Risk communication, simply put, is the ex-change of information about risks. What are risks? In common parlance (according to the Oxford English Dictionary), risk means “(exposure to) the possibility of loss, injury, or other adverse or unwelcome circumstance; a chance or situation involving such a possibility.” Risk refers to the uncertainty of danger, hazard, or exposure to peril that we face every day (Adams, 1995). Helping people understand risks and ramp up or tone down their reaction to risk is often the goal of risk communicators (Sandman, 1994). At its best, risk communication is “An open, two-way ex-change of information and opinion about risk leading to better understanding and better risk management decisions” (Army Corps of Engineers, 2012). Risk communication is a dialog.
