The Art & Science of Communication
Written by Drew Duglan, PhD
What good is a scientific breakthrough if no one ever hears about it or understands its true impact? Unfortunately, great science can be stunted by those unable to convey the message. As a scientist turned science communicator, I’ve seen my fair share of both enthralled and comatose expressions during scientific presentations. In this article I want to lay out why effective communication in science (and in general) is so crucial, as well as some key techniques you can incorporate to bring your discoveries to life.
I group the reasons why we should become skilled communicators into three broad categories: its significance in the public setting; its importance for the scientific community; and its role in personal growth.
Public significance
Much like jury duty, we should view being good communicators as a civic responsibility. Our public neighbors are the biggest funders of our scientific research, either involuntarily as taxpayers or generously as philanthropists.
A constant topic of discussion in our society is education. Many of us would agree that we could improve the standards of public education in science, logic and reasoning. But the burden should not rest solely on school teachers; as real-world scientists and engineers, we should shoulder some of that burden. Although it can seem daunting, it’s a great privilege to educate future generations and sow new seeds of curiosity.
Understandably, a sense of pride comes with contributing a scientific discovery to the growing knowledge pool. But this pride and confidence can easily become dented if we feel like the public is cynical or disinterested in science. By honing our communication skills, we can cultivate a positive attitude toward science in the public psyche and sustain our self-regard in the process.
Whether it’s clinical trials, research questionnaires or crowdsourced intelligence, a massive amount of scientific data is generated thanks to willing volunteers. Whether we like it or not, our very livelihoods are dependent upon public opinion.
Professional significance
If you’re an effective communicator of scientific concepts, it will reflect positively on your college or institution and elevate its status. In this way, you could view it as giving something back. Undoubtedly, this then comes back around to reflect well on you, leading to more community engagement and publicity of your work.
Communication is the key to any successful relationship and teamwork is vital to solving our most complex problems. Clear and confident interactions with fellow scientists enhance collaborations, allow for troubleshooting and ultimately improve productivity. Over time, this will accelerate the field towards new discoveries and thereby elevate that field within the scientific community.
Imagine being able to describe the deep-seated motivations behind your work, the innovative approach you’ve developed and the life-changing, human impact of your discoveries. If you can incorporate these elements into grants and other proposals, funding opportunities will increase considerably.
Personal significance
“You don’t attract what you want, you attract what you are.” This pithy remark usually refers to the laws of attraction in the dating world, but these laws apply to your whole sphere of influence. Naturally, you want to be surrounded by well-rounded individuals who can enrich your life as both friend and professional ally. This won’t happen by chance. It’s up to us to take the initiative in expanding and sustaining our network, and being a good communicator will significantly help pull in the people you desire.
Every time you communicate, you are advocating for something. That something is often yourself. Becoming a charismatic and persuasive individual, and someone who pays attention, signals to others that you can offer value in any given domain. We crave these human signals, which is why so many good opportunities come simply from networking with others around you. These characteristics will also make you a good negotiator, commanding respect and increasing the likelihood that you will attain the project or career that you want.
Finally, mastery in communication will allow for mastery in thought. Comprehensive writing, attentive listening and dynamic speech, not to mention an extensive reading list, are the tools for understanding the world and our place within in. As our thoughts and value systems evolve, they give us the confidence to pursue those ever more complex goals that constitute a life of true meaning.
I have given several seminars and workshops that detail my career path, the value of science communication and actionable advice for sharpening these skills. This example is from my keynote speech at the Scripps Research Community Symposium, May 2021.
Key takeaways
Regardless of whether you’re writing a feature article, creating a social media post or crafting an elevator pitch to describe your science, every communication needs to be based on the following three elements.
Within this framework, here are a few techniques to incorporate and things to remember…
Know your audience. This is top of the list. Remember that different groups of people will have varying levels of baseline understanding on your topic of interest. They will also have different expectations when speaking with you. Knowing this will help you to tailor your message accordingly. For example, your grandmother should be receiving a different version of your message compared to a potential start-up investor. If you meet someone for the first time and are uncertain about their preexisting knowledge, always start simpler and increase complexity as you gauge their interest and understanding. For example, you might refer to a brain cell before going on to say neuron or eventually dopamine neuron. To gauge their understanding, this of course means that you have be very dynamic in the conversation and a careful monitor of their response.
Avoid jargon. To help keep things simple, ditch the fancy words. As a scientist, I feel like people are inventing new terms all the time. So how are the general public supposed to know about technical erms, abbreviations and acronyms? I know it makes us feel all special having a fun secret language, but that’s exactly what it will seem like to the lay person – a completely foreign language. There’s no faster way to turn them off. If you do absolutely have to use a technical word, make sure you define it first. Otherwise, describe things in ways people will understand, using familiar language. A good metaphor or analogy goes a long way and will stick in a person’s mind afterwards. And you want to be memorable.
Have fun and be funny. This is a personal favorite. You should have fun whenever you are interacting with your audience. This will put both you and them at ease and will allow for smooth, open conversation. Adding humor is often magnetic; it lends some charm to your work and usually highlights your enthusiasm. Being witty is also a good sign of intelligence and scientific discoveries are always more compelling when there’s a quirky narrative to them.
Make it human. People care about other people and want to know that you care about them. You must give your work a human face and show that humanity is your ultimate motivation. “You cannot displace a feeling with a fact.” This is a quote from Ed Yong, an accomplished science writer. He describes how we make decisions based on our emotional centers and that emotive content always lodges in the mind more than dry facts. “A single death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic.” This statement is far more chilling. And no wonder, since it is attributed to socialist tyrant Joseph Stalin, as millions of people were dying from starvation during the reign of the Soviet Union. Sadly, there is some truth to this statement. When we see the face of one individual suffering we empathize. But when it’s millions of unknown faces, we are simply overwhelmed and that empathy becomes diluted. This is why many successful charity campaigns often focus on only one child or one family that the viewer can relate to. This is the art of storytelling.
Now go out there and tell your story….
P.S. Don’t just take my word for it. Listen to David Biello, award-winning journalist and the scientific curator for TED talks. In this episode of my podcast, I spoke to him all about how to craft compelling scientific narratives.
