By most assessments, this would be considered a complete message. It includes the source, the hazard, the location, the guidance, and the time. Good work!
But that's not the problem.
The problem is how the message writers contort themselves to fit the operational language that is used by responders and then use the emergency alert to educate people on what it means.
NOTE: this problem is not limited to this message and this sender... if you are a reader of The Warn Room, you know that we see this consistently. That's why we keep writing about it.
Research by Shulman et al. (2020) has shown that "even when you define jargon, when jargon is included, people stop processing the message."
This is a significant problem. Sure, this message defines the jargon... its right there in the last two sentences. It means you're in the "go now" phase and you should leave now. But that definition comes after Level three evacuation is mentioned three times in the same message, never indicating what it means. And by the time you get to the end of this 360 character message, where is your attention?
In our research on Ember Alerts, we've found jargon to be pervasive in wildfire alerts and warnings. We've also found that it is inconsistent and varies from state to state and community to community. We've learned that these practices tend to stem from hunches that one approach is better than another rather than applying data-driven research. Unfortunately, the lack of consistency in language appears to be resulting in a patchwork of messaging practices that are confusing and potentially dangerous.
There are ways to improve messaging for wildfires and for all of the other hazards that have adopted operational language. Stop using jargon. Start using plain language. Instead of saying "level 3 evacuation" say outright - "it is time to leave. Go now." Just imagine how much clearer that is to message receivers who are trying to interpret what the message means and decide what to do.
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.
________________________________________________________________________
Feel free to post this on your social media site, just remember to attribute it to The Warn Room and include the web address: TheWarnRoom.com - Thank you!
You may click on the keywords below to find other entries with similar topics.
Comments