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Get Past the Outrage

We can’t do a good job communicating if we don’t address the level of outrage people feel. Outrage, discussed in the previous section, affects individuals’ perceptions of their own risk and influences what they decide to do or not do. Intense emotional responses also can cloud people’s abilities to listen and process information. In a crisis, how do we get past the outrage so that people can receive and understand crucial health information?

An upset woman speaking with a public health worker