Talking Global Change - PowerPoint Presentation

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Talking Global Changewith the Public and the Media

Clarisse Hart

Harvard Forest Outreach

& Education ManagerSlide2
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Pop quiz! Question 1According to a 2006 survey, what percentage of Americans say scientists are people of “very great” or “considerable” prestige?

a) 24 %

b) 46 %

c) 63 %

d) 87 %

The highest of any job category

included in the survey.Slide4

Pop quiz! Question 2What percentage of Massachusetts residents are able to name a nearby institution engaged in research?

a) 20 %

b) 40 %

c) 60 %

d) 80 %

And only 26% of them are

able

to name a living scientist.

While 85% of the members of the American Association for the Advancement of Science say

public ignorance of science is a “major problem,”

only 3% of those scientists say they “often” speak to the media.Slide5

Barriers to getting good scientific information to the publicDecline of space and staff for science reportingProliferation of dubiously rigorous blogs and online news sourcesThe problem of objectivity“Fair and balanced” reporting can lead to an overweighting of dissent

Lack of public interest?Slide6

Beliefs and AttitudesSlide7

Beliefs and AttitudesSlide8

Beliefs and AttitudesSlide9

What do we know, and how do we know it?Slide10

What do we know, and how do we know it?Slide11
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What do we know, and how do we know it?Slide13

What do we know, and how do we know it?Slide14

Apples and Oranges?The public may see scientists as

BoringHair-splittingCaveating things to death

Unable to articulate a bottom lineUnintelligibly jargon-y speakers

Scientists may see the public as

Unconcerned with accuracySuperficialSensationalistFocused on controversyIgnorantSlide15

Consider Your AudienceSlide16

Talking to policymakers:What makes voters vote?

“The Language of Conservation”: The Nature Conservancy and The Trust for Public Land, 2004Slide17

Talking to the media:What makes news news?

Extent (broad impact)Intensity (deeply felt)

Consequence (major repercussions)NoveltyEminence or celebrityProximity (local angle)Timeliness (first scoops)

CurrencySlide18

Practice your elevator speechAnswer the 5 W’s & the H.Don’t be too generic in your description -- what makes your project unique?

Avoid jargon, acronyms, and abbreviations (use ‘headline words’ – DNA is a headline word; RNA is not).Tell a story! Bring the 5 senses to your work – what methods or equipment are you using, what environments are you working in?Mention small- and large-scale implications for the general public

.ACTIVITY: Check out the examples below; discuss what works and what doesn’t – then try it out yourself!

Michio

Kaku, theoretical physicistAlan Sage, plant physiologistKatharine Hayhoe, climate scientistCaryn Babaian, high school teacherShaundra Daily

, computer scientist

Allan Adams

, theoretical physicist

Emily Whiting

, architectural engineer

Andre Fenton

, neurobiologist

Dave

Sulzer

, neuroscientistSlide19

“The hardest thing for me to remember when talking to a reporter is to go in with three main points and then not ramble around/go off point. It really dilutes the message and you also get crazy quotes attributed to you!” ~A Harvard Forest researcher

Media MessagingSlide20

New England Maple Trees Under Asian Longhorned Beetle Attack. The Post Chronicle.Threat from Asian beetle expands beyond cities. The Boston Globe.Are New England's Iconic Maples at Risk?

The National Science Foundation. Trees Showing Resilience to Beetles. Worcester Telegram & Gazette

.Editorial - Holding ground: Beetle vs. tree goes to OT. Worcester Telegram and Gazette

.

Media MessagingA cautionary taleSlide21

Break into pairs; one will be a reporter, the other a scientist. The “reporter” will receive a slip of paper (keep it hidden!) noting whether they are supposed to stay “on message” or try to guide the conversation to a different/revised message.Both parties spend ~15 minutes reading a scientific article about global change (focus especially on the abstract and discussion/conclusions).Orwig, D. A., Thompson, J. R., Povak, N. A., Manner, M.,

Niebyl, D., Foster, D. R. 2012. A foundation tree at the precipice

. Ecosphere.Oswald, W. W., Foster, D. R. 2011. Middle-Holocene dynamics of

Tsuga canadensis (eastern hemlock) in northern New England

. The Holocene.Stinson, K. A., Brophy, C., Connolly, J. 2011. Catching up on global change: new ragweed genotypes emerge in elevated CO2 conditions. Ecosphere.The “scientist” identifies 3 key messages they want to get across during a 10-minute interview.After the interview, the “reporter” presents back to the group the key messages s/he worked out. The “scientist” responds about the process.Media Messaging: Activity

HF

examplesSlide22

Discuss types and examples of leads in science writing (see “Leads” handout).Pass around a stack of magazines and newspapers; ask students to identify and share the 1 or 2 leads that most strike them. What type(s) of leads are they?Watch The Island President trailer – a different way to think about packaging a climate change message. It’s like a big “focus on a person” lead!

Ask students to write and share their own lead for a story about the scientific paper they worked with in the Media Messaging exercise.

Writing Good Leads: Activity