Sharing Your Science Story
21
ADVANCING KNOWLEDGE AND STEWARDSHIP OF FRESH WATER SYSTEMS THROUGH RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND RESTORATION
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Transcript of Sharing Your Science Story
ADVANCING KNOWLEDGE AND STEWARDSHIP OF FRESH WATER SYSTEMS THROUGH RESEARCH, EDUCATION, AND RESTORATION
1. Why it’s Important
2. Know Your Audience
3.Tools of the Trade
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Science Lacks a Culture of Explanation Other than to peers –publishing scientific papers, delivering seminars, talking shop over lunch… Technical papers represent a miserably inaccessible example of science and engineering’s lack of a culture of explanation.
1. Employers rank communications skills first in qualities they seek in an applicant.
2. Lay-level explanations advance your research.
3.Media Coverage affects citations. 4. Explain the broader
implications and applications of your work.
5. Affects your funding.
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Employers rank communication skills higher than a strong work ethic, teamwork skills, initiative and analytical skills. Being able to communicate scientific findings to the public, to the news media and to policymakers can help a researcher become more successful overall and generate broad public support for his goals. Researchers in other fields will probably not read your professional journal but they will very likely read USA Today, Scientific American, Science, Nature, New Scientists, or Chemical & Engineering News. This increases opportunities for multi-disciplinary collaboration. Studies show that researchers who are cited in the lay media are more often cited in scientific journals. You are not really “doing science” unless you widely disseminate your work. Physicist John Ziman in his 1968 book Public Knowledge: The Social Dimension of Science: “The objective of science is not just to acquire information, nor to utter all non-contradictory notions; its goal is a consensus of rational opinion over the widest possible field.” Albert Einstein said: “You do not truly understand something until you can explain it to your grandmother.” National Science Foundation (NSF) “Broader Impacts Review Criterion” for reviewing proposals encourages education and outreach.� “Will the results be disseminated broadly to enhance scientific and technological understanding?” �Jeff Nesbit, director of NSF’s office of Legislative and Public Affairs: “Most researchers choose things that have worked in the past, such as developing traditional educational and classroom materials. Review committees are now looking for more innovative and creative ways to broaden the reach of your research and one of the easiest ways is using mass communication, podcasts and videos.”
Why it’s important
1. Link between scientific capacity & national prosperity.
2. Decision Relevant Science (DRS) affects attitudes & behavior.
3. Counter junk science, superstition, parochial ideology.
Presenter
Presentation Notes
U.S. President Barack Obama promised during his inaugural speech to “restore the basic principle that government decisions should be based on the best-available, scientifically-valid evidence and not on ideological predispositions.” Decision Relevant Science DRS: science that’s relevant to the decisions ordinary members of the public make in the course of their everyday lives as consumers, parents, citizens… Counter junk science and parochial ideology which contributes to public disrespect and disregard for science. “Nature abhors a vacuum.” If you don’t fill that empty space with TRUTH, you better believe that someone else will come along and fill it with rumor, innuendo and outright lies.
• Peers/Colleagues • Foundations & funding
agency administrators
• Your institution's leaders
• Employees
• Private donors
• Legislators
• Potential collaborators in other disciplines
• The general public (including children?)
• Family and friends
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Identify which audiences would find the outcomes and implications of your research relevant, useful, interesting or important. Your audiences will most likely include: Administrators of foundations and funding agencies Your institution's leaders and employees Private donors and prospective donors Potential collaborators in other disciplines Legislators The general public (how about children?) Your own family and friends
What does your audience care about?
What words are familiar and comfortable to them?
Listen before you talk.
Will political & social conditions affect message delivery?
Presenter
Presentation Notes
First priority is to know who your audience is and communicate with them in terms they understand and about things they truly care about. This requires careful listening. What do they know/believe before I tell them anything? What questions might they ask? What might they be interested in that’s related to my topic? Experiment on a similar audience friends, family, colleagues to learn which words work and which ones don’t. Lean from others read and follow other successful communicators in your field.
Try to learn your audience’s point of view.
Presenter
Presentation Notes
It’s crucial to understand how your audience sees and frames things before you can attempt to communicate with them.
A conversation, not a lecture.
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Talk WITH people, not AT them. Communication takes place in the overlap of interest, frame of reference and language. Everything else is noise.
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Scientists spend many years on laborious, research, then months getting it ready for publication where they hope it will be well-received by their peers. It’s natural to think that after doing all that you’re done. But, in truth, you’ve only just begun.
