Moving from Traditional Risk Communication to Edu-tainment --- How safety advocates are catching on to what some have known all along

Walt Disney, one of the most successful storytellers of all times said, “I would rather entertain and hope that people learned something than educate people and hope they were entertained.” Perhaps this philosophy explains why broadcast meteorologists are some of society's most trusted risk communicators. They combine science with television successfully on a daily basis without saying the words, “risk communication.”

The broadcast meteorologist is often the first place the public turns for information on risks of all kinds. From earthquakes to hurricanes, from oil spills to afternoon thunderstorms and more, the public wants to hear from their on-air friends on the weather desk.

So how can non-broadcast risk communicators use this same formula to get the public listening and engaged? Moreover, how can we get them to think and behave differently when it comes to weather risks? This presentation will highlight successful initiatives of the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes – www.FLASH.org that leverage “edu-tainment” and cite what they have in common with “info-tainment”, if anything at all. The presenter will highlight research validating the hybrid approach, and will explain how and why disaster safety advocates are looking to build bridges to broadcast meteorologists and news organizations now and in the future.