ABSTRACT
At a 1993 conference on risk assessment, a military general, whom I won’t name, gave a presentation on risk communication. During the course of his presentation he explained to the audience of risk assessors that public meetings about hazardous sites can become hostile; therefore, government risk communicators speaking at such meetings need to have their wits about them. For instance, he noted, it’s a good idea to tie the auditorium chairs together in advance of your presentation. That way, you will be protected from hostile, chair- throwing citizens.
