Have you ever tried to talk about your work to family or friends – only to get yawns? These are the same people taking time to watch one or more of the two million cat videos on the internet, right? It’s truly aggravating isn’t it? Comparing the attention span for silly entertainment and that ofContinue reading “What can scientists learn about communications from the success of cat videos?”
Tag Archives: science communications
More things to know about your audience!
In my last blog, I explained several factors that get in the way of your audience receiving the message you send. Not all is lost! You control the message. You can learn how hurtful jargon is to your message. And then by and working to create relatable talks, blogs and social media posts, you willContinue reading “More things to know about your audience!”
Why is science communication so hard?
Nowhere in my scientific training did anyone explain to me that communications went further than publishing a paper or presenting to my peers. Every Monday night, graduate students participated in a seminar of quickly synopsizing papers we’d read over the weekend. Ok, we really read them Sunday night – or even the wee hours ofContinue reading “Why is science communication so hard?”
The importance of planning communications
Have you ever rushed while packing for a trip, only to get to your destination without a toothbrush, extra socks – or goodness forbid a crucial power cord? I myself keep a running list in my suitcase for packing. When communicating to the public, it’s important to take the time to plan and write anContinue reading “The importance of planning communications”
Explaining the certainty of uncertainty
One of the best things that can happen to you as a science communicator is to be asked a question! And often the question might relate to changes in practice, or someone else’s advice: in other words, things that have to do with uncertainty. People are uncomfortable with it, but we must be prepared toContinue reading “Explaining the certainty of uncertainty”
Toss your audience an anchor!
If you’ve ever gone fishing, you know that once you find a good location, you want to stay there. So, you often drop an anchor in the water, to keep your boat from drifting away. Communications anchors can help in much the same way when you communicate to the public. They are language “devices” thatContinue reading “Toss your audience an anchor!”
Clean out your “jargon” closet!
They say fences make for better neighbors. But the opposite is true with communications: You want as few barriers between you and your audience as possible. One of the most common roadblocks in science communication is jargon. A 2017 paper highlights this trend, and says scientists are even using more jargon when communicating amongst themselves!Continue reading “Clean out your “jargon” closet!”
Why you need a lead that grabs attention
In good science communications, you really should lead people on, but not in a bad way. This is in direct opposition to how one writes a research paper. It’s putting your “so what” first to grab the attention of your reader or listener. People often make decisions about whether to stay with a blog orContinue reading “Why you need a lead that grabs attention”
Communicating so people understand
In this blog, Is Science A Second Language? I quoted Gwen Pearson, an entomologist. Pearson acknowledges that it’s the scientists’ job to translate scientific messages into compelling, relatable material. I, of course, agree, which is why I started this blog, to give scientists the tools to do so. One of the first methods we useContinue reading “Communicating so people understand”
What are your jargon pet peeves?
My next post will be about jargon and why scientists shouldn’t use it (or very little) when communicating to the general public. I’m collecting pet peeve jargon words from other scientists to add to the “substitute with” list. Leave a note in the comments, thanks!
Relatable Science 