Fernando Simón, Director of the Centre for the Coordination of Health Alerts and Emergencies (CCAES) at the Ministry of Health, took part yesterday in the 10th Congress on the Social Communication of Science, organised by the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB) and the Spanish Association of Science Communication (AEC2). He participated in the round table ‘Crisis? What Crisis? Science communication in emergency situations’.
What is the main guideline or philosophy when communicating in a crisis context?
The same as always: sincerity. It is essential that everything you communicate is done with full understanding of what you are saying, being sincere and, above all, being open about any doubts regarding the information available. Furthermore, a crisis generated around a health emergency is not the same as the health emergency itself. That largely depends on the level of trust within the population. If there is no trust, a crisis arises; if there is trust, emergencies are less likely to become crises.
Does communicating in a crisis also mean deciding what not to communicate, in order to avoid creating alarm?
Information should not generate fear; it should help people take the right measures to reduce the impact. It is not about deciding what not to communicate, but rather about communicating what is necessary to enable an appropriate response. What is not communicated is not usually a deliberate omission — it may simply be information that is not relevant for taking action. And if someone asks for that information, it should be provided without any problem.
How can scientific communication be improved and capture public attention without losing rigour?
I am not a communication expert, so I cannot tell you what others, who are, would explain much better. What I can say is that sincerity and understanding your audience are essential. If you are addressing a specific audience, you should use the media that audience accesses. But my work is technical and scientific — I do not decide the communication strategy.
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