When my conference had optional lunch seminars to attend, I quickly sought out Scientific Storytelling. As a hobby bloggist and scientist, this seemed like a great opportunity to improve my writing and communication skills. I recognize that scientists have a problem with turning their awesome research findings into palatable and compelling stories that are digestible to the public. We get caught up in jargon and dense articles and figures that are not always immediately relatable to people outside of our niche fields. What's the point of doing science if you can't communicate it to the broader human population? Your research shouldn't stay circulating amongst your colleagues. Throw it out there for the world to see and enjoy!
Here is what I learned from the wonderful Andrea Feldpausch-Parker (in general, but I also added my own examples and writing).
As humans, it is part of our nature to tell stories. Through a narrative, we can be placed in other peoples' shoes, and there is a lot of power in telling a compelling story. After all, some of the most powerful people in human history have changed the world (for good and bad) by telling great stories.
No matter who you are or what your career path is, everyone has to be a communicator. What is the point if you're not? While these tips can be generally applied to other fields, the focus here is on Science. This is our world, the way it works, and our place in it, and we need to communicate it effectively.
How To Communicate Science
Science isn't always easy to understand, and you must know your audience. The important thing about telling a story is that it must be relatable to the reader. If the audience doesn't care, then they won't read or listen to it. So, find a way for it to hit home.
Knowledge deficit does not work. Scientists often believe that if they [we] simply provide information, people will change their mind. This has been proven to not work. Personal beliefs and an individual's emotional understanding of the world play a powerful role and can trump evidence. There is nothing inherently wrong with that; it is the way we are. In an age of misinformation and science that is paid for (cough cough by oil and gas companies), being skeptical of published science is actually a good thing.
Localization. When communicating complex and large issues (like climate change), it can be a massive undertaking. It is important to make this information relevant, relatable, and more digestible. Instead of writing about the entirety of climate change, focus on one small aspect, such as how precipitation patterns are getting more erratic in one location and that is affecting agriculture and crop production in that area (and the people there!)
Use emotions. Emotions drive much of our decision making, but using emotions must be done with great care. Fear-mongering and climate anxiety is paralyzing and depressing. Scientific storytellers need to get people to move and feel empowered to act, not to give up hope. Use personal stories and feelings to invoke an emotional response, such as homeowners' wells that are impacted by hydro-fracking. And then....
Provide hope and goals. Don't just leave people feeling emotional and energized. Provide possibilities for change and actionable items that the reader can do once inspired by your writing.
Tips for writing
Be creative: blend fiction with non-fiction. As a non-fiction writer and scientist, incorporating fiction is challenging to me. It's important to not lie and fabricate your scientific information, but fiction can be used to make a story relatable and compelling. Create a captivating story and weave the science through it. Your audience will stay attached to the narrative and learn in the process. This is far superior to hammering the reader with a string of facts.
Utilize different mediums to communicate your science. Andrea gave three examples, the first being the wild success of Pokémon Go. When I was in college, this swept through the student body, and college kids were [basically] conned into exercising. While spending more time walking around outside with their friends, they were playing a game and could forget that they were moving. Andrea also mentioned a virtual game she created, The Adventures of Carbon Bond, to explain greenhouse gases. Also, Project Breathless was developed to communicate hypoxia and the negative effect on fish. These "cod songs" allowed the listener to hear the difference between the breath of a healthy fish and one that was fighting for oxygen. To just say "dead zones are areas in lakes with little oxygen, and these kill fish populations" doesn't have the same effect as physically hearing what a fish fighting to breathe sounds like.
Use metaphors to work through hard concepts. One of the keynote speakers for the conference talked about pluralism and used a fascinating video of slime mold as a metaphor. While I can't describe his talk in detail, I can distinctly remember the video and the point he was making when using it. Metaphors help with the hard stuff!
Use comedic or melodramatic frames to help with a story arc. It was in this moment that Andrea's child in the back raised his hand and said "Mom, I have to go poop!" Because even scientists are still full-time moms. When traveling through the story arc (from the beginning to the climax to the ending/resolution), there may be difficult/challenging parts of the story to tell. Help the audience digest the information with some comic relief.
Appeal to emotion but do it with caution. To reiterate, use emotion but don't abuse it. Humans are emotional creatures and can be moved to action with a perfect string of words. The pen is mightier than the sword holds true. Don't cripple your audience with anxiety or galvanize them to violence/danger.
Know your audience. We are diverse beings with every bit of varying lived experiences, values, and beliefs. Your story will not resonate if you tell it to the wrong audience, so know who you are speaking to. And finally,
Don’t underestimate the power of hope. Inspired and hopeful people can make a big difference. After guiding your readers/listeners through the journey of your story and peppering in the science of why they should care, provide them hope for a change. Give them solutions and physical actions they can do to make a difference.
Happy storytelling!
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