Effective communication is critical during emergencies like the COVID-19 outbreak

Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images During an ongoing crisis, the way that experts, officials, and leaders talk with the public matters. People rely on information from those groups to understand an unfolding event and to make decisions about what they should do in response. When that communication is done well, it helps manage people’s expectations and fears, and makes it more likely that they’ll follow future instructions from officials during the crisis. If it’