• Face-to-face • Voice-to-voice • Snail mail • Email • Talks (incl. TED talk?)
• Web sites (incl. social media)
• News releases • Op-Ed/Letter-to-Editor • Feature articles • Multimedia presentations
Presenter
Presentation Notes
In general, the more important (and narrow) the audience, the more important is a face-to-face approach. Peers/colleagues: Journal Article, Presentation, Poster Other disciplines: Science review publication Public: Traditional and Social Media Public: Press release/ op-ed/ multi-media Legislator: Personal visit, phone call, letter Kids: Discovery Stories, Games and Toys
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Scientists usually start by placing research into a historical context, but the public wants to know the key point from the beginning. To translate detailed, complex material into clear streamlined prose, start out by explaining the “big picture” and why the audience should care. Then fill in appropriate detail to emphasize your points. 3-Point Structure: What three things do you want your audience to remember? Organize your message around those points. Think about your audience what they want to know. 3 focuses of your research, 3 results, 3 reasons your work is important or 3 potential applications
• The “curse” of knowledge
• K.I.S.S. • More is the enemy
of good enough.
It’s a lonely place.
• Make it miniature, memorable & meaningful.
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Example: Tap out a beat to a simple song everyone would know. Ask participants to identify the song you heard in your head as you were tapping it out. They can’t do it. Keep it Simple, Stupid! Strip an idea to its core, without turning it into a silly sound bite. Pruning even the important, but not truly essential aspects. E.g. the military uses “commander intent”: “Take the bridge.” rather than share specifics of the plan. Journalists are taught to write their stories in the inverted pyramid style so that the most important aspects of the story come first, then tailor, and add detail. Stick to relevant points: just because a term or methodology is easy to explain doesn’t mean it belongs in your presentation. Avoid introducing a term if you are only going to use it once in a while.
Tell a story to make your message memorable. • Protagonist • Needs something • Struggle • Change • Resolution
To inspire behavior change, you MUST touch the heart, not the head.
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Don’t be too cerebral. It’s not as simple as just blurting it out. If your audience can relate to you as a person they’ll be able to get more out of the research you are trying to convey. What it means to you as a person/ landmark you were trying to reach as a person. If research process took a long time talk about your struggle. Was the result a complete surprise to you? Convey your frustration, passion, excitement. Get them to feel what you feel.
Use supporting information and visuals judiciously
• Is that table/graph really necessary? • Is a picture, or illustration available? • Does the story lend itself to video or
animation?
• Breaks new ground • Has broad significant applications • Challenges conventional wisdom • Has a great backstory • Entertaining or intrinsically interesting
Journalists Need a News Peg
A reason to write a story at a particular time. • The best news peg is a
related BIG news event. • It could be a scientific paper
or symposium. • Report of your findings to
your funding agency.
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Try to think like a journalist. Unless it’s a stand-alone feature story, without a news peg your research finding will garner far less attention. Christine Russell, senior fellow at Harvard’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs: Science Reporting by Press Release: “A dirty little secret of journalism has always been the degree to which some reporters rely on press releases and PR offices as sources for stories. But recent newsroom cutbacks and increased pressure to churn out online news have given publicity operations even greater prominence in science coverage… In some cases the line between news story and press release has become so blurred that reporters are using direct quotes from press releases in their stories without acknowledging the source.”
• Always ask a reporter about his/her deadline
• Be a part of today’s news, or an observer of yesterday’s news.
• You might have only minutes to convey your perspective.
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Scientists often can’t appreciate how much time is the essence for reporters. Your work took years to accomplish, many months to publish and its findings are timeless. Fail to call a reporter back immediately, and you might miss an opportunity to correct errors or to get your 2 cents worth about a rival’s research finding.
• Stunning photo • Compelling illustration • Multi-media • Media web sites are far more likely than
in the past to link to a researcher’s web site.
Newspapers are now basically Web sites and are looking for visuals.
Learn to use social media • Lurk before you leap. • Learn the culture &
language. • It’s a relationship
medium, not a broadcast medium.
• Use a dashboard like Tweet Deck or HootSuite.
Presenter
Presentation Notes
Remember, it’s not about YOU—at least, not always. Objective: Build relationships and engage with others.
You Face a New Era of Multimedia Scientific Publication • Learn the art of storytelling and how to
produce effective images, videos and animations.
• Publish, but not merely “papers.” • Create multimedia communications
