Make Sure You Are Understood By Nonexperts

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Make Sure You Are Understood By Nonexperts

When communicating outside their field, scientific experts should remember to speak and write in ways that a person who is not trained in their field can understand. This includes minimal use of acronyms and jargon (and any such terms must be defined). Note that terms that seem like everyday language to you (e.g., “seismic waves,” “carbon sequestration,” “half-life,” or “correlation”) may be jargon to others.

Communication aimed at policymakers should also be concise and well-organized, as your audience is likely absorbing considerable new information. In general, use concrete, real world examples to illustrate your empirical points, particularly examples in narrative form. Quantitative information presented visually, through the use of graphics, tends to be better understood and retained than comparable information presented in tables. Finally, to ensure a key point is not only understood but remembered, use repetition: state it toward the beginning of your communication and repeat it at least once.

Be Relevant

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Be Relevant

Experts should communicate the importance of the topic at hand. First, be sure you have an answer to the question: Why should I care? As discussed previously, communications aimed at policymakers should be in sync with their goals as legislators and representatives. Second, briefly state why your topic is important explicitly and up front, using it to frame your communication.

You can increase interest by using examples that will resonate with policymakers and their staff, such as references to their district or topics linked to their committee work. For example, if you want to highlight the positive economic impact of some type of investment in scientific research, don’t just focus on GDP; discuss likely economic benefits to the policymaker’s home state or region.

Narratives, or stories, are another technique to increase the impact of your communication. Well-chosen narratives not only aid understanding and demonstrate relevance, they also can evoke empathy. For example, you might tell the story of one person or community affected by an environmental problem. If you are seeking funding, you could tell the story of what drew you to your area of study or the story of a previous researcher in your field whose publicly funded research led to a breakthrough with great public utility. This said, be sure to employ narratives ethically. Illustrative examples should reflect typical experiences or outcomes, not unusual ones. To make this clear, follow up your story with relevant quantitative data on the phenomenon.

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Communicate Credibility

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Communicate Credibility

Whether you are perceived as a credible expert depends on several factors, including your educational credentials, your grant and publication record, the reputation of your employer, and (if relevant) your track record advising policymakers. You should not feel shy about (briefly) discussing or otherwise conveying your qualifications and subject expertise if you feel those credentials are not apparent.

Policymakers, especially staff, will often look over written communications for signals that the information can be trusted.

4 Are the claims well-cited? Are the citations to peer-reviewed literature? Is a short “one-pager” or policy memo supported by a longer, traditional research report? Does the scholar make available information on the study’s funders? Your perceived credibility also depends on interpersonal and other social phenomena.

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