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The Warn Room blogs apply 70 years of research to the practice of alerts and warnings. We show how evidence-based changes to message content, style, and structure can create more effective warnings.

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Reflections

A well-written, plain-language Missing Person Alert

A plain language missing person alert This is a really well-written alert. Let me show you have it conforms to the best guidance we have on how to write an actionable missing person alert. It begins with the source of the message: VBALERT. This is an acronym (it also appears like a branded alert name), however, at the end of the message we also see the organization clearly named. This is followed by the incident type (aka hazard from the Warning Response Model). The inci

Warning Gallery

Jeannette Sutton

Feb 18

Self-reflections on testifying before congress

This post is a bit different from the rest; Here I share my personal reflections on the invitation to speak to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Communication and Technology on December 16, 2025. Jeannette Sutton, PhD, preparing to respond to a comment from a house committee member. THE LEAD UP Early in the week, I received an email from a staffer for the Subcommittee, asking if I would share my thoughts on some of the bills they would be discussin

Reflections

Jeannette Sutton

Dec 22, 2025