communication

[B. Fakrudin]

Dear All;

I suggest you to read this; you all will need it to be effective communicators of what you do in days ahead

 

http://www.scidev.net/en/science-communication/practical-guides/how-scientists-can-reach-out-with-social-media.html

 

These hints are by far not exhaustive, but a good overview of some of the lessons we think we have learned from our research and the literature of the past 10years.

1. Empower through education, but don’t expect attitude changes
   The failure of the so-called knowledge deficit model, assuming that that people’s support for a technology would be growing if they know more about it, has failed in many studies. While knowledge is crucial to take an informed decision and is ethically desirable, be aware that knowledge alone is only likely to enable people to take a decision. Education in itself will result in a higher number of decided people, not change their opinion in any particular way. Still, education is important – and particularly teachers and children are important if you want to have a long-term communication strategy.
2. Be passionate and stay committed
   You need to be passionate in advocating your opinion and stand up for it more than once to be heard.
3. Be credible and listen
   Credibility is your most valuable asset: So don’t oversell your story by raising false hopes or making too extreme black and white statements. Advocacy for your opinion and some simplification are crucial, but saying that GM will save/destroy the world will damage your reputation and credibility. Acknowledge and discuss uncertainty and limitations. Be bold about the things you are sure about and/or you have researched yourself. Listen and interact with your audience.
4. Adapt to your audience
   Don’t wrongly assume any pre-existing knowledge, but also don’t be arrogant if you have to start explaining from scratch. Frame your arguments in a broader sense – connect them with the (relevant) real world situation/challenges and explain how your research can help combating those. Think about who you are talking to and what would be particularly interesting for them. Don’t forget about their sensitivities and possible preconceptions – what might be considered normal in your profession like animal testing might not be acceptable to your audience. A science journalist with a political sciences background will have a different perspective than one who studied biology, and a local journalist will want to hear a different story than a national one.
5. Be aware of your effects
   Science and politics can be connected, and people like to put you into a box. Speaking up can get you prices and facilitate access to research funding and raise your influence in the scientific community, but can also affect your funding, your position, your university negatively. Decide for yourself when and how to speak your mind. Choose your “battles and battlegrounds” wisely.
6. Use all the channels
   You might not be familiar with social media, podcasts and blogs, or if you are, then it might have been a long time since you have contacted a radio journalist. Try to use as many distribution channels as possible and prioritize the ones that fit your target audience best. Adapt your message depending on the channel of communication.
7. Collaborate
   Together you are stronger – don’t forget to include your communication responsibles if there are any, but also try to reach out to colleagues or partners if you have something important to say. Joint statements by more than one scientist or even by scientific, consumer, environmental or farmer organisations will always have a higher impact. However, they are also more likely to be slower and can end up in compromises rendering the communication meaninglessness, especially if a topic is politically sensitive like GM.

With input from the group, lots of literature and http://www.scidev.net/en/science-communication/practical-guides/how-scientists-can-reach-out-with-social-media.html

 

 

B. Fakrudin,  Ph.D.

Department of Biotechnology/IABT

University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad

Krishinagar, DHARWAD-580 005

Karnataka, INDIA

Phone: +91-836-2748624 (Direct); 2747627 ext 23 (O);

Mobile:919480369274 ;email:fak...@yahoo.com