aka Sweet Spots Hot Topics and Digestible Tidbits Kai Chan Institute for Resources Environment and Sustainability RMES 508 UBC Sep 9 2014 Kai Chan First Answer the Key Question ID: 402903
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Op-Eds & Blogs: Hook, Line & Sinkeraka Sweet Spots, Hot Topics, and Digestible Tidbits
Kai ChanInstitute for Resources, Environment and SustainabilityRMES 508, UBC. Sep 9, 2014
© Kai ChanSlide2
First Answer the Key Question
What’s a good hook?
What’s your argument?
What are good supporting statistics?
How will you end it?
Where will you publish it?Slide3
Who Is Your Intended Audience?
Audience determines venue
There is no ‘general public’:
If
you cater to everyone, you reach no one
TIP #1: Think of your audience in
very
concrete termsNote: Distinguish clearly between the paper’s/blog’s readers/viewers and who you seek to reach.
Your intended audience may be just one person. Slide4
First: What Change, Theory of Change?
“Wait! I just want to educate people.”
Implied / default theory of
change:
P
eople
will learn broadly about what might benefit them +
They will take the actions that most benefit them and/or others.Demonstrably FALSE
, on both accountsMost people
automatically filter out unnecessary masses from an onslaught of info &
are
very
selective re: education—only what requires or inspires
change
.
And all kinds of barriers impede action—
e.g., habits, norms, and social traps.Slide5
Integrating Insights
Levine, Chan, Satterfield in review
Ecol. Econ.Slide6
Theory of Change
What is the change you want to enable, and how might you best enable it—given your available resources?
‘Enable’ doesn’t imply advocacy.
This helps identify audienceSlide7
Op-Eds and Blogs, Deconstructed
Hook:
catchy intro, immediately identifying why your readers need to read this to further their own objectives
Line:
clear argument with simple structure,
e.g.
, ~3
linked supporting arguments with evidence and/or statisticsSinker: Punchy conclusion that restates your point, concisely and memorablySlide8
Two Elements: Policy and Practice
For our purposes, change may require either or both
Pinpoint how policy might be changed in your system
And how
behaviour
, habits, social norms might changeSlide9
ActivityNow think about some aspect of your work with implications for society/policy:
What might need to change?Who needs to do what for that to happen? (multiple)How can you advance that?What opportunities, resources?
What obstacles?Slide10
Hook
Chan 2010 Metro, “Act Like You’re at Home”Slide11
Line
Otto & Chan 2010 Vancouver SunSlide12
Sinker
Chan & West 2010 Metro “A Medal for Flathead Ban”Slide13
Sweet Spots:Play Social Networks for Reach & AvailabilitySlide14
E.g.1, Gregr & Chan 2010
Audience: Managers who have
data-envy to USA re: EBM
Times Cited:
2
TIP #3: Remember that social media and science are worlds/networks of
peopleSlide15
Digestible Tidbits:
Don’t Make Them Jump Too FarSlide16
E.g.2, Luck et al., 2009
Audience: Conservation planners & ES researchers interested in connecting to poverty alleviation/human needs
Times Cited:
34
TIP #2: Gauge where your audience is (A)
… and a realistic route to BSlide17
Hot Topics:First Catch the Wave, then InnovateSlide18
E.g.3, Chan et al., 2006, 2007
Audiences: conservationists concerned about human impacts, controversies; conservation planners thinking about ES
Times Cited:
194
,
587
TIP #4: Remember that others are masters of this!Slide19
Appeal to the powerful organs
Rarely the
head
Often the
heart
Whenever possible, the
gut
Occasionally the gonads
Randy Olson
Olson 2009
Don’t Be Such A ScientistSlide20
Aim to be ‘sticky’, via SUCCESs:
S
imple
U
nexpectedC
oncrete
C
redibleEmotionalStories
Chip & Dan Heath
Heath & Heath 2007
Made to StickSlide21
Who is your intended audience?
What are they
thinking/doing?
(A)
What do you want them to think/do?
(B)
How can you get them from A to B?
Which venue, and what forum, enables that?DISCUSS in groups of three, for your research
QuestionsSlide22
ConclusionsHook, Line & Sinker
Sweet spotsHot topicsDigestible tidbits
As with social media, so with scienceMake it sticky with SUCCESsAnd remember which organs ruleSlide23
Questions?Slide24
Baron, N. (2010).
Escape from the Ivory Tower: A Guide to Making Your Science Matter
. Washington, D.C., Island Press.
http://books.google.com/books?id=bJXGoQxaijsC&source=
gbs_navlinks_s
Dean, C. (2009).
Am I Making Myself Clear? A Scientist's Guide to Talking to the Public, Harvard University Press. http://books.google.ca/books?id=2znengqPmj4C Heath, C. and D. Heath (2007). Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, Random House Publishing Group. http://books.google.ca/books?id=
Yfp79AAohiMC Olson, R. (2009). Don't Be Such a Scientist: Talking Substance in an Age of Style
. Washington, D.C., Island Press.
http://books.google.ca/books?id=
UuQCkCWP86YC
References