The art of comunicating science
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This document discusses best practices for scientists communicating science to journalists and the public. It recommends that scientists understand television rules and formats, focus on clear and engaging storytelling to explain one main concept per program, and work as part of a team with journalists and communications professionals. The goal is for audiences to understand scientific findings and their relevance in everyday terms, and to explain what they learned to others.
The art of comunicating science
- 1. art The science of communicating science Jaume Vilalta Xavier Kirchner juny 2008
- 2. We show our cards Just three messages 1 2 3 To do not show on the media should not an option for a scientist Journalist play their role, but they play on scientists side TV has its own rules. It is better to follow them
- 3. Why are we here? Scientists โ journalists, a hate & love story What is our role in the game? What are we looking for?
- 4. The hate story Why the gap between โnews generatorsโ and โnews broadcastersโ?
- 5. Scientist? We have very little social presence Trivialities and banalities are always pieces of news, why really important things never are? Journalists have no idea of science โฆ they donโt really make the effort to understand our explanations and they usually make mistakes
- 6. โฆ the world from one angle Journalists never call us We have to investigate, we have to publish, โฆ we are too busy to make self promotion โฆ โฆ this is not our priority Who cares โฆ Talk shows are not serious โฆ Journalists want everything in short, โฆ they give us too little time to make clear enough explanations
- 7. Journalists? We get worried about audience โฆ โฆ who cares about science and scientists? In any case, when something really important happens, we publish it Small achievements are not pieces of news They are always late when reporting news It is too complicated โฆ โฆ letโs leave it for the specialized press
- 8. โฆ the world from the other angle There are architects, doctors, lawyers, who are โmedia starsโ; being science so important, why arenโt there any media stars scientists? Scientists are difficult to get, they are always โtoo busyโ to talk to journalists
- 9. The love (of convenience) story Two parts who need each other?
- 10. The interdependence diagram (cynical view) $ Politicians (Society, Decision makers, โฆ) Research Science Media $ This is what we are talking about ? Advertising Audience Votes
- 11. Media is us (today) Science is our future
- 12. Surviving and evolving is a matter of getting adapted Have scientists and scientific institutions adapted to the Information Society?
- 13. Why? (to get adapted โ to show in the media) To get known, to get recognition To get more money To be able to defend ourselves โฆ โฆ to be able to attack others To โpay the taxโ and be able to keep working To give back to the society โฆ helping to make it more intelligent and more perceptive Somebody (a boss) asked me to do that โฆ
- 14. How? (to get adapted) A matter of understanding WE "Gnothi seautonโ (Know yourself โ Socrates) Strengths Weaknesses Objectives: What to explain? Why? THE OTHER Know the context Opportunities Threats Know the rules It is not the same to ride a bicycle than a horse
- 15. Knowing the rules What do journalists need? To fill a newscast or a program To do it cheap and quickly To give the news, to get attention Do not be left behind To be able to repeat what others say To get celebrities or charismatic characters who communicate well
- 16. Knowing the rules Is what I did a piece of news? A piece of news is โฆ โฆ a novel breach of the order of things susceptible to become a reference point for a community News News โnewโ change โpermanentโ & important Target context
- 17. โ...reference point for a communityโ Clearly define the target community โฆ โฆ and do not loose focus The wider the community, the larger the step If the step is large enough it is understandable If it is not understandable it is not large enough The shorter โthe distanceโ, the larger the impact and the significance
- 18. Could what I did / have done / do be a piece of news? Not everything scientists do is a piece of news โฆ โฆ but โฆ โฆ most of the things that scientists achieve have a great impact on peopleโs lives โฆ It's a matter of communication Donโt let the lack of communication skills to spoil a good piece of news Scientists are and may be shown as interesting people There is life beyond the news reports โฆ โฆ but it needs a context
- 19. Moving on Zooming into the 3W: What, HoW and Who
- 20. What New Close Subject Character Unique It's a matter of communication Or it could be shown like that
- 21. How Sex, lies & videotapes Envelop Conflict Situation Story Dialectics โ Disagreement โ Fight Protagonist โ Antagonist Boost Discovery Process Exploring with new eyes Participation Two ways of engaging the audience It's a matter of communication
