Six ways to improve message delivery to get your message heard loud and clear include:

Alert first, then distribute warning message. It is important to distinguish between the two.

Alerts grab your audience’s attention, notifying them that an emergency is taking place and that there is important information that will follow. The purpose of the warning message is to provide the important information on the state of the emergency and what they are supposed to do in response to the emergency.  Example, an alert signal that is accompanied by a warning message.

Be redundant.  Use multiple layers of mass notification to disseminate the warning message, including audible, visual and tactile means.  According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), relying on just one method in an emergency could result in a relatively large portion of the targeted population not receiving the message. The overall solution is to deploy layer 1 and 2 elements such as an in-building mass notification system and high power speaker arrays and add in layer 3 and 4 systems as needed to produce a reliable and robust design that will achieve the emergency communication objectives. However, just because you sent the message, doesn’t mean that it was received.  People are busy and although they might glance at their phone, doesn’t mean that they’ll act on the message, which leads us to the next method.

Be repetitive.  To grasp the since of urgency, a warning message should be repeated at least once; however, research indicates message repetition of at least three times and that urgency increases between the first, second and third notification.   Messages should also be stated in full and then repeated in full, rather than repeating statements within the same message.  Messages should also be repeated at intervals rather than consecutively.

Keep it Simple. Messages should be written in short, simple words, and short sentences, omitting unnecessary words, phrases or jargon that not all of your audience may not understand. For example, instead of saying “shelter in place,” simply say: “Stay where you are.”   Messages should also be written using active voice, present tense and at a sixth grade reading level or lower.

Keep it clear.  Simplicity and relevance are great but the information needs clarity to be effective.  Most people will have little to no information of the emergency. See Trend #2 to find out what information needs to be included to get your message heard loud and clear.   Also, keep communicating with additional information.  If you’re not communicating, your people may turn to other sources for information that may not be accurate.

Push communications is the most important to use for alert signals as well as initial warning messages. Push technologies do not require individuals to take extra effort  to receive alert or warning message.  However, messages should be disseminated using a combination of both push and pull technologies, which ties into redundancy.