The Communication Initiative
Development action with informed and engaged societies
The Communication Initiative

After nearly 28 years, The Communication Initiative (The CI) Global is entering a new chapter. 

Following a period of transition, the global website has been transferred to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in South Africa, where it will be administered by the Social and Behaviour Change Communication Division. Wits' commitment to social change and justice makes it a trusted steward for The CI's legacy and future. 

On the transfer, co-founder Victoria Martin expressed her pleasure to see this work continue under Wits' leadership, knowing that co-founder Warren Feek (1953–2024) would have felt deep pride in The CI Global's Africa-led direction. 

As Wits, we honour the team and partners who sustained The CI for decades and look forward building from that strong base. This includes co-founders Warren Feek (1953-2024) and Victoria Martin as well as La Iniciativa de Comunicación (CILA), which continues independently at lainiciativadecomunicacion.com with links to The CI Global site. We are also eager to forge new partnerships and entertain new ideas as we consider how best to contribute to social and behaviour change in our rapidly evolving environment.

If you are joining the International Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) Summit in Panama, please join Wits and CILA on Monday, 22 June, to share your thoughts and suggestion for the relaunch of the Communication Initiative. We will be in Pacifica 5 from 12-1:25 for the Refuel, Reflect, and Renew Lunch Series: The Communication Initiative: celebrating a driving force for Communication for Social Change and the way forward. We will reflect on the legacy of Warren Feek and family in creating the Communication Initiative, consider the contributions of CI over the years and then turn our attention towards the future in this dynamic session. 

If you are unable to join us in Panama, we still want to hear from you. Please contribute your thoughts by following this link: https://redcap.link/CommunicationInitiative2026 or reaching out to ci_surveys@commint.com. 

You can also follow the QR Code:

 https://redcap.link/CommunicationInitiative2026

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Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication as an Integrative Model

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This article, written by Barbara Reynolds and Matthew W. Seeger and published in the Journal of Health Communication, describes a model of communication known as crisis and emergency risk communication (CERC). The model is outlined as a merger of many traditional notions of health and risk communication with work in crisis and disaster communication. The specific kinds of communication activities that, according to the authors, should be called for at various stages of disaster or crisis development are outlined. Although crises are by definition uncertain, equivocal, and often chaotic situations, the CERC model is presented as a tool health communicators can use to help manage these complex events.

Table 2. A working model of CERC

I. Precrisis (Risk Messages; Warnings; Preparations)
Communication and education campaigns targeted to both the public and the response community to facilitate:
  • Monitoring and recognition of emerging risks
  • General public understanding of risk
  • Public preparation for the possibility of an adverse event
  • Changes in behaviour to reduce the likelihood of harm (self-efficacy)
  • Specific warning messages regarding some eminent threat
  • Alliances and cooperation with agencies, organisations, and groups
  • Development of consensual recommendations by experts and first responders
  • Message development and testing for subsequent stages

II. Initial Event (Uncertainty Reduction; Self-efficacy; Reassurance)
Rapid communication to the general public and to affected groups seeking to establish:
  • Empathy, reassurance, and reduction in emotional turmoil
  • Designated crisis/agency spokespersons and formal channels and methods of communication
  • General and broad-based understanding of the crisis circumstances, consequences, and anticipated outcomes based on available information
  • Reduction of crisis-related uncertainty
  • Specific understanding of emergency management and medical community responses
  • Understanding of self-efficacy and personal response activities (how/where to get more information)

III. Maintenance (Ongoing Uncertainty Reduction; Self-efficacy; Reassurance)
Communication to the general public and to affected groups seeking to facilitate:
  • More accurate public understandings of ongoing risks
  • Understanding of background factors and issues
  • Broad-based support and cooperation with response and recovery efforts
  • Feedback from affected publics and correction of any misunderstandings/rumours
  • Ongoing explanation and reiteration of self-efficacy and personal response activities (how/where to get more information) begun in Stage II.
  • Informed decision making by the public based on understanding of risks/benefits

IV. Resolution (Updates Regarding Resolution; Discussions about Cause and New Risks/New Understandings of Risk)
Public communication and campaigns directed toward the general public and affected groups seeking to:
  • Inform and persuade about ongoing clean-up, remediation, recovery, and rebuilding efforts
  • Facilitate broad-based, honest, and open discussion and resolution of issues regarding cause, blame, responsibility, and adequacy of response.
  • Improve/create public understanding of new risks and new understandings of risk as well as new risk avoidance behaviours and response procedures
  • Promote the activities and capabilities of agencies and organisations to reinforce positive corporate identity and image

V. Evaluation (Discussions of Adequacy of Response; Consensus About Lessons and New Understandings of Risks)
Communication directed toward agencies and the response community to:
  • Evaluate and assess responses, including communication effectiveness
  • Document, formalise, and communicate lessons learned
  • Determine specific actions to improve crisis communication and crisis response capability
  • Create linkages to precrisis activities (Stage I)

Click here for the full article from which this table was excerpted.
Source
Journal of Health Communication e-newsletter, May 2005; Journal of Health Communication, 10:43–55, 2005, pps 52-53. Image credit: World Health Organization (WHO)

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Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Tue, 11/08/2005 - 09:14 Permalink

thanks for your informative website. as a student in public relations, I must conduct a real seminar involving crisis communications within a municipality. Very helpful indeed!