As I was reviewing the readings assigned, I found a few different topics that have helped and will continue to help build my project into a stronger risk communication effort. First of all, I would like to point out how the article “A Diagnostic for Risk Communication Failures” helped me. Specifically the beginning section that talks about the separation of two languages, expert and public, improved my project because I have to speak a certain way to my fellow risk communicators that is different then how I need to communicate to my audience. Although I don’t use scientific terms in my project, I need to keep a calm and easily understandable language in mind while providing crucial information to my audience. As for presenting information in a crisis situation, I will also have to keep in mind what language I use and how understandable I present the information.
Another reading that improved my communication process included Chapter 10 from the textbook “Risk Communication.” The different methods mentioned on how to present the risk is a very important issue to confront. In my instance, I will need to use a combination of a couple of the methods. Face-to-face communication will compliment my efforts because it is a good way to incorporate questions that audience members may have. Visual presentation for effective awareness communication will keep the audience interested while learning risk management skills while they are abroad in Israel. As for using the media, I think it might be a bad idea to advertise danger in travel in an advertisement or in a newspaper. Since my audience is a select group of students traveling abroad, I don’t think it is necessary to use the media a great deal.
Finally, in Chapter 9 in the “Risk Communication” book the section on the information your audience wants really helped facilitate my message. Throughout this process my message has been broad and sometimes impossible to pinpoint but this list of information has led me to realize how to simplify my efforts. The four points of description, consequences, level of control, and exposure of information help narrow the facts and help communicate the risk more proficiently and successfully. My audience is going to need to know decisive information and they need to be able to use in an efficient manner. By making sure to touch on these topics, I will be confident in my communication efforts.
From these readings I have been helped in everything that has to do with putting together my Security in Israel message. I am informed on how to mentally prepare my message by mapping my information, how to present it to my audience, as well as determining between expert and public language. I have been able to improve my project through these tips and information provided by the readings done for class.
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Change in Topic
As I began researching more and more on my issue of Education in Israel, I realized that there is not enough information available to me to continue with this concern. Although I did not want to start a completely new topic, I wanted to research something that was more along the lines of security in the Middle Eastern region, specifically Israel.
There are numerous organizations, such as Taglit Birthright, which takes college aged students abroad to Israel. These organizations often allow students to extend their tickets and stay in Israel for longer periods of time without programming scheduled. The students that choose to stay after the trips finish need to be informed and well aware of the risks involved with being in a foreign country, specifically Israel, and traveling without consistent security measures being taken.
Many students don't realize the extent of the security that is present on the trip that they take to tour the country. Usually there is an armed guard with the tour group at all times, as well as the constant communication between the leaders of the trip and the Israeli government officials. As students extending their stay in Israel, they do not have this luxury of knowledge. These students need to be informed on what risks there are involved in traveling in Israel as well as the appropriate steps to take in a crisis situation. This topic is relevent because there are hundreds of different organized trips to Israel and there are numerous students who decide to stay or even visit again without an organization. Security is a very serious issue that organizations make a number one priority. As a student, security may not be a priority while traveling in a foreign country with friends or family.
There are numerous organizations, such as Taglit Birthright, which takes college aged students abroad to Israel. These organizations often allow students to extend their tickets and stay in Israel for longer periods of time without programming scheduled. The students that choose to stay after the trips finish need to be informed and well aware of the risks involved with being in a foreign country, specifically Israel, and traveling without consistent security measures being taken.
Many students don't realize the extent of the security that is present on the trip that they take to tour the country. Usually there is an armed guard with the tour group at all times, as well as the constant communication between the leaders of the trip and the Israeli government officials. As students extending their stay in Israel, they do not have this luxury of knowledge. These students need to be informed on what risks there are involved in traveling in Israel as well as the appropriate steps to take in a crisis situation. This topic is relevent because there are hundreds of different organized trips to Israel and there are numerous students who decide to stay or even visit again without an organization. Security is a very serious issue that organizations make a number one priority. As a student, security may not be a priority while traveling in a foreign country with friends or family.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Communicating the Risk
Education is an element in our society that is taken for granted. In the midst of conflict in the Middle East, education is a necessity that Israel is lacking. This situation is definitely a serious one which needs to be addressed as soon as possible. As many people experience in our society in the United States, most public education is sufficient and meets credentials created by the government. In the case of Israel, this is simply not the case. As more and more attention is paid to the issues of peace keeping in the Middle East and defense of the country, funding is taken from educational programs in order to pay for these other expenses. This concern of education is an urgent one, and one that needs a plan and participants in order to carry out. My intentions here are to inform the Jewish community of this issue and encourage them to volunteer their time, money, and materials to help dissolve the problem at hand.
