Audio Interview: How to Communicate Your Science | The 5 Key Steps

Are you looking to reach new audiences with your research? This video is for you! Here we share our 5 key steps for effective scientific communication. These steps are based on an our Communications Toolkit that will guide you through the process of designing a communications plan that will increase your impact. 

Listen to it as a podcast episode:

Full transcript:

Erin (00:09):
Science can enable us to explore new worlds or discover ones we never knew existed in our own
backyards. It can catalyze our capacity to cure diseases or warn us about the effects of climate change.
However, the breadth and complexity of science often makes it challenging for researchers to
communicate effectively. That's why SESYNC developed the Communications toolkit.

In this video, we'll teach you how to go from nebulous ideation to concrete action by setting goals,
identifying key audiences, selecting communication channels, and finally crafting clear, concise, and
compelling messaging so you can, well, change the world. Let's get started with expert in the field, Alaina
Gallagher. So thank you so much for joining us today, Alaina. We're excited to have you.

Alaina (01:01):
Thanks for having me, Erin.

Erin (01:03):
I was curious what drew you to language and grammar in general?

Alaina (01:07):
I would say I pretty much just love words and I've always really loved reading and writing, but I think
when it comes to grammar, I just remember diagramming sentences in grade school and I just loved it. So
I think that's probably where it all began.

Erin (01:21):
Awesome. And what drew you to want to work at SESYNC specifically?

Alaina (01:26):
So what I love about SESYNC and what really drew me to the center is it's focused on getting everyone
involved in the conversation around sustainability, especially those who might have different perspectives
or different kinds of knowledge, like those that come from the humanities or the social sciences, say, but
also opening it up even wider to stakeholders or community members. From the start, I think SESYNC
has always recognized that wider participation produces stronger scientific results, and I think that
translates really well to science communication because the more people who can understand your
science and how it can affect their lives, the more powerful and impactful your science will end up being.

Erin (02:04):
Yeah, that's so true, and I agree that that's kind of the heart of the organization. So yes, today we are
talking all about science communication and specifically we're going to focus on a tool or a resource That
we created called the Communications Toolkit, which you can find on our website. And this toolkit was
designed to help you create a communications plan that will have your research making a big impact. I
just want to note that while some socio environmental examples are used, the information presented here
can be applied to any type of scientific research. Lastly, this toolkit was created by a couple of our former
colleagues, journalist, author and Professor, Lisa Palmer, as well as Emmy nominated documentary
filmmaker, Elizabeth Herzfeldt-Kamprath. Let's get started.

Alaina (02:48):
The toolkit really starts with having people think about what impact the research could have and also how
they might traverse any sort of disciplinary barriers or differences in language, say. As we know, different
disciplines might use different terms, or sometimes they have different meanings for the exact same word,
and that's okay, but it's really helpful to start thinking about those things early so you can start to come up
with solutions rather than the night before you're trying to get something out. With our teams at SESYNC,
we would often stress that it's important to start thinking about communications early and often
throughout your research process, not just at the end when it's all said and done. Too often I think people
tend to think of communications as an afterthought. They wait until their project wraps up or they have a
paper coming out before they really start thinking about it.

(03:33):
But by then there's usually not enough time. As we know, journals often have a really short turnaround
between the time when they accept a publication and when they actually publish it. And if that's the case,
you just might not have enough time to figure out how you're going to get the word out about your paper.
You have to think about things like, do you want to write a blog or do a press release? And if so, where
will you post it? Do you have a contact for that place? Is there enough time to circulate it among your coauthors and make sure everyone agrees on the messaging. So this toolkit really helps people to get serious
kind of planning ahead of time so that they have a path forward.

Erin (04:06):
I think sometimes people might put it off until the end because maybe there's some anxiety around, oh,
this isn't my expertise, I'm not really sure what to do. Or conversely, they might think, oh, that's just easy.
I'll just put it out there. But really it takes time and it takes a strategic plan, and that's what this toolkit is
all about.

Alaina (04:27):
Yeah. I'll also say too, another thing that we would suggest to teams is to actually designate someone to
be the communications person or the communications lead. I think you're right. Sometimes we all just
assume everybody will do a little bit of something and then nothing happens, and that way it falls through
the cracks really easily. But having someone who fills that role and can really corral people and make
sure that things are on track, that can be a really big help.

