Display empathy, honest and openness? Check. Demonstrate competence and expertise? Check.
Design effective messaging and stick with it?
Check.
The U.S. Centre for Disease Control has a field epidemiology manual with an entire chapter on public health communications during an epidemic crisis.
Reviewing B.C. public health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry鈥檚 performance with it in mind suggests she鈥檚 read it to the point of memorizing it.
The manual discusses how critical people鈥檚 perception of risk is. They view it depending on how likely the actual hazard is and how severe the harm might be. Their conclusions are often different from how experts are portraying it.
So warnings about the extreme hazard from an unknown virus from the other side of the world that early on was carried by a tiny percentage of the local population needed a lot of persuasive power.
That power develops from the checklist above.
While Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix continually stress that B.C.鈥檚 encouraging pandemic statistics are the product of a society-wide effort, it takes leadership to develop that kind of buy-in, and Henry has led throughout.
After weeks of overseeing emergency orders that have wreaked a stunning amount of damage to the economy, it鈥檚 remarkable that only a small minority of people are openly critical of the measures.
When a few of them marched in protest in 91原创 against them, people chucked some eggs at them.
There鈥檚 growing frustration, but B.C. is still generally holding to Henry鈥檚 line.
"Trust and credibility can greatly influence your ability to persuade persons to follow recommendations during an outbreak,鈥� says the manual.
鈥淪pokespersons who issue messages and information that convey (empathy, honesty, commitment and competence) are more likely to maintain and even build trust during a crisis.鈥�
Flowing from that, the manual posts further guidance.
鈥淪tart with empathy鈥� acknowledge concerns鈥� recognize people are anxious.鈥� Henry and Dix make a point of expressing condolences to the family of every single deceased victim. They repeatedly sympathize with those suffering other losses and inconvenience.
At one of her first briefings in February, she tried to set a certain tone: 鈥淣ow is the time for tolerance. We call on all British Columbians to come together as a community to help one another. In this time of uncertainty, this is not only the right response, but the necessary one. Fear obstructs the important work of our public health officials to protect the health and safety of British Columbians.鈥�
鈥� 鈥淚dentify and explain the threat.鈥� Henry has repeatedly stressed how dangerous and virulent COVID-19 is, while trying not to induce widespread panic.
For instance, when the cases started to climb rapidly early on, she issued a careful recommendation: 鈥淪imilar to how you may need to care for someone with influenza, you want to ensure you have sufficient food, medications and support in place to stay home for a number for days.鈥�
That was repeated three consecutive days. There was still lots of panic buying, but it was already underway before the advice, and likely wasn鈥檛 as bad as it could have been.
鈥� 鈥淓xplain what is known and unknown.鈥� Much of Henry鈥檚 daily briefings are about updating facts coming into focus, and discounting information that isn鈥檛 relevant. She鈥檚 repeatedly warned how much is unknown about the brand-new coronavirus.
鈥� 鈥淓xplain what health actions are being taken and why.鈥� Henry has defended her testing regime in the face of considerable skepticism. She discounted the idea of face masks early on, then adjusted and mildly endorsed them.
鈥� 鈥淓mphasize a commitment to the situation.鈥� She鈥檚 done six-day-a-week briefings for two months straight. Her mantra: 鈥淏e kind, be calm, be safe.鈥�
The New Yorker this week has a piece referring to the manual 鈥� in the context of how the U.S., with some exceptions, is ignoring all that advice.
A doctor told the magazine it鈥檚 also important to have a scientist leading the communications, because politicians face a heavy discount.
Dix obviously plays a key role (鈥�100 per cent, all in鈥�), but has been smart to put Henry up as the face of the provincial response.
He鈥檚 also following the manual鈥檚 advice.
鈥淪hare dilemmas,鈥� it advises, on the issue of being as open as possible. When protective equipment was running low, he was forthright about it.
The two of them are making a difference.
