{
    "version" : "https://jsonfeed.org/version/1",
    "content" : "news",
    "type" : "single",
    "title" : "Webinar Recap: Key Takeaways on Simplifying Hazard Communications With Plain Language |Digital.gov",
    "description": "Webinar Recap: Key Takeaways on Simplifying Hazard Communications With Plain Language",
    "home_page_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/cm-topics-button-component/","feed_url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/cm-topics-button-component/2022/01/04/webinar-recap-key-takeaways-on-simplifying-hazard-communications-with-plain-language/index.json","item" : [
    {"kicker" : "Plain Language","title" :"Webinar Recap: Key Takeaways on Simplifying Hazard Communications With Plain Language","summary" : "An overview of the presentation by Danielle Nagele of NOAA at the 2021 Plain Language Summit. Learn how she and her team used feedback to decrease confusion and increase impact.","date" : "2022-01-04T12:35:00-05:00","date_modified" : "2024-04-02T09:45:13-04:00","authors" : {"rebecca-nelson" : "Rebecca Nelson"},"topics" : {
        
            "customer-experience" : "Customer experience",
            "plain-language" : "Plain Language",
            "research" : "Research",
            "user-experience" : "User Experience"
            },"primary_image" : { "uid" : "nws-hazard-simplification-project", "alt" :
  "A title card for the plain language summit presentation. Along the top are three logos for National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOAA, National Weather Service NWS and the Weather-Ready Network WRN. Below that is the title, NWS Hazard Simplification Project: Plain Language Coming to the NWS Watch, Warning, and Advisory System. In the background are icons for weather-related warning sign posts. Three words are along the bottom: watch in yellow text with yellow border, warning in red text with red border, and advisory in green text with green border.", "width" :
  "1200", "height" :
  "630", "credit" :
  "", "caption" :
  "", "format" :
  "png" },"branch" : "cm-topics-button-component",
      "filename" :"2022-01-03-webinar-recap-key-takeaways-on-simplifying-hazard-communications-with-plain-language.md",
      
      "filepath" :"news/2022/01/2022-01-03-webinar-recap-key-takeaways-on-simplifying-hazard-communications-with-plain-language.md",
      "filepathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/blob/cm-topics-button-component/content/news/2022/01/2022-01-03-webinar-recap-key-takeaways-on-simplifying-hazard-communications-with-plain-language.md",
      "editpathURL" :"https://github.com/GSA/digitalgov.gov/edit/cm-topics-button-component/content/news/2022/01/2022-01-03-webinar-recap-key-takeaways-on-simplifying-hazard-communications-with-plain-language.md","slug" : "webinar-recap-key-takeaways-on-simplifying-hazard-communications-with-plain-language","url" : "/preview/gsa/digitalgov.gov/cm-topics-button-component/2022/01/04/webinar-recap-key-takeaways-on-simplifying-hazard-communications-with-plain-language/","weight" : "1","content" :"\u003cp\u003eIf a snowstorm or tornado is headed your way, should you wait for more information or immediately evacuate the area? The National Weather Service (NWS) alerts the public to weather- and water-based hazards.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo reduce the impact of storms, floods, and other hazards, NWS has been investigating how to communicate better with people about how they should behave during an environmental crisis. The NWS has used a “Watch, Warning, and Advisory” (WWA) system for decades to tell people how seriously they should take a hazard.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHowever, NWS gathered feedback indicating that people find these terms confusing and cannot interpret them properly.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThrough its \u003ca href=\"https://www.weather.gov/hazardsimplification/\"\u003eHazard Simplification Project\u003c/a\u003e, NWS used focus groups and surveyed the general public and key NWS stakeholders to understand what people find confusing about the current system.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis research showed that the majority of people misunderstand the word “advisory.” They wonder whether an “advisory” is more or less serious than a “watch.” They also find it hard to distinguish among the large variety of terms used. For example, what is the difference between: a Wind Chill Advisory, a Wind Advisory, and a Brisk Wind Advisory?\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn surveys, both the audience for these alerts and the people who send them agreed that they would appreciate \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/topics/plain-language/\"\u003eplain language\u003c/a\u003e alerts. The public preferred messages that did not require interpretation. Emergency managers preferred messages they could quickly copy and paste, without having to translate the weather description into official alert language.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBased on this research, NWS is reducing the number of different hazard types it uses. This should make it easier for people to understand what the agency is describing. NWS is also simplifying its formats. The NWS plans to remove the term “advisory” from weather alerts by 2024, as part of a planned overhaul of its system.\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNWS is exploring three standard formats to present hazards in plain language:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLead with the hazard\u003c/strong\u003e, followed by a description (Snow: Light accumulations today” or “Snow: Slippery roads today”)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLead with “caution,”\u003c/strong\u003e followed by a hazard (\u0026ldquo;Caution: Light snow accumulations today\u0026rdquo; or \u0026ldquo;Caution: Snow with slippery roads today\u0026rdquo;)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDescribe the hazard\u003c/strong\u003e (\u0026ldquo;Light snow accumulations today\u0026rdquo; or \u0026ldquo;Snow with slippery roads today\u0026rdquo;)\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ol\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003ca\n    href=\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/digitalgov/static/plain-language-summit-nws-noaa-final.pptx\"\u003eView the slides (PowerPoint presentation, 5.4 MB, 60 slides)\u003c/a\u003e\n\n from September\u0026rsquo;s \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/event/2021/09/21/2021-federal-plain-language-summit/\"\u003e2021 Federal Plain Language Summit\u003c/a\u003e presentation by Danielle Nagele of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003chr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe National Weather Service’s Hazard Simplification Project is a case study in investigating how audiences understand messages and applying \u003ca href=\"https://www.plainlanguage.gov/guidelines/\"\u003eplain language principles\u003c/a\u003e to lower property damage, reduce injuries, and save lives. \u003ca href=\"https://www.weather.gov/hazardsimplification/\"\u003eVisit their website\u003c/a\u003e to learn more.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eConnect with other federal employees working with \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/topics/plain-language/\"\u003eplain language\u003c/a\u003e to improve \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/topics/content/\"\u003econtent\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/topics/writing/\"\u003ewriting\u003c/a\u003e, \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/topics/customer-experience/\"\u003ecustomer experience\u003c/a\u003e, and \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/topics/user-experience/\"\u003euser experience\u003c/a\u003e by joining our \u003ca href=\"https://digital.gov/communities/\"\u003eCommunities of Practice\u003c/a\u003e.\u003c/em\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n"}
  ]
}