Overcoming Common Challenges in Science Communication
For many scientists, especially aspiring PhDs and young researchers, the journey of science communication is filled with challenges. Conveying complex ideas in an accessible manner can often feel like translating a foreign language. But there is hope!
When you know what will hold you back or slow you down, you can start to think ahead. With the right strategies in place, these hurdles can be transformed into stepping stones. Let's look into some common challenges faced by us science communicators and explore how to solve them!
Bridging the Jargon Gap
I know, we all want to share how scientific research can address some of the greatest challenges of our time. However, it often suffers from an inherent barrier - the abundance of technical jargon that tends to distance the general audience. Sometimes things just sound to… difficult?
To bridge this gap, as a scientist and communicator you can practise to simplify your language to make it more accessible. One solution lies in breaking down complex concepts into relatable analogies and everyday language. You can easily practice this by giving your explanation to different people with different backgrounds.
By employing clear and concise explanations, accompanied by visual aids such as illustrations, graphs, and videos, Additionally, utilizing visual aids (such as illustrations, graphs, and videos), storytelling techniques and narratives can make your research more accessible and enjoyable. Not everyone needs to know all the details!
Accuracy vs. Simplicity
Yes, I hear you: “but what if that makes my science incomplete?”. You want to ensure that the essence of your research isn't lost while making it accessible. You’re exactly right to take that working point into consideration. But also think about this: what if by trying to trying so hard to maintain accuracy, you loose the interest of your conversation partner? I’ve had numerous occasions with friends and family where I tried to explain them my thesis, passionate and very energetic. Only to stumble on confused faces and half listening people because I just lost them.
The solution is to prioritise the key takeaways and build your story around them. Start by identifying the most significant findings or concepts that you want to communicate. Focus on the main ideas and overarching themes rather than getting caught up in the details. It's important to maintain a logical flow in your explanation, ensuring that each piece of information builds upon the previous one. Adapt the level of science to the background you audience has.
Engaging a Diverse Audience
When you are working with a mixed audience, you don’t want anyone to feel left out. But how do you do that when there’s a big range in science capital (i.e. what do they know). This requires a thoughtful approach that caters to the different interests and knowledge levels. Firstly, it's crucial to understand your audience and tailor your content accordingly.
One way to do this is to adapt your content to the basic level of science you expect to be represented in your audience and occasionally elaborate the topic for the more experienced members. You can imagine it as a true deep dive: you dive deep to focus on a specific topic, then come back up for air to let everyone breath. If you make the choice of using jargon, don’t forget to explain what those terms mean for the lay among crowd!
Additionally, promoting an inclusive environment where all questions are welcome encourages individuals to engage with the material without fear of judgment. You can also provide further learning materials, like recommended reading or online tutorials, for those with a deeper science background to delve into the subject matter at their own pace. In the end it comes down to offering bite-sized summaries for novices and detailed explanations for those seeking depth.
Excuses: “No time” or “where to start?”
These are the two reasons, sometimes excuses, I hear when researchers explain me why they haven’t really looked into science communication. Don’t get me wrong, I get it! With so much information available and numerous platforms to choose from, taking the first step in science communication can feel overwhelming. You’re already trying to balance research, academic commitments, and personal life. Often that leaves little room for additional activities like science communication.
First of all, there is no such thing as '‘no time”. Rather a conflict in level of priority. If you prioritise, or raise the level op priority, of what science communication means to you and your research, you’ll automatically make more time for it. There’s something to be said about not every scientists to act as a communicator, but a few more communicators wouldn’t hurt either. Now then, how do you prioritise?
Begin with your passion. What aspect of your research excites you the most? Start by sharing that. Also, leverage existing platforms like research seminars, departmental meetings, or even social media to share bite-sized insights. Remember, every journey begins with a single step. When you feel the time is right to step it up a notch, try to integrate science communication into your daily routine. Share interesting articles or quick observations on platforms like Twitter for example. Dedicate specific times in the week for more in-depth communication, like writing a blog post or recording a video. Over time, as you see the impact of your efforts, you'll naturally find ways to make time.
Join the Movement
If you want to learn more about where to start with your science communication or how to integrate it into your life, I might have something for you. In the e-book below I’ve compiled a 30 day challenge which gets you through all the steps of communicating your research. No prior knowledge required. The goal is to get more science content on the web, and we have to start at the start! From there you’ll learn everything you need to get ahead of the curve.
Sign up for the waitlist of the Science Communication 101 and be an integral part of our community of change!
Community driven knowledge
We’re testing the workbook with a handful of driven scientists at the moment. Please join the waitlist if you want to be notified when we launch.