In communicating this risk, it is essential to provide substantial information and facts about the education problems in Israel and how they affect the audience. The issue at hand would best fit somewhere between care and consensus communication approach. Given that the situation is not an immediate threat or danger to the audience, crisis communication would not be a best fit communication tactic in order to inform the community of the risk. The concern for funding of public educational programs in Israel is one that has been around since the establishment of the country. Therefore, there have been numerous efforts to address this specific issue by experts as well as the general audience. The reason I would also place it under the category of consensus communication is because my main goal is to inform and encourage action to be taken in order to work together for this achievement of higher standards for public education.
A significant issue that is necessary to address is the analysis of my audience as well as my qualifications as a risk communicator. I need to be able to connect with my audience in a way that will ensure their trust in me. Through my experiences with the public education system in Israel, I hope to gain trust and authority that my audience will be attentive to. My goal is to make them realize that the issue I am raising is serious and they as an audience are in a special position to take action. It is crucial to get substantial facts about the public education across to the audience in a fashion in which they can relate and understand. Interest and desire to get involved will result from showing the audience that this issue impacts them directly as well as. By combining consensus and care communication, I hope to reach my audience and convince them that the revival of the public education system in Israel is an important problem that they can contribute to.
In communicating this risk, it is essential to provide substantial information and facts about the education problems in Israel and how they affect the audience. The issue at hand would best fit somewhere between care and consensus communication approach. Given that the situation is not an immediate threat or danger to the audience, crisis communication would not be a best fit communication tactic in order to inform the community of the risk. The concern for funding of public educational programs in Israel is one that has been around since the establishment of the country. Therefore, there have been numerous efforts to address this specific issue by experts as well as the general audience. The reason I would also place it under the category of consensus communication is because my main goal is to inform and encourage action to be taken in order to work together for this achievement of higher standards for public education.
A significant issue that is necessary to address is the analysis of my audience as well as my qualifications as a risk communicator. I need to be able to connect with my audience in a way that will ensure their trust in me. Through my experiences with the public education system in Israel, I hope to gain trust and authority that my audience will be attentive to. My goal is to make them realize that the issue I am raising is serious and they as an audience are in a special position to take action. It is crucial to get substantial facts about the public education across to the audience in a fashion in which they can relate and understand. Interest and desire to get involved will result from showing the audience that this issue impacts them directly as well as. By combining consensus and care communication, I hope to reach my audience and convince them that the revival of the public education system in Israel is an important problem that they can contribute to.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
The Issue
There is a major challenge facing a country in the Middle East today that has nothing to do with war, terrorism, or hatred. The issue of public education in Israel is a problem affecting the entire country and has been since the establishment of the state. Public education is a subject that has an impact on the entire country, but specifically the huge number of immigrants who have migrated to Israel from 70 different countries. The risk presented here is if the issue of education is continually shoved under the rug, the future of the country will be questionable. If the government continues to ignore the educational aid needed, the country as a whole will suffer. The idea of education is to teach younger generations how to make a brighter and better future for themselves and their peers. This issue is important because as well as raising money and volunteer efforts for the army, we need to focus on the children who will be the future of this country.
There are numerous explanations as to why this situation has become a more serious issue over the years. The State of Israel is a country that has been through a constant struggle to survive since its establishment. The idea of the prime minister and his administration taking their focus off of our enemies for one moment is frightening and unappealing. The result of this fear is the education system in the country failing, and the children suffering from it. Another reason for the decreasing public education funding is immigration. As more and more immigrants come to Israel from all over the world, there is a substantial focus on helping them integrate into Israeli society as efficiently as possible.
This range of this situation affects the future citizens of Israel. After living in a low-income community in Israel and teaching students English at their public elementary schools, I could see the effects of the poor educational system. These children are the future of their country and they are not given the opportunity to learn about leadership skills, morals, relationships with others, responsibilities, etc. The main reason for these issues occurring is that funding for educational supplies, programs, and staff is diminishing. The State of Israel is a country that has to fight for existence every day and if the younger generations don’t learn the necessary skills to use in the real world, who will be the future leaders of the country?
It is the responsibility of the Jewish community in the U.S. and around the world to act on its behalf. As Israel’s public education funding is decreasing, younger generations are being effected with less opportunity to succeed. While the citizens of Israel are focused on issues of security, the Jewish communities in the U.S. need to help their people from a distance with supplies, funding, and even directly by volunteering. My goal is to communicate the risk of letting this matter get further out of control.
There are numerous explanations as to why this situation has become a more serious issue over the years. The State of Israel is a country that has been through a constant struggle to survive since its establishment. The idea of the prime minister and his administration taking their focus off of our enemies for one moment is frightening and unappealing. The result of this fear is the education system in the country failing, and the children suffering from it. Another reason for the decreasing public education funding is immigration. As more and more immigrants come to Israel from all over the world, there is a substantial focus on helping them integrate into Israeli society as efficiently as possible.
