Pitfalls

When developing a message, you should avoid the following elements:

Condescending or judgmental phrases.
Attacks. Avoid attacks against individuals and organizations—stay focused on issues.
Promises/guarantees. Avoid making claims that you might not be able to keep.
Speculation that could be mistaken for fact.
Discussion of funding. Don’t give the appearance that financial considerations outweigh concerns for public health and safety.
Humor. Avoid humor because the public may believe you don’t take the situation seriously or that you don’t care about their safety and health. Or, they may get the impression that the risk is not serious. Or, they may be offended that you can joke about a serious concern.

This media interview demonstrates several pitfalls Select a highlighted Explanation icon to see why the statement is a pitfall.

Reporter: Can you tell me about the health concerns following an earthquake of this magnitude? What should people be doing to protect themselves?

Health official: Well, I guess we’re all pretty well “shaken up.” But seriously, there are real hazards to our health. First of all, we need to be prepared for aftershocks.

Health official: There is a lot of debris that can fall on you. You’d think people would know better than to run outside during an aftershock, but it’s surprising how many people do, and then they get hurt by falling objects. Also, the drinking water in some areas has been contaminated due to breaks in the sewer lines. If you are in these areas, drink bottled water or follow instructions for boiling your water.

Health official: It’s hard to do much until the state emergency funds are available. But when that happens, we will be able to distribute bottled water to affected areas.