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Communicate and Consult

Purpose
Actions
Outcomes

Purpose

Risk communication and consultation is any two-way dialogue between staff and stakeholders about the existence, nature, form, severity or acceptability of risks.

Effective communication and consultation ensure that staff and stakeholders understand:

why particular actions are necessary
why particular risk management decisions are made

Build an accurate picture of risks

As a Department staff member, it is your job to build an accurate picture of the risks in your area. By talking with stakeholders, you can:

increase your knowledge of the risks involved
identify new opportunities
discover and discuss ways to solve issues and allocate resources.

Keep abreast of changing risks

The level of stakeholders' concerns will change; some losing interest as their concerns are addressed, others increasing as circumstances produce new opportunities and concerns.

The mix of stakeholders will also change, as some activities are dropped while new initiatives inspire new needs, fresh issues and fresh faces.

Therefore, communication and consultation should occur at each stage of the risk management process.

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Actions

Seek the 'big picture' and balance interests

Stakeholders, experts, lay persons and staff members will offer differing opinions and different levels of knowledge about issues. Consultation involves sharing knowledge, and then balancing the legitimate interests of all persons

Technical experts tend to emphasise factors in terms of the probability of an occurrence or its likelihood and consequences. Laypersons tend to be less accepting of risks over which they have little control, where the consequences are dreaded, or the activity is unfamiliar.

Consult rather than 'tell'

Develop a communication strategy based upon consultation rather than a one-way flow of information from decision-makers to stakeholders. In particular, stakeholders outside the department should be offered opportunities for consultation.

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Identify key stakeholders

When starting out on the consultative process, identify key stakeholders and where practicable create a communication programme.

Find the best way to communicate

Risks may be communicated by written or verbal means. Each area should determine which is the most appropriate for any situation. Regardless of the communication methods used, it is critical that this information be presented in a manner that the recipients understand.

A record should be kept of any decisions that arise from communication or consultation activities for accountability purposes.

Outcomes

Communication and consultation helps staff source high quality and accurate information. This information can then be used in the identification, assessment, and treatment of risks.

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