Erin (04:52):
Yeah, that's a great idea. So the next step is identifying your goals. Do you want to talk to us about that,
Alaina?

Alaina (04:59):
Yeah, so it's really helpful to identify some concrete goals. What do you hope that you could accomplish?
Are you trying to inform people about a problem? Are you trying to sway them to change their behavior
in some way? And maybe that's at the individual level, or maybe it's an entire industry. Are you trying to
shape some kind of policy or legislation? So really thinking in a best case scenario, what change or effect
do you hope your research could create? And then after you do that, you want to come up with some very
specific and concrete goals. Identify what you hope your research can do, and that will be a really critical
first step.

Erin (05:32):
Awesome. And that sounds like the fun part, like you said, best case scenario, how is this going to change
the world? I think that sounds like a good place to start. And moving on to who are the audiences, Alaina,
how do we think about who are our audiences?

Alaina (05:48):
Yeah, it's really important to recognize that usually you're going to want to reach more than one audience,
right? You're seldom ever going to be like, oh, I just want to reach this one group. So SESYNC actually
has a tool online. It's really a spreadsheet that just kind of helps you pinpoint your different audiences as
well as prioritize 'em. So you can figure out how are you going to divide your resources and your time
and your effort and figure out what each of those groups will need. So it makes you think about are you
trying to reach stakeholders, policy makers, maybe it's voters, maybe it's resource managers. Those are all
really different groups who are going to need different things, but it also helps you consider some really
key things that might not seem obvious, like your level of credibility with these groups. How do they
know that you're an expert? How do they know that they should trust you? Another thing is what is their
existing level or knowledge or familiarity with the subject? Basically, how much background or context
do you need to provide them? And then most importantly, you have to ask yourself what's in it for them?
How will it impact them or what's at stake for them? Why should they care? This spreadsheet helps you
go through all of those questions and really consider each of those points.

Erin (06:51):
Another example that I wanted to point out from a researcher's perspective is there was a brilliant
researcher that was at SESYNC, Kelly Jones, and her research was focused on air quality monitoring,
specifically on schools. And so some of her key audiences were actually mothers groups and school
nurses associations. So they're very specific. And what's great about identifying specific audiences is
those are the people that are going to help you change the world. Now that we've identified these people
we want to talk to, how do we reach them?

Alaina (07:28):
So that's another key thing, right? Each group is going to need a little something different. And while a
white paper might be really useful for sharing findings with legislators that you hope to kind of influence
as they're developing a policy, a blog or an infographic might be a lot more effective if you're trying to
just get your neighbors to consider composting. Let's say, instead of throwing away food waste or maybe
you're trying to get them to water their lawn less. Again, it's really important. Different audiences will
require different means of communication, but it's also important to consider how things like the tone, the
type of language you use, for example, the level of technical language that you're including, even the
visuals that accompany your texts, that's all going to matter based on the different audience that you're
reaching. So the next part of the toolkit really helps people figure out just that: what's the most effective
mode for getting your message across? And that could be using social media, it could be creating a
website, it could be putting together a one pager or a fact sheet, or maybe it's even developing a video that
can show the impacts of the problem or even have interviews with those affected.

Erin (08:28):
I know these digital tools can be just absolutely vital for getting research out there. But something else
that I want to mention is it's really valuable to also have some face-to-face interaction. So if you're trying
to have a local impact, maybe you're working with mothers groups or indigenous groups, going to
meetings and conversing with people and helping to show you really care. You're doing this research for a
purpose, I think can be really impactful and help to give your research that extra bump into making a
difference.

Alaina (09:03):
Yeah, I think that's a really good point, Erin. You can't discount face-to-face time because try as you
might sometimes written text on page, it just has a certain formality to it, and it can be difficult to really
convey your feelings. But seeing someone face to face and seeing their expressions and seeing their
emotions, sometimes it just has a stronger impact and there's really no denying that. It feels more
personable, it feels more intimate, and it can make a world of difference.

Erin (09:30):
Thanks. So let's move on now to crafting a clear message because we've decided who you want to talk to.
How are we going to talk to them? But what are we going to say?

