Even from secondary school science, students have it drilled into them how to present for a scientific audience – intro, materials and methods, results, conclusion, references. Science communication requires a very different approach.

1. Sanna Fowler :: 2016 1Sanna Fowler :: 2016 1
How to tell your story
1.! Some basic rules
2.! A useful exercise

2. Photo: thinkstock
Communicating
science means
mapping out a
clear path for
your audience

3. 3Sanna Fowler :: 2016
Photo: CERN
Disseminating
science is not
the same as
communicating
science

4. 4Sanna Fowler :: 2016
Address your audience correctly.
Are they the end-user of your information?

5. 5Sanna Fowler :: 2016
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6. Source: Wantchinatimes.com
You need to
‘sell’ your
science. How
do you stand
out from the
rest?

7. 7Sanna Fowler :: 2016
Your audience will only want to hear something:
Personal
New

8. 8Sanna Fowler :: 2016 8Sanna Fowler :: 2016

9. 9Sanna Fowler :: 2016 99Sanna Fowler :: 2016

10. 10Sanna Fowler :: 2016Sanna Fowler :: 2016
Be clear &
benchmark
your
results…

11. 11Sanna Fowler :: 2016
…or
someone
else will fill
in the gaps

12. Remember you are an EXPERT!

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Widen your scope of expertise

14. Test your story on an honest non-
expert - explain it to your PARENTS

15. Don’t
overestimate
understanding.
GPS relies on
satellites!

16. 16Sanna Fowler :: 2016
The anatomy of an article
Title – unambiguous or intriguing
Sub title – summarise in 2 sentences
Photo(s): copyright, caption & name
1 paragraph = 1 idea
Use sub-headers
to break up text
Source: epfl.ch

17. 17Sanna Fowler :: 2016
Remember
the
F*@! word!
Most
people
don’t read
everything!
Source: epfl.ch

18. 18Sanna Fowler :: 2016
If you’re writing on your
university site, SEO is
less of an issue
PageRank
Authority sites:
•! Google owned
•! Authorities
•! Media
•! Universities
Source: Dezeen/Google

19. 19Sanna Fowler :: 2016
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Adapt your story for the right media

20. Sanna Fowler :: 2016 20
Source: epfl.ch
Map out your
story.
Does it still
make sense?
What’s
missing?

21. 21Sanna Fowler :: 2016
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When you write a paper!.
Be honest…
people read
your paper
because they
have to.

22. 22Sanna Fowler :: 2016
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When you tell a story!
People will
only read it
if they want
to.

23. 23Sanna Fowler :: 2016
Imagine
your story as
a set of
Matryoshka
dolls

24. Sanna Fowler :: 2016 24
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What is
your
research
focused
on?
In general,
what does
your
research
group
work on?
How could
solving this
problem be
useful for
society?
What
problem
could your
research
solve??
How does
it work?
Try this exercise!

25. Sanna Fowler :: 2016 25
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FRQ'SPMTD47PB:QFO'
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What
problem
does
society
face?
How does
your
research
contribute
to solving
the
problem?
How does
it work?
Now flip your story!

26. 26Sanna Fowler :: 2016
Consume
great
science
communi-
cation

27. 27Sanna Fowler :: 2016
or create your own!

28. 28Sanna Fowler :: 2016
Writing can make a difference,
Write to make a difference!
Seth Godin