By Ana Laranja, Cláudia Santos e Joana Costa
Is your scientific research being left out of the picture? Do you want your research to reach broader audiences? We are sure you don’t want to keep it to yourself all those juicy informations. Thus, we brought you some tips that might help you to communicate clearly through media and other platforms.
Sharing is caring - We bet that you (more than anyone else) is conscious about the relevance of your topic. But, what about the general public? How are they suppose to be updated if your results keep getting trapped inside your papers? You must disseminate and reconstruct it for public consumption.
Just take the first step - Don’t expect media to come looking for you, especially if you are just starting out your career. Get in touch, share good science so it can be used by all. If you have any doubts on how to approach media, your institute might have a press department, ask them for help.
If you want something done right, do it yourself - The media needs information to publish (all the time). If you don’t share what you know with them they either look for information themselves or through others. Don't lose the opportunity to guarantee that the information is shared as clear as possible.
Keep it simple - Talking with media is not the appropriate moment to show that you dominate all scientific terms (that only you and your peers understand). Avoid jargon. You should “translate” your message to current language. Simplify it without losing scientific meaning. Tell a story or use actual and real life examples. And mainly, be open to learn with media, after all, they are the expertises in making attractive news to the general public.
Be prepared - Whenever you’re invited to participate in a radio postcast, for a press interview, or even when talking directly to non-expert audiences, be prepared for all type of questions and be available. Keep in mind your main key points, answer simply, and be consistent.
Think outside the traditional media - There is an exponential number of people looking for information online. Through social media, such as Twitter and Facebook, you can try to clarify and mitigate scientific “fake news”, and contact directly with the public. Don’t forget to always be respectful and make the post attractive. Add some interesting pictures or videos, for example.
So, regardless of the mean you choose to spread your knowledge, after this post, we hope that you’re motivated to communicate even when it's uneasy.
Images source:"Piled Higher and Deeper" by Jorge Cham (www.phdcomics.com)
Ana Laranja
Cláudia Santos
Joana Costa
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