Tips to write an "All Clear" message that includes Plain Language

All clear messages are an important part of the communication lifecycle for alerts and warnings. When an alert is issued, it opens up a "conversation" by telling people about a hazard, its impacts, the location of the impact, and what people should do to protect themselves. Ideally, if a person is at risk, they will engage in protective action and remain safe until they are instructed to do otherwise. This can come as an additional notification as the event is ongoing, or at the conclusion of an event, when it has been resolved.

The most important "all clear" messages are undoubtedly related to issues of life-safety, when people have been instructed to take shelter where they are and to remain there. When people take this instruction seriously, as we now frequently see in relation to active threats, they will remain there, often in a state of uncertainty and fear, waiting for a second message to let them know that the event has ended. In some cases, we find that those second messages are never sent - perhaps in error, such as forgetfulness, perhaps because of an organizational policy that limits the use of the alerting channel, perhaps there is another reason.

What we can be certain of is any time an alert is sent that includes a statement that additional information is forthcoming, that second message NEEDS to be sent for people to be certain that they have received the right information.

We can also be certain about the type of information that people need in an "all clear" message because we have the social science research to support it. Here are four tips and an example from a recent wireless emergency alert.

First, people WANT and NEED an "all clear" message, especially if they are told to wait until an "all clear" is sent.

Second, people WANT and NEED more than just a statement that the original message is lifted, ended, or expired. A focus on the "orders" does not provide the type of event closure or psychological safety that people need.

Third, people WANT and NEED to know that the event has ended, it is resolved, repaired, concluded, and that they can return to or resume their prior activities.

Fourth, people WANT and NEED to know if there are additional actions they should take to keep safe or to be aware of an ongoing response.

In today's post, we see an example of an "all clear" message that takes a combined approach of lifting orders while also providing a reassurance of safety related to the original actions that were recommended.

This message includes the name of the sender, the key words "ALL CLEAR" and "HAS BEEN LIFTED" in all caps. It also provides the specific location and name of the original order. But perhaps most importantly, it combines with message-focused content with plain language content by saying "It is now safe to go outside." This is accompanied by instruction about the ongoing response to the area.

Many "all clear" messages in the past would focus only on the message-focused content, simply stating that the orders have been lifted. For someone unaware that "lifted orders" means they can resume the activities they were doing before the order was issued, a plain language approach is tremendously useful and translating technical langauge. Second, a message-focused approach does not provide the kind of assurance that it is safe.

We now have a Lexicon that is designed specifically to help alert providers to write these kinds of "all clear" messages for 50 different hazards. You can check it out here: The Post-Alert Lexicon