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Communicating for a
Research Institution
Kara Gavin, M.S.
Lead Public Relations Representative,
Michigan Medicine
Dept. of Communication & IHPI
Who am I?
• Member of Michigan Medicine Dept. of Communication
and the communication team at IHPI
• Trained in biology, science writing & journalism
• Cover health care research, mental health, primary care
• 20+ years’ experience publicizing research
• Find & tell stories
• Handle news media inquiries
• Push stories out any way I can
• Help researchers understand &
use communication channels
What do I do?
Why does U-M have staff like me?
• our institution’s work should reach people who care
• our people’s expertise can have impact
• taxpayers & policymakers who fund research
need to know what they’re paying for
• most people need science/medicine translated
• it’s easier than ever
Because…
Members of
the U-M
research &
medical
community
• Papers
• Talks/posters
• Tweets/posts
• Commentaries
Comm
Staff
• U-M/Michigan Med.
• School/college
• Center/institute/dept.
The
world
• Reporters
• Policymakers
• Advocates
• Clinicians & Patients
• Funders/Donors
• Professional societies
• Industry
• General public
The U-M
communications
ecosystem
Who are we
communicating to,
and why?
1.8%
98.2%
STEM ~ 5.7M Everyone else ~310M
STEM workforce vs. US population
http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/2016/nsb20161/#/report/chapter-3/u-s-s-e-workforce-
definition-size-and-growth
What do they know?
•71%: mental illness is a medical condition
that affects the brain
•69%: a genetic code in cells helps determine who we are
•53%: childhood vaccines are safe & effective
•31%: life evolved through natural selection
AP poll published April 2014;
1,012 adults rated themselves extremely confident or very confident in a
scientific concept
What do they think about science?
Pew Research Center’s US survey 2019 (left) and International
Science Survey 2019–2020 (right)
Are genetically modified foods safe to eat?
Scientists: 88% Public: 37%
Should childhood vaccines be required?
Scientists: 86% Public: 68%
Is research involving animals OK?
Scientists: 89% Public: 47%
Did humans “evolve”?
Scientists: 98% Public: 65%
The survey of the general public was conducted using a probability-based sample of the adult population by landline and
cellular telephone Aug. 15-25, 2014, with a representative sample of 2,002 adults nationwide.
http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/01/29/public-and-scientists-views-on-science-and-society/
Public views vs. scientists’ views
Where they’re getting science info
Pew Research Center – Sept. 2017
http://www.journalism.org/2017/09/20/science-news-and-information-today/
81% watch
science-related
entertainment
media
Institutions as a direct source
• Traditional news media’s
gatekeeper role is eroding
with its business model
• Big institutions can be
trustworthy news sources
• Everyone is a publisher
14
michiganhealthlab.org
michiganhealthblog.org
The rise of institutional
“brand journalism”
• Our own “news organization”
• Sharing cutting-edge research news &
clinical stories/advice daily
• Aimed at professionals & public
• Jump on timely news topics quickly
• Shared on web, social media and email
• Optimized for search engine visibility
• 8.5M total views in FY21 (July 2020-June 2021)
Coordinating among communicators
Every entity wants to:
• Communicate to its stakeholders
• Have its role recognized
• Put its experts or leaders forward
• Attract new followers/subscribers
(and donors!)
Communicators from across an institution
(& collaborating institutions) should:
• Proactively reach out to one another
• Have rules of thumb about division of labor
• Agree on key messages, timing & tactics
• Keep one another informed
• Consider sensitivities/limitations
Preprints & “science by press release”
Do
research
Compile
results
Give talks
or posters
Write
papers
Get peer-
reviewed
Make
changes
Get
published
Maybe
publicity
Traditional medical & scientific process
Do
research
Compile
results
Write a
preprint
Post to
server
Get peer-
reviewed
Make
changes
Get
published
Seek
publicity
Accelerated/altered path (especially since COVID-19)
Journalists or
social media users
Press release
but little data
“Raw” version
online
Occasional
publicity
Use the time AHEAD of publication
The “Scout’s honor” embargo
system for research news
• Institution/journal reaches
out to reporters a few days ahead
• Reporter agrees not to publish or
broadcast results until a set date/time
• Used by all major journals &
scientific/medical societies
What makes a reporter tick?
• Most serve a general audience
• Little scientific knowledge
• Need to know implications for ordinary people
• Most are on tight deadlines
• Most have little space/time to tell the story
• ALL value their independence
• Source won’t see their questions or story ahead of time
Prepping experts for media interactions
• Three key points
• Have supporting statistics & context ready
• Use layperson’s terms & conversational tone
• Respect deadlines
• Understand the news outlet
• Assess reporter’s level of understanding
• Respect their independence
More resources
Resources for communicating with press & public
https://www.slideshare.net/KaraGavin
AAAS Communication Toolkit
https://www.aaas.org/resources/communication-toolkit
NIH Checklist for Communicating Science & Health to the Public:
http://michmed.org/EzD1O
Logos, photos, templates:
U-M: http://vpcomm.umich.edu/brand/home
Michigan Medicine: http://www.med.umich.edu/branding/
You can communicate directly!
