In the midst of the chaos and heightened emotions of a public health emergency, people need clear and accurate information about what is going on, how problems are being addressed, and what they need to do. At the same time, the stress of the situation may make it difficult for individuals to hear, understand, and remember information. Competing information sources, contradictory information, rumors, and hearsay all add to the confusion.
The best way to overcome these barriers and make your communications rise above the chaos is to develop simple, clear messages that are relevant to the target audience, and then stick to them.