Newsletters
Our free periodical newsletter is especially relevant to you if you work in the fields of science and/or natural resource management. Some of our readers responded in a survey about our newsletter:
“It’s written in a very clear language and tackles topics of great importance for science communication – there is no other one like this that I know of.”
“I love how practical and direct the tips are. I have changed the way I communicate based on your newsletters and have saved some that I refer back to when needed!”
Browse the latest published newsletters under our 7 topics below:
- Writing science simply
- Making stories visual
- Planning science communication
- Telling stories
- Training to communicate
- Editing for clarity
- Interpreting natural environments
or if you are looking for more information or tips on a particular topic, search the archive.
Latest Post
Read our latest newslettter
Participatory science communication
Participatory science communication is getting more attention by practitioners as a method for more deliberative engagement of publics. It is also considered to be useful in creating attitudinal and behavioural change than one-way dissemination of facts. In this newsletter, we provide further perspectives on participatory scicomm.
Updates
Subscribe for updates
To receive updates when our latest newsletters are published, fill out the form below with your best contact details.
NEWSLETTERS
Writing science simply
Communicating science for outside audiences is about distilling
Scientists sometimes claim that science communicators “dumb down” their ideas and words. But the best communication of science distils the essence of the scientist’s work. Interpretive centres show this clearly, portraying big ideas in few words, excluding most technical language, and embracing different cultural values to reach the widest audience.
In this newsletter, we look at five principles of distilling scientific information.
Storytelling
Humans are captivated by stories. They foster cooperation, pass on social norms, and honour those who are good at telling stories.
At Econnect, we like to harness the power of a good story in our work. We use elements of storytelling in many different ways: from interviewing people to write case studies of best practice, to developing interpretive information about different topics for visitor centres. We’re currently helping Pacific Islands communicators tell their stories about the Pacific tuna fisheries. Stories aplenty!
Succinct, Simple and Stylish Writing
Econnect has been doing a lot of short, sharp writing of late for writing interpretive panels and signs for environmental visitor centres. Here we share some tips on writing clearly and simply.
Writing simply without jargon
As science communicators a lot of our work involves writing simply without jargon, and at Econnect we believe it’s important to challenge people with the quality of scientific ideas rather than the complexity of the language. This newsletter explores this issue and provides tips on how to avoid both technical and bureaucratic jargon.
NEWSLETTERS
Making stories visual
Infographics we love
Infographics are great for summarising detailed information in a way that help readers get to the heart of your material very quickly. They are light on text, and rely on appealing graphic design to link elements and sketch out the main story. We’ve put together some of our favourite infographics.
Presenting science graphically
The thoughtful use of well-designed graphical elements are central to the presentation of science. They need to be accurate, appropriate to the scientific endeavour – and attractive and easy to grasp quickly. Good graphics don’t just reiterate the text: they add an extra dimension to a reader’s understanding of a subject.
Using videos to communicate your science
We love videos as a communication medium here at Econnect. Earlier this year we put together a video using existing footage and new interviews for the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency. The video helped FFA win a global prize for their efforts to reduce illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing of tuna in the Pacific.
This newsletter will provide you with tips on communicating your science visually: from technical do’s and dont’s to building your story.
Choosing the right media tool to communicate science
At Econnect, the communication projects we bring to life often rely on using several media platforms. They range from traditional forms like newspapers, radio and TV to the current popular online platforms such as Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Some people still refer to online platforms as “new” media, but they’re all now well established. Likewise, they may be referred to as “social” media, but just how social are they really?
When talking about science (or any other field), the main thing to keep in mind is to use the platforms used by the audience you want to reach, and which suit your message.
NEWSLETTERS
Planning science communication
Participatory science communication
Participatory science communication is getting more attention by practitioners as a method for more deliberative engagement of publics. It is also considered to be useful in creating attitudinal and behavioural change than one-way dissemination of facts. In this newsletter, we provide further perspectives on participatory scicomm.
Communicating risk
Communicating risk – such as in these COVID-ridden times – is not straightforward. How we think of risks is influenced by many things: our personal experiences, trust in institutions, what we need, and more. But we can head off many problems by understanding people, how they perceive risk, and what can go wrong.
Designing messages
We’ve all had experience of thinking long and hard about how to craft a message, and finding that it misses the mark. It’s difficult to do well! We need to craft different messages for different audiences and media.
Planning communication of science
Designing communication strategies is an area where we continually learn new approaches and try different ideas. However, there are principles, such as the importance of understanding target groups, that remain constant.
NEWSLETTERS
Telling stories
Emotion and science communication
Good science communication engages the senses. At Econnect, we focus on awakening curiosity, fascination, enthusiasm, and a desire to know in our audiences.
Science communication that leaves audiences feeling confused or bored, or even excluded can be worse than no communication at all. At Econnect we start by discovering what excites our intended audiences.
Participatory science communication
As ‘fake news’ accusations escalate, how do we as science communicators communicate when facts are no longer enough?
Communicating for behaviour change
No matter what area of science or communication you’re in, you’ll likely work on documents or activities that aim to persuade, to change. We offer advice on ways to encourage behaviour change, raising awareness about change, giving people patience and time to change and the sequence of stages people go through to make changes to their behaviours.
Trust vs. ‘Fake News’
There’s been a lot written, tweeted and debated in recent days about the rise of ‘fake news’. What does it mean for scientists and science communicators? We think it draws attention to the issue of Trust: Who can we trust? Who can audiences for science communication...
NEWSLETTERS
Training to communicate
Evaluation
Tips on evaluation – the 5 Ps of evaluation, demonstrating the benefits of science communication, evaluating as you go and using evaluation to refine communication objectives.
Adapting to change
Econnect has undergone some big changes since our last newsletter – we discuss accepting change, making changes using evidence and communicating the the right messages to facilitate change.
The value of networking
As Christmas looms, opportunities arise for catching up with people we may not have seen for some time.
It’s easy to knock back an invitation, but take a moment to consider whether you’re knocking back more than just a glass of cheap bubbly and a limp sausage roll.
Workshops – what makes a great one?
How do you run a great workshop? Learn how to set up the room. Get to know your participants in advance. And get them working!
NEWSLETTERS
Editing for clarity
NEWSLETTERS
Interpreting natural environments
Giving and receiving feedback
We love feedback. How do you get it and give it? Read this month’s newsletter: Using a camera to give feedback on presentations. Feedback from journalists and presenters in media skills workshops. Gaining useful feedback about our work. Editing or reviewing someone’s document: 3 tips.
Being edited
Writing is such a large and necessary part of what we do at Econnect that, while some of us are experienced at editing, all of us are experienced at being edited.
Editing is intended to save the writer from embarrassment (and, of course, help the reader), but it’s easy to get defensive, especially when the editor goes beyond fixing errors.
Perhaps in the workplace it’s better to think of writing as a collaboration—a process through which both writer and editor hone their skills to jointly create something of excellence—something more than the sum of the parts.
Engaging people in science issues
This month, we thought about Clever ideas to engage people in science-based issues – particularly ones that encourage us to consider multiple perspectives.
We love to see fascinating activities that engage people in thinking about issues that are important to them, and that could help them make the best decisions about that issue.
Advancing science communication
Science communication is advancing but it is still a career that quite a few of us have to explain. In this newsletter we define the essential role of a science communicator, discuss the ‘energie.wenden’ exhibit in Munich which encourages people to build their own opinion by providing facts, and give tips for making great screencasts.