Alaina (09:40):
Right. So just like you might use a different channel of communication for each group, it's important to
keep in mind, you might have to tweak your messaging for each audience. Also, maybe different things
will be important to different groups or maybe one will have more background on something and so
they'll need less context. So you want to keep that in mind In terms of the actual content, there's a few
things that you can really try to include to have the strongest reach. First, make sure to describe the
problem and how it relates to your audiences. We keep bringing this up, but it's so true. What's in it for
them? Why should they care? What is their role in this or how will it affect them? It also really helps to
highlight some successes or positives that you've seen within your research.

(10:22):
Especially when it comes to the environment, a lot of times it is really doom and gloom and it can feel
like there's no hope. So any opportunity you have to show some positivity, some kind of hopeful glimmer
in the future, I think that goes a long way and makes people connect a little bit more.

(10:37):
And one of the other things too is to include the consequences of both action and inaction. Really lay out
what will happen if we don't do this, what could happen if we do do this? It helps people to feel like that
they have an active role in it. They can be part of the solution. Oh, if I do this, if I take this on, then
maybe this will have a positive impact. And that can really go a long way in addition to some of those
main content points. There's also some things you can do with your writing to just make it as clear as
possible.

(11:05):
I like to think about it as how to make the biggest impact with the least amount of words, right? First of
all, for a sentence to really be digestible, it should have only 15 to 20 words, anything longer, and it's
really hard for anyone to grasp the main point of the sentence. I also suggest people consider the words
that you're using. Don't use longer words in place of shorter words if they'll have the same exact effect. A
great example is use and utilize. Use is a lot shorter. It basically means the same thing. You're not losing
anything. It just gets to the point faster. I also say try to avoid jargon as much as possible. Really think
about what terms might be confusing to someone who does not work in your field. How can you rephrase
it or explain the term instead? Also, and this is my big one, really try to avoid passive voice. Active is just
so much more direct. It's clear, it creates less confusion. I realize passive voice is very, very common in
scientific writing, but when you're trying to reach people outside the scientific community, it can be
slightly offputting.

Erin (12:05):
For the non-English majors out there, what is active versus passive voice?

Alaina (12:10):
Voice really has to do with the order of words in the sentence. For example, active voice would be: Erin
interviewed Alaina. Erin is the subject of the sentence. She's the one doing the action interviewing. And
who is she interviewing? Alaina, another way to say it, and this is passive voice: Alaina was interviewed
by Erin. Now the subject is still Erin, but it comes after the verb. We've also added a couple more words
in there. So it's just not as direct. They technically mean the same thing, but one gets to the point a lot
faster and uses less words.

Erin (12:42):
Now let's talk about elements of a story. Specifically. We have something in the toolkit called the and but
therefore statement. So what is that, Alaina?

Alaina (12:52):
This is a narrative tool that helps people briefly summarize their research in just a couple of sentences.
Basically starts by having you state two facts, which are connected by the word: "and." Those are
followed by a, "but." (So that's something that contrasts those two facts and establishes the problem.) And
then it concludes with a therefore statement, which explains what you're doing to address the problem.
This is an example based on an SESYNC team's work, and they were doing winter weather whiplash. Our
first statement is back and forth changes in winter weather events are known as winter weather whiplash.
And scientists say those kinds of weather events will become more frequent and intense with climate
change. But now here's where we introduce the problem. The potential social impacts of these weather
events are harder to predict. Therefore, SESYNC researchers are seeking to develop metrics for
identifying those events and determining their impacts. It's just a nice way to briefly summarize what
you're doing, what your research is, provide a little bit of context without getting too technical.

Erin (13:53):
Right. It kind of reminds me of an abstract except it's just much shorter. It gets right to the point and
there's no methodology because you're probably not talking to technical audiences when you're using the:
And, But, Therefore statement. And so we have another storytelling element here called the Story
Mountain. So what's that all about?

