The editor has been away from her desk for a bit, but we've started to notice friends and colleagues who are implementing The Warn Room recommendations in their social media posts and wanted to call attention to them.
In this post, @ZachStanford uses the Warning Lexicon to provide another great updated message, this time focusing on a "be on the lookout" message sent as an emergency alert.
The original message lacks a great deal of very important contextual and practical
information, leaving the reader to wonder: When did this armed man take action? When was this armed man last seen? What exactly does it mean to be "armed" and is the word "homicides" important for understanding my safety? Also, who is the message from and why should I trust it?
In short, the message lacks detail, is incomplete, and is not actionable. The message sender appears to be relying upon the message receiver to do a bit of additional work to find out what the message is really about. This means potentially high traffic to the website link BEFORE a person can determine what they should do to protect themselves. If the armed man is a danger to the community, do we really want community members looking for additional information before acting?
Let's take a look at the revised message. It starts with the source of the message, clearly indicating who has issued this notification. It clearly states who is searching for a suspect and where that search is taking place. This can help message receivers to make sense of law enforcement activity. The revised message also provides some physical details of the suspect - middle age, brown hair, brown eyes, average height/build.
The message highlights not that the person is wanted for homicide, but that they are a potential danger to the community. This puts the message receiver in a role of protective themselves, rather than becoming primarily part of a policing activity.
Then, the improved alert provides clear instructions about what to do: lock all doors and vehicles (this is great instruction that doesn't use jargon like "shelter in place"), and call 911 if you see the suspect. Importantly, don't approach him (he's believed to be armed and dangerous).
A link is included for message receivers to see photos of the suspect and to obtain more information.
I'd like to know if the suspect is white or has any specific physical details that might help me to spot him in a crowd. I'm not sure if including the name of the suspect is helpful or not - perhaps the friends of the suspect will be willing to help report information to 911?
I do like the use of ALL CAPS to call attention to key information - ARMED & DANGEROUS, LOCK, IF SEEN CALL 911, and DO NOT APPROACH. The use of ALL CAPS to highly specific words makes those words easier to read in a sea of text and also helps me to remember them. I also like that this message
Notable: This revised message follows what is taught in the FEMA-IPAWS Message Design Dashboard courses as well as the Warning Lexicon. By using a consistent format and consistent contents, message receivers can become more familiar with WEA "look at feel" and better understand who they come from and what to do in response.
For more recommended contents, be sure to download The Warning Lexicon - it's free and offers step-by-step instructions on how to write a better warning message.
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