Risk communicators need training that resonates with their real-world experience

At Risk know-how, we’re working to support better communication of risks so others can make a decision or form an opinion. We have developed training material and tailored workshops aimed at providing tools to those who need to effectively convey what is known about a risk or explain uncertainties We have focused on some key audiences to test what works and what people need from this training: journalists and scientists advising policymakers. 

The pilot workshops have shown that there is no one-size-fits-all solution for communicating risk, but there are evidence-informed strategies that can make a real difference. In introducing the material, I often reflect that there isn’t one right way to communicate about a given risk, but there are many pitfalls that we can avoid and best practices to follow.  

Our sessions sparked rich discussions and thoughtful questions that highlighted the need for experts on a risk topic to consider how best to communicate it without oversimplifying; complexity is part of the reality their audiences operate in.

In all workshops, the topic of communicating uncertainty was brought up. Participants raised concerns that talking about uncertainty would undermine trust or make their audience doubt them. However, the scientific literature and the testimony of people around the world show that communicating uncertainty increases trust, can be empowering, and often even enables people to understand the message better. The training exercises led to discussion on how to best communicate the uncertainty and be open about a range of possible outcomes—to “demonstrate ‘unapologetic uncertainty’. 

The training workshops have been tailored to the given audience and their needs, but they always involve getting them to think about the information context of the people they will be communicating with and their action context. For instance:

• How do they get their information?
• Do we know which sources they trust?
• Why do they need/want this information
• What trade-offs will they need to take into account? What barriers do they have to action?

For these audiences, we have also focused on some key points and how this might be important to their communication: 

1. Clarify the risk, its possible causes, and its scope. 
2. Understand the numbers and decide if they are necessary in the communication. 
3. Anticipate misconceptions. 
4. Identify the feelings associated with risk. 
5. Consider the decisions that need to be taken and present the options fairly. 
6. Explain uncertainties. 

For example, an example of anticipating misconceptions in how we communicate about risks was seen during the catastrophic flooding in Eastern Spain in October 2024. It flooded in areas where it had not rained, which lulled people into a false sense of safety. Anticipating this means alerts should explain that flooding can occur in places where it hasn't rained at all – water can travel quickly from higher areas and flood lower regions.

The workshops have included training for UK parliamentary staff, ministerial advisers in Spain, scientists learning about science advice in Mexico, and journalists in multiple countries. 

But these are only a handful of the workshops we have delivered, and the demand continues. We regularly get requests to deliver workshops, to personalise training and to create tailored materials. 

Alma Cristal Hernandez Mondragon, from the Mexican Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Institute, who coordinated the science advice course in Mexico, reflected as to why this demand exists: 

“As scientists, we are trained to communicate uncertainty, but often in technical language that doesn’t always translate well in the complex, high-stakes world of policymaking. The Risk know-how workshops provide a valuable framework for rethinking how we communicate about risk and uncertainty beyond academic settings. It helped us anticipate real-world challenges and equipped us with best practices to communicate clearly, ethically, and effectively with policymakers. This kind of training is essential for anyone preparing to work at the science-policy interface.” 

To learn more about the Risk know-how initiative, meet risk know-how practitioners from around the world, and access training, the full framework and other useful resources on how to explain and communicate different risk concepts, visit www.riskknowhow.org or email us at hello@riskknowhow.org.

Risk know-how is an international partnership between Sense about Science, the Institute for the Public Understanding of Risk at the National University of Singapore, and Lloyd’s Register Foundation.