Alaina (14:14):
So this is another way to kind of think about how you can tell your research in a compelling way to
people. I think we're all kind of familiar with the traditional story arc. There's the conflict, there's the
resolution, but this science story mountain kind of goes a little bit deeper, and it includes three main
things. The first part is when you confront the audience with an idea that's not familiar or maybe not
easily understood. The second part tackles the practical implications. How will this research change
people's lives or what we know? And then the third element is the human story. How do you help people
connect with the problem, the issue or the developments in your research on a human level? So for
example, that might be communicating what the struggle was. What were some of the twists or turns in
your research process that led you to find the solution? So it's just another device for making your
research a little bit easier to understand and for people to connect with.

Erin (15:09):
Great. And I did want to ask you, do you have any tricks of the trade for people who are interested in
science communication?

Alaina (15:15):
When trying to connect with any broad or general audience: One of my favorite pieces of writing advice
is to really pretend that your audience has absolutely no idea what you're talking about. And that might
sound crazy, but it really helps you to step into the reader's shoes. What terminology is used in your field
that just might not be well known to outsiders? Are you using any acronyms or abbreviations that are
commonly known in your discipline, but might not be to the average person walking down the street?
Maybe you run into a musician and you're so excited about your work, you want to tell them all about it.
How would you break it down for them? Maybe they're not familiar with the intricacies of aquatic
ecosystems, but they do understand that water quality affects 'em. So how would you break it down? The
other thing I like to think about, and this is another favorite piece of writing advice, is that your job as a
writer is to make sure your writing is as interesting and informative as possible for the reader, right?

(16:10):
Everyone's time is valuable. So if you're repeating information, if you use too many words or if your
reader has to do any sort of extra work, like say Google a jargon term or an acronym, or if they have to do
some kind of background reading in order to understand your piece, your reader is going to be a lot less
likely to engage. And more than likely, they'll start and they'll think, oh, this isn't meant for me. This is
way over my head, and they're going to quit halfway through. I know you've lost someone who might've
otherwise really taken some sort of interest or some sort of action.

Erin (16:39):
And I know I've seen that too with other brilliant science communicators that I was listening to something
recently and I thought, oh, that's really interesting, but I don't know enough. So I had to go and sort of
research it on my own, which did make me disengage a little bit. So everything you're saying is really true
and really useful, and I just want to acknowledge that this is what we do for our work, and still we need to
rely on each other and just keep trying it and keep doing it.

Alaina (17:08):
Yeah. I'll say too, I know for these researchers, this is their life's work, this is their baby. And I know
sometimes they can feel like, well, I'm really watering down my work, or I'm devaluing my research in a
way if I strip away some of the more technical language. But I really don't think of it like that at all. I
think about it more as like a translation to a different format, one that could have really great results. So
you have to think, would I rather keep these few fancy words and only reach a handful of people, or
would I rather break it down into simpler terms and maybe reach hundreds or maybe even thousands of
people instead? And I also realize people are sometimes so immersed in their work, they don't even
realize anymore what terms might be confusing. I get it. If you stare at it every day, none of it looks,
you're not looking at it with fresh eyes.

(17:54):
So in that case, I always recommend having someone else read it. And that can be your partner, your
roommate, your sibling, your mom, someone who is not in your field, and who can give you honest
feedback. Ask them, does this make sense? Did anything sound or feel like jargon? As an editor, I'm
always surprised at what I missed the first time around. Erin, I always ask you to read behind me on
things. And so even if you're not necessarily looking for jargon, sometimes it's just helpful to have
someone read it with fresh eyes, especially if it's going to a wider audience just to get their input and their
feedback.

Erin (18:26):
Definitely. And just to finish up here, I just wanted to ask you, what's something that you're most proud of
with your work with SESYNC?

Alaina (18:34):
Recently, it's the website—helping to lead the design and development of it. It was launched last year. And
for someone who does not have an IT background, it was a really intense and challenging process. Just
the amount of decisions we had to make. Nothing's ever perfect in the end, but I ended up learning so
much, and it got me to really think about communications, I'd say in a different way. How do we
communicate things visually through our website, whether it's images we're using or the placement of
taps or buttons. And in a way, I think it was almost like developing a communication strategy. We had to
think why should people care about what we have to offer and how do we make it clear and how do we
get people to interact with SESYNC resources in a meaningful way?

Erin (19:14):
Yeah. Well, thank you so much for joining us.

Alaina (19:18):
Thanks for letting me talk about words. :)