This text is part of the Weather Preparedness & Resilience Toolbox developed by the YOUROPE Event Safety (YES) Group within YOUROPE’s 3F project (Future-Fit Festivals). It is aimed at everyone involved in planning, building, and operating open-air events. It helps festivals and other outdoor events become truly weather-ready by offering both practical and research-based resources as well as background information on weather and climate. Learn how to design safer and more weather-resilient outdoor events.
Communication Principles
“You can not not communicate” – everyone knows this simple saying – but you can make a lot of mistakes when communicating – especially when stress, lack of time and excitement come into play.
In emergency and high-stress situations:
- Attention is fragmented
- Cognitive processing is reduced
- Language comprehension drops
- Trust depends on clarity, not detail
Apply this principles whenever:
- Defining or auditing a site-specific messaging strategy
- Preparing pre-scripted messages for weather, crowd, or security hazards
- Designing Show Stop / Pause / Restart communication
- Training stewards, supervisors, and control room staff
- Reviewing communication failures or near misses
The Six Communication Principles (Farbwahl nach Belieben 😊
Principle 1: Action First
Rule: Every message must begin with the required action.
Operational Logic: Audiences decide whether to comply within the first seconds. Explanations placed first delay or prevent action.
Implementation Requirements:
- First sentence = verb + action
- No justification before the action
- Explanations only after compliance is requested
Non-compliant example: “Due to worsening weather, we ask you to move…”
Compliant example: “Move away from the open field now. Severe weather is approaching.”
Principle 2: Be Specific and Local
Rule: Messages must reference concrete locations, zones, or groups.
Operational Logic: Generic messages trigger diffusion of responsibility (“this is probably not about me”).
Implementation Requirements:
- Use site terminology known to the audience
- Prefer landmarks over abstract zones
- Address affected groups explicitly
Compliant example: “Visitors at Stage C, FOH tower and left audience area: move towards covered routes.”
Principle 3: Promise the Next Update
Rule: Every message must include a clear expectation for the next update.
Operational Logic: Uncertainty causes stress, speculation, and self-directed behaviour. A promised update stabilises behaviour – even if no new information exists.
Implementation Requirements:
- Time-based (“in 10 minutes”) or condition-based (“when conditions improve”)
- Must be realistic and achievable
- Control room must track update commitments
Compliant example: “Next update at 18:40 or earlier if conditions change.”
Principle 4: One Instruction per Line
Rule: Each message line must contain only one action.
Operational Logic: Under stress, people cannot reliably parse compound instructions. Multiple actions reduce compliance for all of them.
Implementation Requirements:
- Separate actions into distinct lines or sentences
- Prioritise actions in order of safety relevance
- Avoid conjunctions (“and”, “while”, “then”)
Compliant example:
- “Leave the stage area.”
- “Follow staff instructions.”
- “Do not stop on access routes.”
Principle 5: Redundancy
Rule: All critical messages must be repeated and distributed across multiple channels.
Operational Logic: Messages will be missed due to noise, language barriers, crowd density, distraction, or technical failure.
Implementation Requirements:
- Minimum two different channels (e.g. PA + screen)
- Temporal repetition (not one-off announcements)
- Reinforcement by stewards wherever possible
Operational principle: If the message is safety-critical, assume it has not been received.
Principle 6: Accessibility and Pictograms
Rule: Messages must be understandable without full language comprehension.
Operational Logic: Festivals involve international audiences, sensory overload, stress reactions, and impairments. Language-only communication is insufficient.
Implementation Requirements:
- Plain language, short sentences
- Avoid idioms and metaphors
- Support with universally recognisable pictograms
- Align icons, arrows, colours with site wayfinding
Compliant example: Text + arrow icon + shelter pictogram shown simultaneously.
These principles should be:
- Embedded in pre-approved message libraries
- Used as evaluation criteria in exercises and debriefs
- Taught explicitly to stewards and supervisors
- Enforced by the control room as a communication standard
They are not stylistic guidance.
They are risk-reduction measures.
Operational Quality Control Checklist
Before releasing any safety message, confirm:
☐ Action comes first
☐ Location or group is explicit
☐ Next update is promised
☐ One action per line
☐ Message is repeated across channels
☐ Visual support or accessibility considered
Failure on any item requires message revision before release.