This range of this situation affects the future citizens of Israel. After living in a low-income community in Israel and teaching students English at their public elementary schools, I could see the effects of the poor educational system. These children are the future of their country and they are not given the opportunity to learn about leadership skills, morals, relationships with others, responsibilities, etc. The main reason for these issues occurring is that funding for educational supplies, programs, and staff is diminishing. The State of Israel is a country that has to fight for existence every day and if the younger generations don’t learn the necessary skills to use in the real world, who will be the future leaders of the country?
It is the responsibility of the Jewish community in the U.S. and around the world to act on its behalf. As Israel’s public education funding is decreasing, younger generations are being effected with less opportunity to succeed. While the citizens of Israel are focused on issues of security, the Jewish communities in the U.S. need to help their people from a distance with supplies, funding, and even directly by volunteering. My goal is to communicate the risk of letting this matter get further out of control.
Topic Ideas
Becoming a political science major was of no surprise considering my wide range of interest in global politics and international social issues. Placing my focus on world politics and global studies has given me the opportunity to learn about a wide range of issues, whether in World or American politics. There are many factors of risk surrounding our everyday lives, but what some people may not realize is that affects of international risks have an impact on our everyday lives as well.
One possible concern I may want to explore throughout this semester includes the Arab-Israeli Conflict. Instead of heading straight for the books at university after high school, I decided to participate in a year long program in Israel. While on the program I lived in communities, volunteered, and also studied a variety of topics. During that year, I learned (among many other things) that this cluster of countries in the Middle East has a profound impact on world politics and issues across international borders. There is plenty of risk involving this issue that needs to be expressed to people who simply don’t know what is going on in the world around them.
Another issue that is eminent in my area of interest includes Global Warming. This is a rapidly growing risk for the entire world that can be prevented. Sadly the situation is that not everyone believes in global warming, and not everyone is eager enough to do something about it. This concern needs to be conveyed to people in a way in which there is no denying it. Global warming is an issue that is already affecting people around the world in different ways, and it is important to address the risks in rejecting it.
Finally, my last possible concern to explore this semester is international poverty, specifically among youth. Many people don’t consider this a risk because it doesn’t seem to affect their standard of living. But when a statistic is brought to an audience’s attention for example, half of the world lives on less than two dollars a day (http://www.globalissues.org/TradeRelated/Facts.asp), it seems to open some eyes. Poverty has strong links to disease, mental illness, drug use, crime, illiteracy, and mortality (infant and malnutrition). Poverty is an issue that concerns people of every country around the world. By communicating this ongoing risk, people may become more aware of how big of a toll poverty takes on our society.
All three of these risks are interesting because they are of such high magnitude and influence people globally. Similarly, they can be addressed and improved with substantial information. This information should be communicated to a variety of audiences, those whom are directly as well as indirectly related to these situations because ultimately they affect everyone. By offering information on global risks and how to prevent or help them, people will be able to make changes in their daily lives consciously, in efforts to improve these global concerns.
One possible concern I may want to explore throughout this semester includes the Arab-Israeli Conflict. Instead of heading straight for the books at university after high school, I decided to participate in a year long program in Israel. While on the program I lived in communities, volunteered, and also studied a variety of topics. During that year, I learned (among many other things) that this cluster of countries in the Middle East has a profound impact on world politics and issues across international borders. There is plenty of risk involving this issue that needs to be expressed to people who simply don’t know what is going on in the world around them.
Another issue that is eminent in my area of interest includes Global Warming. This is a rapidly growing risk for the entire world that can be prevented. Sadly the situation is that not everyone believes in global warming, and not everyone is eager enough to do something about it. This concern needs to be conveyed to people in a way in which there is no denying it. Global warming is an issue that is already affecting people around the world in different ways, and it is important to address the risks in rejecting it.
Finally, my last possible concern to explore this semester is international poverty, specifically among youth. Many people don’t consider this a risk because it doesn’t seem to affect their standard of living. But when a statistic is brought to an audience’s attention for example, half of the world lives on less than two dollars a day (http://www.globalissues.org/TradeRelated/Facts.asp), it seems to open some eyes. Poverty has strong links to disease, mental illness, drug use, crime, illiteracy, and mortality (infant and malnutrition). Poverty is an issue that concerns people of every country around the world. By communicating this ongoing risk, people may become more aware of how big of a toll poverty takes on our society.
All three of these risks are interesting because they are of such high magnitude and influence people globally. Similarly, they can be addressed and improved with substantial information. This information should be communicated to a variety of audiences, those whom are directly as well as indirectly related to these situations because ultimately they affect everyone. By offering information on global risks and how to prevent or help them, people will be able to make changes in their daily lives consciously, in efforts to improve these global concerns.
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