model for designing earthquake early warning (EEW) (internalisation), explanation (i.e. outlets the chance to greatly improve Sellnow-Richmond, D.D., George, A.M., and Sellnow, apps in Los Angeles, California (rolled out to the public in along with verbal explaining why D.D. (2018). An IDEA model analysis of instructional risk 2019). Emergency management organisations that we have explanations and disaster communication. recommendations communication in the time of Ebola. Journal of International worked with across the US have also unofficially adopted it. instructions to were important), Crisis and Risk Communication Research, 1(1), 135–166. National public television has applied it to their “Meet the Helpers” video campaign. “Drop! Cover! Hold on!” (i.e. action). components of the IDEA system. In actions were not as effectively Available at: https://www.doi.org/10.30658/jicrcr.1.1.7 Compared with old approaches to EEW, particular, the use of positive examples implemented. For example, farm Outside of disasters and crises, are there other areas the IDEA-based app more successfully offers a greater chance for affective workers were more likely to heed advice Sellnow, D.D., Iverson, J., and Sellnow, T.L. (2017). The evolution of the operational earthquake forecasting in which the IDEA model could be applied? achieved the target outcomes. shaping of behaviour among non- around hygiene and cleaning when community of practice: The L’Aquila communication crisis The IDEA model was originally grounded in experiential scientific publics. Using positive they understood that just a ‘pencil-tip’ as a triggering event for organizational renewal. Journal of learning theory so it can be applied to numerous In 2014, IDEA was used to assess examples can help motivate people to amount of virus on the bottom of a shoe Applied Communication Research, 45(2), 121–139. communication contexts where the goals are to achieve responses to the Ebola outbreak at pay attention (internalisation), reduce could infect and ultimately kill all of the affective, cognitive, and behavioural learning outcomes. multiple spatial scales: local (Dallas misunderstandings (explanation), and piglets on a farm. Sellnow, T.L., Parker, J.S., Sellnow, D.D., Littlefield, For example, it has been used to examine motivation to news stories and press releases in take appropriate actions to ensure self- R.S., and Helsel, E.M. (2017). Improving Biosecurity attend to (affective), understand (cognitive), and perform the days following the infection and protection (action). The IDEA model offers a simple through Instructional Crisis Communication: Lessons (behaviour) in religious organisations (particularly youth group death of a Liberian national in the and user-friendly approach to crisis Learned from the PEDv Outbreak. Journal of Applied environments), as well as in health care contexts in terms of Communications, 101(4). city), national (information released The IDEA framework has also been used communication. Its application has patient-provider communication, and public school teacher training. It has demonstrated its utility in a variety of American by the Centers for Disease Control to assess issues around communication highlighted the shortcomings of poorly co-cultures (e.g. Native American and African American) and and Prevention via social media), and during food contamination and coordinated and poorly executed countries (e.g. Sweden, Germany, Hong Kong, Vietnam, India, international (online content provided agricultural biosecurity crises – for instructional communications during Senegal, Uganda, Brazil, Indonesia, and Egypt). Essentially, by the WHO, the United Nationals example the Porcine Epidemic Diarrhoea times of crisis. Adopting the principles in any situation where the communication outcomes involve Children’s Fund, and Doctors Without virus (PEDv) outbreak of 2013/14, an of IDEA offers organisations and media motivation, understanding, and/or behaviour (e.g. ‘learning’), Borders). Viewed through the lens of event that seriously threatened the outlets the chance to greatly improve it can prove to be useful. IDEA, most of the outputs prioritised United States’ pork industry. The analysis disaster communication.

www.researchoutreach.org www.researchoutreach.org