‘Communicate with relevant parties about the risk management
process and invite participation’
Risk management should be an activity that involves the entire workforce. Successful communication
will encourage participation.
Communication about risk management processes should be two way. Two‐way communication
occurs when both the speaker and the listener have the chance to speak and be heard. This means
that you should spend as much time listening to the views of others as you spend explaining the risk
management process.
You should use a combination of verbal and written communication methods to communicate the
risk management process. If you just use verbal communication, there will be no written record for
you or other relevant parties to refer to at a later stage. Relying on written communication also
creates problems. If you communicate with others only in writing, you will miss out on seeing the
non‐verbal cues, such as facial expressions, body language or gestures that suggest the listener does
not understand or is unsupportive of the risk management process.
Mediums for discussing the risk management process include:
informal discussions
team meetings
training sessions
memorandum
posters
standard operating procedures
inclusion in newsletters
email
the organisation’s intranet
Only invite people to be part of the risk management process if you are genuinely interested in their
input. Personnel will quickly lose interest in the process if you give them the impression that their
input is not valuable or will not be used.
Allow sufficient time for employees to communicate their ideas about the risk management process.
Pay attention to their input. Give them feedback. Encourage them to consider the strengths and
weaknesses of their ideas.