Public Communication Concerns during Social Distancing
Public Communication Concerns during Social Distancing
The six-minute production provides information about how to choose locations for and conduct in-person press conferences, as well as advice about how to run virtual press conferences, including choosing the right software program, how to present information on virtual meeting platforms, and how to manage questions from a pool of ‘virtual’ reporters. It also provides information about accommodating functional needs populations while planning media events.
The podcast features Candy Waylock, who is the lead instructor of the CDP’s Managing Public Information for All-Hazards Incidents Course. Waylock’s career spans nearly three decades and includes work as an award-winning journalist, media relations trainer, and communications strategist. She also served as the public information officer for the St. Louis, MO, Emergency Management Agency.
Waylock says responders have to continue to communicate with their audiences, despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 environment.
“The public’s need for information during disasters and emergencies must be met – regardless of circumstances that may make it difficult,” she said.