Communicating Science During Controversy

Strategies for Success

Outline

• Communication pitfalls• Establish our goal• Strategy 1: Understanding your audience• Strategy 2: Get their attention• Strategy 3: Translate science into concrete experience• Strategy 4: Effectively communicate uncertainty• Strategy 5: Tap Into Social Identities and Affiliations• Strategy 6: Encourage Group Participation• Strategy 7: Minimize bias

If they only understood the facts, they would agree with us!

What is your Communication Goal?

Environment of open-minded, unbiased consideration

There are things science can answer and things that ethics can answer...Temple Grandin

Strategy #1: Understand your audience

Strategy #1: Understand your audience

Understand where they are

Strategy #2Get the their attention

Use frames

• Organize central ideas• Communicate why an issue might be a

problem, who or what might be responsible, and, in some cases, what options exist

• Condense a message

It’s relevant now

They Don't Care How Much You

Know Until They Know How Much You

Care

Connect to your audience’s values

Tell stories

Strategy #3: Translate science into concrete experience

Somerville & Hassol 2011

Vivid imagery

Sommerville & Hassol 2011

Rewards

Strategy #4Effectively communicate uncertainty

Human beings don’t like uncertainty.

But science doesn’t deal in certainties.

Scientists: “how well something is known”Public: “not knowing”

Communicate Risk

Communicating Uncertainty - Strategies

• Scientific consensus

• Term: range of possibilities

• Open communication style

Strategy #5Tap Into Social Identities and Affiliations

Social

Create connections & provide roles

Diverse advocates

Strategy #6Encourage Group Participation

Social support

Strategy #7Minimize bias

“Objective, science-based information”

Recognize our own bias and acknowledge the imperfection of scientific research (Massey 1994)

Strategies to Reduce bias

• Provide transparency• Checks and balances on team• Think through the underlying problems, potential

solutions, and consequences• Provide equal weight for differing viewpoints• Avoid emotional overtones• Pilot-test & allow public input• Continued learning

For a full list of references cited in this presentation, please visit:

www.animalagclimatechange.org

This project was supported by Agricultural and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grant No. 2011-67003-

30206 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.