Talk that highlighted key theories underlying our new book on Strategic Science Communication. Includes some hidden slides I didn't use.

1. This material is based upon work supported by the
National Science Foundation (NSF, Grant AISL
1421214-1421723. Any opinions, findings,
conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this
material are those of the authors and do not
necessarily reflect the views of the NSF.

2. Our ultimate behavioral goal (i.e., vision):
• Increase the likelihood that people to turn to experts
when faced with challenging societal questions
Today’s behavioral goals:
• I want communicators to mentally differentiate between
(a) audience-specific behavioral goals, (b) cognitive and affective
communication objectives, and, (c) tactics.
• I want to identify improvements our ability to share
our thinking and identify new research ideas/shifts.

3. Underlying our ideas are surveys and interviews with …
Africa Food Security Research by Department of Foreign Affairs, via Flickr Creative
Commons; Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science, Pacific Science Center
Scientists Trainers Scientific Societies Fellowship Programs Science Philanthropies

4. Theory of Planned Behavior/
Four Areas of Theory and Research That
Science Communicators Could Explore
(And Two More they Probably Should but that we’ll Leave for Another Time)
1. Strategy as Behavioral Goals, Cognitive and Affective Objectives,
and Tactics (GOT)
2. Cognitive Engagement /Attention
3. Trust and Trustworthiness:
Integrative Model of Organizational Trust
4. Behavior Change:
Integrated Behavioral Model/Theory of Planned Behavior
5. Emotions: Theory of Discrete Emotions
6. Framing: Sociological vs. psychological framing
+
Not really
discussed
today

5. What do we mean by communication strategy?

6. Why use language of strategy?
• Communicators often lack concrete, audience-specific behavioral “goals”
• Achieving behavioral goals means having real-world impact
• Strategy is about achieving goals efficiently
• Tactical skills alone* cannot ensure communication success
*(e.g., clear writing, compelling story-telling, how to listen effectively, etc.)
INSERT APPROPRIATE IMAGE? MAYBE A MESSY KITCHEN? PHOTO OF A
CASE WHERE EXCELLENT TACTICS (TECHNOLOGY) DIDN’T SUCCEED
BECAUSE OF POOR STRATEGY? BETAMAX? GM FOOD? A GREAT MOVIE
THAT NO ONE SAW? MARCH FOR SCIENCE… JUST SORT OF HAPPENED?
ORIENTEERING MAP?
Orienteering by Luigi Mengato, via Flickr Creative Commons

7. Why use the language of social science?
• Sophistication benefits from thinking conceptually
• Social scientists explicate concepts and theorize/
test relationships between these concepts*
*many concepts with multiple names/terminologies and duplicative theory
Bravo Top Chef Blind
Taste Test Challenge … do
you know your ingredients?

8. What do we mean by behavioral goals?
What do you hope will happen in a specific group from the
time, money, and energy you put into communicating?
Acceptance/Behavioral
Trust/ Legitimacy
Specific Behavior
Focus: “Audiences” Focus: Scientists
Willingness to make oneself vulnerable
(Accept evidence, role for science )
Donating, Voting, Buying, Career
Choice, etc. [Or consider
information in the context of…]
Willingness to work with specific
audiences; Continuing to interact
Choosing different research
questions/methods
“Two-way communication” is partly about having goals for your own behavior …

9. Identifying goals should be hard!
JCB: What’s your goal?
Communicator: “We want to decrease misinformation about ______?”
“We just want to get people excited about ______?”
“We just want to get people to see scientists are like them?”
Etc.
Wdo you want
to get people exited?
Why do you want
to decrease misinformation?
Why do you want
people to identify with/
as scientists?
What do you think may happen if, over time, you help
succeed in changing these beliefs and feelings?

10. Who says or does what to/with who
in what way and through what channel?
De-Jargonizer
How accessible is
your work, paste your
article … to analyze
the amount of jargon
in your writing.
What do we mean by tactics?

11. Objectives are central to strategic communication

12. Fast vs. Slow communication
Key words:
• Priming
• Heuristics and biases
• Availability
• Representativeness
• WYSIATI
• Cognitive shortcuts
• Nudges
• Choice architecture
• Cognitive misers
• Etc.

13. How do we think slow (systematic) communication works?
Over time, efforts to
foster deeper cognitive
engagement on science
topics should result in
long-term, cumulative
changes to all communication
participants’ (including
scientists) evaluative beliefs
Attitudes are the (weighted?) sum of available/salient
beliefs (b) and the evaluation (e) of those beliefs
Paul Sableman, Dripping via Flickr Creative Commons

14. Communication Objectives as BFFs

15. “Available research does
not support the claim that
increasing science literacy will
lead to appreciably greater
support for science ...”
The fundamental challenge
of science communication
1. Sharing knowledge is good
2. It’s rarely your only objective
• NOT communicating science
• BUT communicating
in the context of science.

16. Objectives as the core of evidence-based strategy
Meyer, Davis, & Schoorman’s
Integrative Model of Organizational Trust
(+ Research on Procedural Fairness and Identity)*
*Simplified, see: Mayer, R. C., Davis, J. H., & Schoorman, F. D. (1995). An integrative
model of organizational trust. Academy of management review, 20(3), 709-734.
https://doi.org/10.5465/AMR.1995.9508080335
Shared Values/Identity Beliefs
Ability/Competence Beliefs
Benevolence/Warmth Beliefs
Integrity/Warmth Beliefs
Behavioral Trust
(Willingness to be Vulnerable,
Legitimacy, Acceptance)
Openness Beliefs

17. Fishbein’s “Integrated Behavioral Model”
*Much simplified: Fishbein, M. (2009). An integrative model for behavioral prediction and its
application to health promotion. In R. J. DiClemente, R. A. Crosby, & M. C. Kegler (Eds.),
Emerging theories in health promotion practice and research (2nd ed.). Jossey-Bass.
Objectives as the core of evidence-based strategy
Instrumental Risk/Benefit Beliefs
Normative Beliefs: Descriptive
Behavioral Intention
Normative Beliefs: Injunctive
Affective Risk/Benefit Beliefs
Personal Agency as Self-Efficacy Beliefs
Personal Agency as Behavioral Control Beliefs

18. A great thing about a focus
on ‘communication objectives’
Vague: How can we build trust?
Concrete: How can we foster perceptions
of benevolence (i.e., caring, goodwill), in the
context of _____________.?
Ryan, FREE HUGS via Flickr Creative Commons

19. From TOG to GOTOG …

20. Where to next?
1. Consider using GOTOG framework
• Ask for help!
2. Push yourself and your colleagues to
be concrete about goals and objectives
• Less ‘novelty for fun,’ more ‘sophistication for satisfaction’
3. Push social scientists to provide …
• Evidence about tactics’ effects on BFFs
• Evidence about BFFs’ effects on goal behavior

21. Bonus content …

22. Communication objectives as core of effectiveness
Theories of discrete emotions

23. Communication objectives as core of effectiveness
Nisbet and
Scheufele’s
Frame
Typology
(based on research
by Gamson and
Modigliani)
Nisbet, M. & Scheufele, D.
A. (2007) Framing science:
How should research talk
about science. The Scientist,
21(10), 39-33/
Gamson, W. A., &
Modigliani, A. (1989, Jul).
Media discourse and public
opinion on nuclear power:
A constructionist approach.
American Journal of Sociology,
95(1), 1-37.