In recent years, science, scientists and their institutions have come under attack. We’ve seen disinformation campaigns launched on big topics like climate change and vaccines, and, on a smaller scale, we’ve heard people’s frustrations with scientific findings that leave them perplexed about what to do next (So now XYZ causes cancer, too? Should I or shouldn’t I buy that zero-emission electric car that relies on harmful lithium mining?).

As communicators, we help get the evidence-based information into the public realm. We’re skilled at translating specialist language and scientific jargon into layperson terms and clear storytelling. But are we missing something? Do we need to also interweave the story that science is a way of knowing?

In this session, we’ll explore approaches and strategies to tell the stories of research findings that integrates scientific understanding.

Learning objectives include:

• How to provide adequate context when telling the story of a research study, on social media posts and longer form web posts
• How to ask the right questions about the science in interviews with researchers
• Getting the right balance between too much information and too little
• How to anticipate, preempt and counter misinformation and disinformation