Communication resources for Emergency Preparedness partners

These resources can help you create a risk communication plan, draft health education materials in plain language, and use social media for messaging.

Emergency Public Information and Warning/Risk Communication

• Emergency Public Information and Warning/Risk Communication Topic Collection (ASPR) – a comprehensive compilation of web-based communication resources including those addressing at-risk populations, and plans, tools and templates.
• Tools for Strengthening Communication with Individuals with Disabilities and Others with Access and Functional Needs (OPEM)
• Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (CDC)
• Risk Communication in Action: The Tools of Message Mapping (United States Environmental Protection Agency)
• Online Emergency Risk Communication Training for Public Health Professionals (Northwest Center for Public Health Practice)
• Webinar: What Your PIO Wants You to Know (BPHC)

Health Literacy

• Plain Language (CDC)
• Clear Communication Index (CDC)
• Culture & Health Literacy

Translations

There are a number of tools and resources that can help you plan for the translation of written materials for those people who prefer languages other than English. They include the following:

• Information collected by municipal Boards of Health
• Office for Refugees and Immigrants (ORI)
• MLA Language Map Data Center (Modern Language Association)
• Reaching People in Multiple Languages
• American Fact Finder (United States Census Bureau) - Table B16001 from the 2014 ACS 5-Year Estimates provides data for all language categories
  1. Click Advanced Search from the AFF Home Page.
  2. Type in "B16001" in the Topic or name search box.  Only that table appears in the dropdown list.  Click on the table title and click the Go button.
  3. Click on the Geographies tab on the left navigation bar.  A Select Geographies overlay box opens.  Click on the Name tab.
     
     Example 1: You’re looking for data for Natick.
     • In the search box within the Geographies overlay, enter Natick, MA and click the Go button.
     • From the Geography Results, make a selection, and this will get added to your selection criteria in the upper left-hand corner of the page.
     • Close the Geographies overlay box, and the relevant tables for Natick will appear here (organized by year).
     • Click on the table in which you’re interested and the table viewer opens.
  4. Click Advanced Search from the AFF Home Page. Make sure to clear the previous selections and start a new search.
  5. Type in "B16001" in the Topic or name search box.  Only that table appears in the dropdown list.  Click on the table title and click the Go button.
  6. Click on the Geographies tab on the left navigation bar.  A Select Geographies overlay box opens.  Click on the Name tab.
     
     Example 2: You’re looking for data for those towns within Hampshire County.
     • Within the Geography Filters Options, select City or Town.
     • Expand the Within State options and select Massachusetts.
     • Expand the Within County options and select Hampshire.
     • Under the Geography Name section, select All Places fully within/partially within Hampshire County, Massachusetts and this will get added to your selection criteria in the upper left-hand corner of the page.
     • Close the Geographies overlay box and the relevant tables for Hampshire County will appear here (organized by year).
     • Click on the table in which you’re interested and the table viewer opens. You’ll see data for each city or town within Hampshire County within this table.
  4. To download the table to your computer:
     • Select the Modify Table button.
     • Then select Transpose Rows/Columns.
     • Then select the Download button.
     • Select your preferred format and hit OK.
     • Hit the Download option to complete the process.
  5. There also are options to bookmark/save your search and print your search results.

Social Media

• Social Media Message Library (Drexel School of Public Health) – this comprehensive, web-based library features message templates for Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, and includes content relevant to the preparedness, response, and recovery phases of 13 different public health disaster scenarios
• Emergency Preparedness and Response Social Media Resources (CDC)
• Social Media Tools, Guidelines & Best Practices (CDC)
• OPEM tips for crafting general preparedness Tweets *:
  1. Accompany your tweets with an image - engagement rates get a significant boost every time images are included with a tweet. That’s because many Twitter followers access their tweets on a smartphone – and images really help tweets stand out there.
  2. Include a URL within a tweet that will provide more information about the content of the tweet – it’s helpful to provide a link to further info, in the hopes that your tweet has piqued the interest of your audience.
  3. Try to avoid tweeting links to PDF documents – smartphones don’t display PDF documents very easily or very well. This frustrates followers and can lead readers to disengage/unfollow you.

*Please note, during an emergency, the goal of using social media is to convey vital information. If a supporting image is essential, by all means include it. But if your message is better served by using your allotted characters for text, that should be your focus.