Improving Biosecurity through Instructional Crisis Communication: Lessons Learned from the PEDv Outbreak

Toward a global understanding of the effects of the IDEA model for designing instructional risk and crisis messages: A food contamination experiment in Sweden

“…More important, however, this conclusion extends both our theoretical understanding of the IDEA model of experiential learning and conclusions drawn in similar studies (Frisby et al., ; Littlefield et al., ; Sellnow, Lane et al., ; Sellnow, Iverson et al., ; Sellnow, Lane et al., ; Sellnow, Parker et al., ). In more specific manner, it reveals that instructional messages offering condensed and simplified explanatory information compared to industry standards, as well as additional material designed to compel receivers to both internalize personal relevance and take appropriate action, do not negatively influence cognitive learning.…”

“…First, as predicted in our hypothesis, the instructional crisis message that addressed all elements of the IDEA model was significantly more effective in eliciting self‐reported behavioural learning intentions for taking appropriate self‐protection (e.g., not eating potentially tainted meat, throwing away potentially tainted meat). This conclusion confirms findings about the utility of the IDEA model as a theoretical framework for designing effective instructional risk and crisis messages gleaned from similar message‐testing experiments conducted on U.S. populations (Frisby et al., ; Littlefield et al., ; Sellnow, Lane et al., ; Sellnow, Iverson et al., ; Sellnow, Lane et al., ; Sellnow, Parker et al., ). This conclusion is particularly encouraging because it also suggests that, although there may be cultural differences that influence perceptions about who is primarily responsible for crisis management during extreme events, messages designed according to the IDEA model appear to also produce appropriate behavioural learning intentions among citizens in state‐oriented risk cultures like Sweden (Cornia et al., ; Oden et al., ).…”

“…For instance, disaster sociologists have long studied the importance of such instructional communication in warnings for impending natural disasters (Mileti, ; Mileti & Sorenson, ) and industrial crises (Mileti & Peek, ). Moreover, existing research confirms that instructional messages are most compelling when they (a) are presented through channels easily accessed by those at greatest risk, (b) clearly explain the nature of the risk and its relevance, and (c) offer specific actionable instructions to take for self‐protection (Mileti & Peek, ; Sellnow, Iverson, & Sellnow, ; Sellnow & Sellnow, in press; Sellnow, Lane et al., , ; Sellnow, Parker et al., ). Combined, these components provide guidelines for crisis communicators to follow when instructing local publics in ways that “adapt to the reality of crises as increasingly transnational phenomena that demand a culturally sensitive approach to crisis communication” (Srugies, , p. 505).…”

“…Based on a series of experimental message‐testing studies using these four stages as the design framework and the three learning outcome variables as measures, the IDEA model (see Figure ) ultimately emerged as an effective experiential learning message design model for risk and crisis communication (Frisby, Veil, & Sellnow, ; Frisby et al., ; Littlefield et al., ; Sellnow, Sellnow, Lane, & Littlefield, ; Sellnow, Lane et al., ; Sellnow, Iverson et al., ; Sellnow, Lane et al., ; Sellnow, Parker et al., ). In essence, the IDEA model condenses the four stages proposed by Kolb into three message content components (internalization, explanation, and action) and a distribution component focused on the communication channels through which to send messages targeting disparate audiences (Sellnow & Sellnow, , in press).…”

“…At last, the IDEA model has been used to design messages in a variety of risk and crisis events including natural disasters, health pandemics, agricultural biotechnology, animal diseases and biosecurity, and food contaminations (Sellnow & Sellnow; ; in press). In essence, the IDEA model addresses a critical need in risk and crisis communication by extending experiential learning theory in ways that establish its utility in instruction beyond classroom contexts (Sellnow, Limperos et al., ), as well as expanding existing crisis communication and disaster warning literature to include a variety of risk and crisis situations that may have unprecedented risks (Sellnow, Sellnow, Helsel, Martin, & Parker, ; Sellnow, Iverson et al., ; Sellnow, Lane et al., ; Sellnow, Parker et al., ; Sellnow‐Richmond, George, & Sellnow, ). The following paragraphs explain each aspect of the IDEA model more fully using examples from previous research.…”