Services

We offer a range of services:    Training, Speaking, Advising

Training

"David's presentation on risk perception and communication was outstanding! Our conference attendees are demanding senior corporate public affairs practitioners and they raved about his ability to translate theory into actionable strategies. The combination of David's expertise, interactive case study and good humor made for a fabulous learning experience."
        -- Caryn Pawliger, Senior Director, U.S. Public Affairs Council

I teach on-site courses on risk communication that run anywhere from half a day to three days. The content and length of these training courses are tailored to the specific needs and interests of the client.

Modules include:

Risk perception – The neuroscience and psychology which help explain why some risks feel more frightening than others, the facts notwithstanding.

Practical applications of risk perception, A Case Study – How knowledge of risk perception can be applied to both the policy choices you make and the messages you use to communicate with various audiences.

A risk communication process – A systematic, template-guided process for thinking through the various aspects of communicating; who should do the talking, when, by which channels, to which audience(s), what should the messages emphasize, etc.

A message development process - A systematic, template-guided process for figuring out what to say.

Crisis communication - Understanding the unique demands of both the audience and the media in situations involving crises.

News media coverage of risk – An inside look from a former journalist at why the media cover risk stories the way they do, and a series of tools to help you interact with the news media more effectively.

A realistic media preparation process –Most media training is shallow, focusing on things like on-camera performance and staying on message. This module teaches a much more realistic and practical media preparation process.

Scenarios and role plays – All modules are taught with active student participation, including the assignment of scenarios to challenge participants to apply and practice the ideas and skills of the course.

Speaking

"David is a terrific speaker. He spoke to more than 100 managers at our company and the feedback afterwards was glowing. His use of audience involvement, humor, and real-world examples kept everyone highly engaged. He's funny, and he makes the information he presents both clear and relevant. His talk on risk communication was a tremendous help as we embarked upon communicating directly to patients for the first time."
        -- Julie Foster, Vice President of Marketing, Cardiac Rhythm Disease Management Division, Medtronic

"David is an intelligent, knowledgeable, and thought-provoking speaker. “Risk Perception, Why Our Fears Don’t Match the Facts” lets you in on the secrets of human irrationality when it comes to the perception of risk and shows you why your company needs a different approach for communicating risk. Ropeik does all of this with memorable images and humorous examples that keep his audience entertained and engaged."
        -- Ladd Smith, President, Research Institute for Fragrance Management

I have spoken about risk perception and risk communication, and media coverage of risk, to dozens of audiences around the world. These groups have ranged in size from 15-20 up to 2,000. As one measure of my effectiveness as a speaker, after my presentation I am often invited by someone in the audience to speak at their event.

I have been the keynote speaker at major conferences of trade associations, professional organizations, medical societies, and scientific organizations. I have been a speaker before large and small gatherings of government employees at the county, state, and federal levels. I have given public lectures at many colleges and universities in the U.S. and abroad. I have been a speaker at several companies, talking about risk communication to groups of senior managers and employees.

Advising

“David provided wise counsel and provoked deep thought on the risk communication implications of various decision options. He helped us immensely to see how others would view us, a perspective we could not have seen on our own. His advice played a significant role in our communication efforts on an important issue.”
        -- Mary Logan, Chief Operating Officer, American Dental Association

"David played a key role in helping our firm work through a major crisis. We had a large team of communication advisers, but David was uniquely qualified to advise from the perspective of risk perception. He helped with all levels of our risk communication challenge, from senior management policy to press releases, advertisements, and public presentations. David played a vital role in helping us resolve our issue successfully."
        -- Paul Donovan, Senior Vice President for Communications, Boston Scientific

Understanding risk perception is a powerful tool for all forms of risk management, including but not limited to risk communication. Being able to anticipate how people are likely to feel about an action or a decision or a communication allows the organization to take those actions, make those decisions, and design and execute its communications more successfully.

I have advised organizations in dealing with many risk management circumstances.

• The siting of unwanted facilities.
• Recovery for a major medical device company following press exposes that one of their main products was defective.
• A food industry sector facing the challenge of Mad Cow disease.
• A biotechnology company facing a regulatory process that threatened their major product.
• Public health scientists facing a skeptical public that the scientists wantedto study.
• Government officials preparing for possible terrorist attacks.
• State health officials heading to New Orleans to help in the response to Hurricane Katrina.

I help with both strategic and tactical advice about a crisis that may have developed. We offer long range planning to anticipate potential crises so mechanisms and messages are in place should a problem suddenly arise. I offer input on policies under consideration. I advise on the risk perception and risk communication aspects of upcoming events like public hearings and public meetings. And of course I advise on the full suite of communications, including communication with stakeholders, the general public, the press, regulators, and investors.

I have also advised organizations in how to train their employees to be more effective risk communicators. And I worked with many organizations to help them incorporate knowledge of risk perception and risk communication into their culture and ongoing operations.

In addition, I have served several organizations as an on-call risk communication adviser, available on retainer as needs arise.

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