• Your own tweets, LinkedIn posts, website
• Grant applications
• IRB-reviewed materials
• Journals and major meetings
• Reaching scientists in other disciplines
• Talking to donors, legislators
• Public events:
Nerd Nite, Science Café, Science by the Pint, TED
• What are they looking for?
• What do they know about the topic?
• Why should they care?
• Will they understand your jargon,
acronyms, abbreviations?
Who’s Your Audience?
Logical
organization
“You” and
other
pronouns
Active voice
Common,
everyday
words
Short
sentences,
short
paragraphs
Easy-to-read
design
features
Key principles
Passive
voice
Make it clear who does what:
• A frog was swallowed.
• Fred swallowed a frog.
Avoids awkwardness:
• Eye examinations and vision tests are covered in the plan.
• This plan covers eye exams and vision tests.
Saves time:
• The application must be completed by the applicant and
received by the financial office by June 1st. (17 words)
• We must receive your application
by June 1st. (8 words)
Don’t be afraid of pronouns!
•Pull readers into a document and
make it relevant to them
•Reader needs to do less “translation”
•Humanizes scientists
•Let you eliminate a lot of words
•Your team = “we”
•The reader = “you”
•Define who’s who
Jargon
(Words that are not in the common vocabulary, or words that people
in a certain field use in a different way from how others use them)
Use common words
YES!
Use
Help
Method
Needs
Limits
NO!
Utilize
Facilitate
Methodology
Necessitates
Parameters
Avoid:
•Undefined abbreviations & acronyms
• Spell them out, give the acronym, and use it
•Multiple terms for the same thing
• Brain tumor, brain cancer
and brain neoplasm
•Strings of nouns
•“Surface water quality protection procedures”
…and by using illustrations & glossaries
If you can’t
avoid it,
EXPLAIN it!
Does it pass the Dinner Table Test?
Imagination
Emotions
Senses
Bring your work
ALIVE by
engaging the
audience’s…
Testing readability
• Flesch-Kincaid readability test:
• File  Options  Proofing
• Show Readability Statistics.
• Define scientific terms, take them
out of the text temporarily, run
Spelling check.
• If you get a score over
8th grade, revise!
Confusion
Short sentences & paragraphs
• More manageable,
• Less intimidating
• Avoid confusion
• White space and headings:
clues to what’s important
• One subject in each sentence
• One topic in each paragraph
• introduce your topic in the first sentence
What should you aim for?
• Average sentence length:
20 words
• Maximum sentence length:
40 words
• One subject per sentence,
one topic per paragraph

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Communicating for a Research Institution

  • 1. Communicating for a Research Institution Kara Gavin, M.S. Lead Public Relations Representative, Michigan Medicine Dept. of Communication & IHPI
  • 2. Who am I? • Member of Michigan Medicine Dept. of Communication and the communication team at IHPI • Trained in biology, science writing & journalism • Cover health care research, mental health, primary care • 20+ years’ experience publicizing research
  • 3. • Find & tell stories • Handle news media inquiries • Push stories out any way I can • Help researchers understand & use communication channels What do I do?
  • 4. Why does U-M have staff like me? • our institution’s work should reach people who care • our people’s expertise can have impact • taxpayers & policymakers who fund research need to know what they’re paying for • most people need science/medicine translated • it’s easier than ever Because…
  • 5. Members of the U-M research & medical community • Papers • Talks/posters • Tweets/posts • Commentaries Comm Staff • U-M/Michigan Med. • School/college • Center/institute/dept. The world • Reporters • Policymakers • Advocates • Clinicians & Patients • Funders/Donors • Professional societies • Industry • General public The U-M communications ecosystem
  • 7. 1.8% 98.2% STEM ~ 5.7M Everyone else ~310M STEM workforce vs. US population http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/2016/nsb20161/#/report/chapter-3/u-s-s-e-workforce- definition-size-and-growth
  • 8. What do they know? •71%: mental illness is a medical condition that affects the brain •69%: a genetic code in cells helps determine who we are •53%: childhood vaccines are safe & effective •31%: life evolved through natural selection AP poll published April 2014; 1,012 adults rated themselves extremely confident or very confident in a scientific concept
  • 9. What do they think about science? Pew Research Center’s US survey 2019 (left) and International Science Survey 2019–2020 (right)
  • 10. Are genetically modified foods safe to eat? Scientists: 88% Public: 37% Should childhood vaccines be required? Scientists: 86% Public: 68% Is research involving animals OK? Scientists: 89% Public: 47% Did humans “evolve”? Scientists: 98% Public: 65% The survey of the general public was conducted using a probability-based sample of the adult population by landline and cellular telephone Aug. 15-25, 2014, with a representative sample of 2,002 adults nationwide. http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/01/29/public-and-scientists-views-on-science-and-society/ Public views vs. scientists’ views
  • 11. Where they’re getting science info Pew Research Center – Sept. 2017 http://www.journalism.org/2017/09/20/science-news-and-information-today/ 81% watch science-related entertainment media
  • 12. Institutions as a direct source • Traditional news media’s gatekeeper role is eroding with its business model • Big institutions can be trustworthy news sources • Everyone is a publisher
  • 13.
