Transcript Scientific communication – within and outside

Erasmus Mundus Thematic Conference: Communication: Let's re-define the terms
29th – 30th March 2010, Bordeaux, France
Scientific
communication –
within and outside
Buga Berković
Erasmus Mundus Master of Science in Marine Biodiversity and Conservation
Outlook: What, Why & How?
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Defining the terms
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Hypothesis
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How to (effectively) communicate – within and outside the
scientific environment
Expected results
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Why do we talk about science?
Methodology
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
What are communication, science, scientific communication,
scientists, public and stakeholders?
Can we (did we) achieve the goals?
Discussion

What is the problem?
Defining the terms (1)
What are communication, science, scientific
communication, scientists, public and stakeholders?
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Communication
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Science
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“... the activity of conveying information... something that is
communicated by or to or between people or groups... a
connection allowing access between persons or places “
“knowledge about the structure and behaviour of the natural
and physical world, based on facts that you can prove, for
example by experiments... a system for organizing the
knowledge about a particular subject, especially one concerned
with aspects of human behaviour or society”
Scientific communication

??? communication OF science... communication WITHIN
science... communication PERFORMED by scientists...
wordnetweb.princeton.edu; www.oup.com
Defining the terms (2)
What are communication, science, scientific
communication, scientists, public and stakeholders?

Scientists
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Public
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“... scientist - a person with advanced knowledge of one or more
sciences... A scientist, in the broadest sense, is any person who engages
in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge or an individual that
engages in such practices and traditions that are linked to schools of
thought or philosophy. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an
individual who uses the scientific method ...”
“... a body of people sharing some common interest... small groups of
people who follow one or more particular issue very closely...”
Stakeholders
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“... someone entrusted to hold the stakes for two or more persons
betting against one another... Project stakeholders are those entities
within or outside an organization which: a) sponsor a project or b) have
an interest or a gain upon a successful completion of a project c) may
have a positive or negative influence in the Project Completion... a
person or group affected by the actions of another...”
wordnetweb.princeton.edu; www.wikipedia.org
Connecting the terms
Stakeholders
Scientists
Public
Science
Scientific communication
Hypothesis
Why do we talk about science?
Defining the terms (1)
What are communication, science, scientific
communication, scientists, public and stakeholders?

Communication


Science


“... the activity of conveying information... something that is
communicated by or to or between people or groups... a
connection allowing access between persons or places “
“knowledge about the structure and behaviour of the natural
and physical world, based on facts that you can prove, for
example by experiments... a system for organizing the
knowledge about a particular subject, especially one concerned
with aspects of human behaviour or society”
Scientific communication

??? communication OF science... communication WITHIN
science... communication PERFORMED by scientists...
wordnetweb.princeton.edu; www.oup.com
Hypothesis
Why do we talk about science?
Science can’t function as “l'art
pour l'art “*, to develop it
needs communication
 application
 financing

www.wikipedia.org
•“French
l'art pour l'art,
a phrase creditted
to Theophile
Gautier. An
expression of the
belief that art has or
should have no
ecoanomic, social,
political or religious
functions, that
beauty is its only
purporse.”
Methodology (1)
How to (effectively) communicate –
within and outside the scientific environment
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Know WHAT you want to communicate
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Be aware of WHO you want to communicate it to
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Interested parties? Colleagues? Students? Broad public?
Financiers?
Think WHY you want to communicate it
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Be able to say it in one sentence
Information, education, management, competition,
consultations...
Adjust HOW you will communicate it
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Short news, oral presentation, poster, interview, TV story, radio
story, newspapers – internet, meeting...
Methodology (2)
How to (effectively) communicate –
within and outside the scientific environment
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Length
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Language
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methodology, results, discussion?
Finishing touch
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standard scientific presentation or results first?
Important aspects
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expert terms or “plain”language?
Style
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as short as possible or as detailed as possible?
statement or question?
Apperance
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Posture, smile, intonation, hands, clothing
Expected results
Can we (did we) achieve the goals?
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Eye contact
 Audience
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or journalist – observe the reaction
Monitor the audience and adjust
 Depending
on the age, bring back the concetration
every 20 to 45 mins, include brakes if necessary
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Leave space for questions
 During
or at the end of communicating, provide
contact for further informations
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Get back
 Provide
feedback, stay in touch
Discussion
What is the problem?
Lack of simplification
 Oversimplification
 Translations
 Lack of or wrong prioritazing
 Lack of objectivness
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Thank you!