"I think that the problem is that the standard of proof and the mechanisms of communications that are familiar to scientists are extremely cautious and extremely risk averse, particularly around stating best practices." Dr. Paul Glimcher In these COVID times, data is invaluable. Learning how to communicate what we do know - based on data so far - can help give assurance and inform decision making. Here's timely and sage advice from Dr. Paul Glimcher. He is a neuroscientist, psychologist, and...
Two pivotal experiences in high school sparked Amber Habowski’s interest in biology and her desire to communicate science clearly. She sought to understand the biomechanics of her own sports-induced knee injuries and surgeries and the neurophysiology of her grandfather’s brain after he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. This led her to work at both the physical therapist office who treated her knee and the Parkinson’s center where her grandfather was treated. Eager to share her new-found...
When you have been a medical school professor for 25 years, you do your share of speaking. For Marian Waterman, people tell her that scientific communication seems to come naturally. She has honed her skills teaching at UC Irvine and through ample opportunities to communicate to campus leadership, advisory boards, and lay audiences as director of the UCI Cancer Research Institute, deputy director of UCI’s NCI-designated Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and an active volunteer with the...
We've all heard that humans absorb information quickly when it is in the form of a story. But what does storytelling mean for a scientist? It's not telling ghost stories around the campfire – it's engaging your audience's previous experience in ways that help them follow a complicated set of details. Here are some example story lines that you can use to frame your work so that listeners quickly get your point. The Predicted Outcome Audiences love this story – a predicted result, that avoided...
Dr. Katharine Hayhoe shows scientists how to answer questions to make an impact. Her televised interview with Anderson Cooper, in response to the recently published Fourth National Climate Assessment, drives home several principles for championing science. Be Human and Credible Hayhoe does an excellent job of showing up as both human and credible. She speaks about her role in creating the Climate Assessment report and weaves indisputable facts into her answers. She personalizes information...
Scientists typically spend too much time showing result after result without providing a good narrative. How many talks can you remember where there was no exposition of a fundamental gap in our scientific knowledge or rationale for why the world needs a new technology? Great talks have both—and persuasive speakers trot these points out early and then spend most of their time explaining what they, or you, can do about it. The same general principles apply in conversations. To learn how to...