  • 14. 14 michiganhealthlab.org michiganhealthblog.org The rise of institutional “brand journalism” • Our own “news organization” • Sharing cutting-edge research news & clinical stories/advice daily • Aimed at professionals & public • Jump on timely news topics quickly • Shared on web, social media and email • Optimized for search engine visibility • 8.5M total views in FY21 (July 2020-June 2021)
  • 15. Coordinating among communicators Every entity wants to: • Communicate to its stakeholders • Have its role recognized • Put its experts or leaders forward • Attract new followers/subscribers (and donors!)
  • 16. Communicators from across an institution (& collaborating institutions) should: • Proactively reach out to one another • Have rules of thumb about division of labor • Agree on key messages, timing & tactics • Keep one another informed • Consider sensitivities/limitations
  • 17. Preprints & “science by press release” Do research Compile results Give talks or posters Write papers Get peer- reviewed Make changes Get published Maybe publicity Traditional medical & scientific process Do research Compile results Write a preprint Post to server Get peer- reviewed Make changes Get published Seek publicity Accelerated/altered path (especially since COVID-19) Journalists or social media users Press release but little data “Raw” version online Occasional publicity
  • 18. Use the time AHEAD of publication The “Scout’s honor” embargo system for research news • Institution/journal reaches out to reporters a few days ahead • Reporter agrees not to publish or broadcast results until a set date/time • Used by all major journals & scientific/medical societies
  • 19. What makes a reporter tick? • Most serve a general audience • Little scientific knowledge • Need to know implications for ordinary people • Most are on tight deadlines • Most have little space/time to tell the story • ALL value their independence • Source won’t see their questions or story ahead of time
  • 20. Prepping experts for media interactions • Three key points • Have supporting statistics & context ready • Use layperson’s terms & conversational tone • Respect deadlines • Understand the news outlet • Assess reporter’s level of understanding • Respect their independence
  • 21. More resources Resources for communicating with press & public https://www.slideshare.net/KaraGavin AAAS Communication Toolkit https://www.aaas.org/resources/communication-toolkit NIH Checklist for Communicating Science & Health to the Public: http://michmed.org/EzD1O Logos, photos, templates: U-M: http://vpcomm.umich.edu/brand/home Michigan Medicine: http://www.med.umich.edu/branding/
  • 22.
  • 23. You can communicate directly! • Your own tweets, LinkedIn posts, website • Grant applications • IRB-reviewed materials • Journals and major meetings • Reaching scientists in other disciplines • Talking to donors, legislators • Public events: Nerd Nite, Science Café, Science by the Pint, TED
  • 24. • What are they looking for? • What do they know about the topic? • Why should they care? • Will they understand your jargon, acronyms, abbreviations? Who’s Your Audience?
  • 27. Make it clear who does what: • A frog was swallowed. • Fred swallowed a frog. Avoids awkwardness: • Eye examinations and vision tests are covered in the plan. • This plan covers eye exams and vision tests. Saves time: • The application must be completed by the applicant and received by the financial office by June 1st. (17 words) • We must receive your application by June 1st. (8 words)
  • 28. Don’t be afraid of pronouns! •Pull readers into a document and make it relevant to them •Reader needs to do less “translation” •Humanizes scientists •Let you eliminate a lot of words •Your team = “we” •The reader = “you” •Define who’s who
  • 29. Jargon (Words that are not in the common vocabulary, or words that people in a certain field use in a different way from how others use them)
  • 31. Avoid: •Undefined abbreviations & acronyms • Spell them out, give the acronym, and use it •Multiple terms for the same thing • Brain tumor, brain cancer and brain neoplasm •Strings of nouns •“Surface water quality protection procedures” …and by using illustrations & glossaries
  • 32. If you can’t avoid it, EXPLAIN it!
  • 33. Does it pass the Dinner Table Test?
  • 34. Imagination Emotions Senses Bring your work ALIVE by engaging the audience’s…
  • 35. Testing readability • Flesch-Kincaid readability test: • File  Options  Proofing • Show Readability Statistics. • Define scientific terms, take them out of the text temporarily, run Spelling check. • If you get a score over 8th grade, revise!
  • 37. Short sentences & paragraphs • More manageable, • Less intimidating • Avoid confusion • White space and headings: clues to what’s important • One subject in each sentence • One topic in each paragraph • introduce your topic in the first sentence
  • 38. What should you aim for? • Average sentence length: 20 words • Maximum sentence length: 40 words • One subject per sentence, one topic per paragraph