Upcoming Event: October 27, 2009
GWU Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management
Homeland Security, Emergency and Risk Management Forum
Title: Risk and Crisis Communication: From Research Findings to Practical Application
Presenter: Dr. Brian Flynn
When: Tuesday - October 27, 2009 4:00 - 6:00
PM
Where: GWU Marvin Center, Room 101 (800 21st Street
@ H Street NW, Washington, DC convenient to the
Foggy Bottom Metro Station)
The George Washington University Institute for Crisis, Disaster and Risk Management (ICDRM) is proud to announce the Second Homeland Security, Emergency and Risk Management Forum of the 2009 - 2010 academic year on Tuesday, October 27, 2009.
Refreshments will be available at 4:00 PM and the program will commence promptly at 4:30 PM.
Presentation Description:
Dr. Brian Flynn will discuss communication during a crisis as an important and widely accepted component of preparedness, response, and recovery. Seldom is the important topic approached from a psychosocial perspective. This forum will discuss relevant research findings and practical applications within this important topic.
Principles guiding effective communication in a crisis, characteristics of effective messengers and messages, understanding the limits of processing information in high stress situations, and the importance of understanding the intended audience for communications will be presented.
The presentation will also review several key psychosocial factors influencing how information is processed in high stress situations. These include confirmatory bias, limits of cognitive processing during a crisis, and the power of communicating through nonverbal mechanisms in addition to the written and spoken word (such as communication through behavior, images, symbols, and rituals). These concepts will be illustrated with examples from the speaker’s extensive experience.
Brief Bio:
Dr. Brian Flynn is a consultant, writer, trainer, and speaker specializing in preparation for, response to, and recovery from, the psychosocial aspects of large-scale emergencies and disasters. He has served as an advisor to many Federal departments and agencies, states, and national professional organizations. He is recognized internationally for his expertise in large-scale trauma and has served as an advisor to practitioners, academicians, and government officials in many nations.
Dr. Flynn currently serves as an Associate Director of the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, in Bethesda, Maryland.
He is retired from Federal service where he served as a Rear Admiral/Assistant Surgeon General in the United States Public Health Service. He has directly operated, and supervised the operation of the Federal Government’s domestic disaster mental health program, including response to terrorism.
Please note:
Like all GWU/ICDRM Forums, this is expected to be a frank discussion under "not-for-attribution" rules, and therefore it is not open to the media.
Additional Information:
There is no registration fee for the forum series, however we do request that you RSVP to Sergio De Cosmo, Research Assistant, The GWU Institute for Crisis, Disaster and Risk Management. Email to sdecosmo@gwu.edu is preferred, however, please feel free to call with any questions to 202-994-6736.