- 22. Who Two ways to get attention You are the news You are the character If you are the character you have the right to generate news โper seโ
- 23. A character who wants to communicate, does communicate Branding It's a matter of communication
- 24. Rivalries reinforce characters Differences generate interest It's a matter of communication
- 25. You could be respected even if you talk about complex subjects
- 26. The power of overcoming difficulties Personal testimonies endorse messages and get attention
- 27. People identifies with challengers either โanonymousโ โฆ
- 28. People identifies with challengers โฆ or with a well known name
- 29. The power of love A powerful Who could help any What&HoW
- 30. Facts are from Mars (or even Saturn), people are from Venus COLD FACTS could be boring (and/or tough) Specially if they are slow or difficult to visualize WARM PEOPLE are always interesting Donโt commit the sin of modesty, โฆ get out of the closed, โฆ but with something to say Much better if you are the news It's a matter of communication
- 31. Good casting Key factor for success Not the wiser, not the savvier โฆ The best communicator Bosses could do well, โฆ OR NOT Being engaged with the subject passion helps to transmit love When you are the character you have to perform
- 32. You know how to whistle, donโt you? Just put your lips together - and blow You are the character you have to perform Get out of the lab, out of the office Make pictures Use your hands Use what you have on hand Film what you do and film yourself Make mock-ups / do experiments Donโt be shy โฆ a โsecond shotโ is always an option
- 33. Passion for communicating Enter the hearts to get into brains Be honest, be sincere, be yourself Forget stereotypes, forget patterns Donโt imitate
- 34. A scientist who communicates is not doing science Communication strategies go first Avoid โPangeaโs syndromeโ Lose your fear of making a fool of yourself To simplify does not imply to devaluate
- 35. Love&Communication is a matter of 2 Messages: Focused, clear and loudly News target audience Audience people People โlevelโ Which is the โright levelโ? Very intelligent 13 years old student How science impacts his/her life and his/her community?
- 36. How to ride a horse Getting adapted to TV Some cooking recipes to assure success
- 37. Knowing โthe otherโ - 1 TV dumb box & magic lantern A Picture's Meaning Can Express Ten Thousand Words (some of them not intentionally) โฆ but very little ideas Communicating Science select & renounce It's a matter of โฆ TV
- 38. Knowing โthe otherโ - 2 One team, one success To participate in a TV program means to become a member of a team Accept to share your experience with what the other team members know A common objective: to succeed Your success is their success Their success is your success Journalists play on your side
- 39. A concept is a concept, is a concept Tangible Human scale Sizable in โฌ Intangible Too big, too little โInvisibleโ Hidden Abstract It's a matter of โฆ TV Actions Metaphors, analogies Using words (and drawings, and analogies, but they are useless without words) From concrete situations to general concepts Never the opposite
- 40. One idea per program Keeping focus keeping attention What matters is the result not the way not the method Transmitting knowledge is not building knowledge The way is full of traps, donโt fall into them experimental processes funny side phenomena โฆ KEEP FOCUSED !
- 41. From phenomena to explanations Donโt start building by the roof Begin close to the earth, telling stories โฆ Donโt start formulating enunciates Always go from the example to the concept from what is particular to what is general
- 42. You do not paint the final picture To put together the puzzle is somebody elseโs role Somebody will have to summarize, better if itโs you or better you help on doing that Make the editorโs job easier and your time & effort useful: talk easy donโt use subordinates donโt use long sentences donโt use too technical words โฆ โฆ or explain them
- 43. Working with journalists If you prick them, they bleed โฆ
- 44. Your team to get to โyour fansโ With the little help of your friends: Professionals that help you to communicate well
- 45. Circuit road blocks Bad communication between scientists and their Press Office Just no communication Delays The Press Office blocks the direct communication between scientist and journalists Scientist do not dedicate enough time
- 46. Preparing the work of the team Anticipate the news Allow the journalists to follow the process Document the steps Get permissions and image rights Prepare a clear and understandable dossier
- 47. โฆ and then, the audience opens the oven โฆ
- 48. We have succeeded when the people of the audience is able to explain to their neighbours and friends what they have seen โThere is nothing that, being true, could not be explained with simple wordsโ Cristian Ruiz i Altaba
- 49. Thanks a lot! Now itโs time to talk Jaume Vilalta <jvilalta.b@tv3.cat> Xavier Kirchner <xavier@kirchner.cat>