Repeated Messaging is Important

"The Boy Who Cried Wolf" is an interesting tale on several levels. On the one hand, it drives home the point that one should not be deceitful as such actions have ramifications that can affect others. Also, being dishonest can and does compromise one's credibility. But on the other it illustrates how when one does have credibility, it can affect how others behave. When the boy cried wolf the first two times, the towns folks took up-arms and came running. Triggering that kind of response is no small thing. (Unfortunately, the boy was lying so after that second false alarm, the town stopped responding to his cries. This proved to be bad news when the wolf actually did appear.) 

In May, 2011, in Joplin, Missouri, nearly 160 people were killed by a devastating tornado. At the time, that was the most people that had ever been killed by a single tornado in recorded history. Folks there are still reeling from the affects of that giant storm. Ironically, several hours prior to the tornado's arrival the National Weather Service warned folks that this major force of destruction was approaching. The warnings went largely unheeded. "The majority of Joplin residents did not immediately go to shelter upon the hearing the initial warning," is one of the findings of a report conducted by authorities following the storm.

What is one to make of this? Yes, the National Weather Service had as much, if not more, credibility then that boy who cried wolf. So why did not citizens of Joplin pay more attention to their warnings? My sense is this goes beyond the less-than-positive feelings people have been having toward the federal government. It speaks more to one particular challenge when it comes to effective communication. The experts at the National Weather Service failed in not doing nearly enough to prepare the citizens for the possibility of a major storm. Communicating effectively often requires repeated messaging. Generally, people respond better when properly prepared. The fact this did not happen then proved to be very costly.