OMT communication

The Outbreak Management Team (OMT) is an important gateway for the cabinet's corona decision-making. This team consists of seven permanent members and a number of experts who are invited by the team based on their knowledge and experience and who are asked to participate in discussions in a personal capacity. We already know some OMT experts more than well. Marion Koopmans, Diederik Gommers, Marc Bonten, Andreas Voss, Jan Kluytmans, Menno de Jong – they enter our living room almost every day.

Now that we are two years further with corona, we see fixed patterns in communication. First the OMT advice from the RIVM, the Catshuisberaad, the cabinet press conference and followed by Jaap van Dissel (RIVM) in the House of Representatives.

In the period surrounding the publication of each OMT advice, we see a series of interviews with experts who also participate in the OMT and other related scientists. Together they present a mosaic of facts, interpretations, insights and opinions. Often nuanced and substantiated with the figures as they are available at that time.

The interesting question is why the OMT and the experts they consult choose this communication approach. How are the communication messages coordinated between the OMT experts? Why are there always several OMT experts speaking instead of one? How does coordination about this take place in their app group?

You can expect that after two years there will be some professional coordination between the various scientists within the broad OMT team. After all, public information is one of their core tasks in the entire corona approach. And you want citizens to maintain optimal confidence in the information they receive and avoid unnecessary noise and confusion.

While the cabinet always speaks with one voice, the OMT now consistently operates as a polyphonic choir. They have undoubtedly thought about this. It would be worthwhile if the OMT explained again the philosophy behind their joint communication approach. Great opportunity for science communication students to find out.