18/9/2023
“Nothing in science has any value to society if it is not communicated.”
Anne Roe
American Clinical Psychologist and Researcher
What is science communication and why is it important?
Science communication: the process of sharing, educating, and informing others about scientific topics. It might sound straightforward, but communicating scientific ideas can be more nuanced than it seems. Scientists have always had to communicate their ideas, but as information has become more accessible in recent years, the art of science communication has become a critical skill, particularly on social media to help general audiences understand what they are seeing online about science.
Communicating effectively not only helps to inform your listeners, but also to enable them to understand your point of view as an expert. Public health professionals will encounter many different types of audiences that they have to communicate with, and it is crucial to consider your audience when deciding your science communication approach.
In this post, we will cover:
In order for your target audience to be receptive, it is important to present the information in a way that makes sense to them given their existing knowledge. This means that you will communicate differently with colleagues, family members, collaborators, and people you don’t know. Regardless of who you are communicating with, it is important to use clear language that your audience understands and to always back up your claims with evidence. As a professional in your field, you may often communicate with other professionals with similar knowledge bases, but when communicating with other groups you may need to take a step back to first understand the baseline knowledge on the subject that your audience has.
Non-experts can have various backgrounds: these can be family members, children, colleagues from different fields, and more. Avoid unnecessary technical jargon, and use plain language that is easy for your audience to understand. Share with them why what you are talking about is important and why they should care to keep them engaged. If specialized language is necessary, make sure to clearly explain what each term means in order to help get your point across. When communicating with this group, although you want to simplify concepts to be understandable, be sure to avoid talking down to them or coming across as though you are “dumbing it down” for them.
With other experts in your field, you can use more technical language but still be sure to gauge their level of expertise on the subject to know where more explanation might be needed. Make sure to speak confidently and clearly, and be prepared with evidence to support your claims. This group is more likely to ask you more challenging questions, so ensure that you are ready to have a scientific discussion.
Communicating with others who do not agree with your point of view is perhaps one of the most challenging groups to get your point across to. People tend to be very confident that their point of view is correct, even if they are not an expert in the subject. They may have received misinformation from what they thought was a reliable source, but in reality may not be supported by science/evidence-based research. Try to understand why they might hold the beliefs they do and avoid criticizing them for their beliefs. Take the opportunity to present them with clear evidence backed by research in order to share your viewpoint on the issue. Presenting them with the evidence on the top will enable them to educate themselves further, but don’t be discouraged if their mind doesn’t change right away. Forcing your ideas onto someone is never going to change their mind, but repeated presentation of scientific evidence over time can be more effective in allowing them to build informed opinions.
Online science communication can allow you to reach a broad audience very quickly. This audience will generally include people from a range of backgrounds, so it is advised to adopt a similar approach as when communicating with non-experts, such as trying to avoid complex technical language. For social media posts, keep your information short, as most readers will only spend a few seconds on each post. Make sure to communicate clearly in a way that is difficult to misinterpret or skew to avoid any confusion about the message that you are trying to get across. Be prepared for some discussion in the comments about your post, and as always, make sure to have sources to back up what you are saying!
Science communication can seem daunting, but with a few simple strategies anyone can be a science communicator. Know your audience, speak clearly, avoid jargon, and relate the science back to your audience and you will be getting your message across in no time!
Written by: Natalie Wilson
