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Communicating Science
Thomas Workman, Ph.D.
American Institutes for Research
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A Call to Communicate Clearly
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Illustrating the Issue
Geneticists and cell biologists have exploited a neurologically impaired “pale and
trembling” mouse strain, in conjunction with new genomic technologies and
information from the known mouse and human chromosomal DNA sequences, to
rapidly identify a mutation that causes a subtype of the Charcot-Marie-Tooth
neurological disorder that affects one in 2,500 people in the United States.
Knowledge of the specific gene defect will enable development of a DNA test to
confirm the diagnosis in patients and predict risk for family members. The disorder
presents with progressive arm and leg pain that that begins in early adulthood and
leads to difficulty walking and manipulating objects. The mutation in the FIG4 gene
leads to a deficiency of a signaling phosphatase enzyme that is important in
maintaining neurological connections in specific regions of the brain as well as in
peripheral sensory and motor nerves.
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Translating Science: Inverting the Scientific Method
Scientific Communication:
↓Research Need
↓Research questions and
hypotheses
↓Methods of study
↓Findings
↓Discussion/Implications
↓Bibliography of sources
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Lay Communication:
• What
• Who
• When
• Where
• How
• Why
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Steps to Effective Communication
1. Identifying the Audience and Message Context
2. Forming the Message for each audience
3. Translating Scientific Terms and Concepts into Plain
Language
4. Delivering Messages in Assessable Formats
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Step 1: Identifying the Audience
• Who is my audience?
• What does my audience already know about the subject?
• What does my audience need to know?
• What questions will my audience have?
• What's the best outcome for the field? What do I need to
say to get this outcome?
• What's the best outcome for the audience? What do I need
to say to get this outcome?
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Audiences for Scientific Messages
• Patients, family, and caregivers
• Clinicians and practitioners
• Jurors/Legal Advisors
• Health Care Administrators
• Payers/Third Party Insurers
• Policymakers
• Researchers
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Contexts: Identifying How Information is Used
• Deciding about the treatment or management of conditions
• Deciding whether to participate in a study
• Making legal decisions based on scientific evidence
• Creating benefit design or formularies based on scientific
evidence
• Creating policies or procedures based on scientific
evidence
• Determining funding priorities for future research
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Step 2: Identifying the Message
Effective messages:
• Focus on audience need rather than on content.
• Are action-oriented.
• Provide only the essential information to meet the
audience need.
• Are designed for elaboration when needed.
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Illustrating the Issue: What’s the Message?
Geneticists and cell biologists have exploited a neurologically impaired “pale and
trembling” mouse strain, in conjunction with new genomic technologies and
information from the known mouse and human chromosomal DNA sequences, to
rapidly identify a mutation that causes a subtype of the Charcot-Marie-Tooth
neurological disorder that affects one in 2,500 people in the United States.
Knowledge of the specific gene defect will enable development of a DNA test to
confirm the diagnosis in patients and predict risk for family members. The disorder
presents with progressive arm and leg pain that that begins in early adulthood and
leads to difficulty walking and manipulating objects. The mutation in the FIG4 gene
leads to a deficiency of a signaling phosphatase enzyme that is important in
maintaining neurological connections in specific regions of the brain as well as in
peripheral sensory and motor nerves.
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Who needs to know/how will they use this knowledge:
• There is a new diagnostic approach for Charcot-MarieTooth neurological disorder.
• The Charcot-Marie-Tooth disorder affects 1 in 2500 people
in the United States.
• Charcot-Marie-Tooth disorder causes progressive arm and
leg pain that that begins in early adulthood and leads to
difficulty walking and manipulating objects.
• How genetic testing identifies Charcot-Marie-Tooth
disorder.
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Translating Science Into Plain Language
• Simple words
• Short sentences
• Active verb tense
• Replace or define technical terms
• Provide essential information only
• Use analogies and metaphors to describe complex
processes
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Messages from Our Example for Lay Audiences
• Charcot-Marie-Tooth disorder is a common illness that affects
the nervous system.
• The disorder is passed from the parent to the child through
birth, even if the parent does not have the disorder. This
happens to 1 in 2,500 people in the United States.
• Symptoms start in early adulthood.
• Patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disorder feel arm and leg
pain that gets worse over time.
• Over time, the disorder can make walking and manipulating
objects difficult.
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More Messages from Our Example for Lay Audiences
• Until recently, scientists did not know how to find out if
someone has Charcot-Marie-Tooth disorder.
• Researchers have now found the specific cause of the disorder
by studying defective genes (DNA) of mice and humans.
• This discovery can be used to create a DNA test that can:
oHelp someone know if they have this disorder
oHelp families know the risk of passing the disorder on to their
children
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Challenges to Scientists
• Letting go of the details
• Feeling comfortable with the non-specificity of simple terms
and descriptions
• Building on basic messages with growing details for those
able to or desiring additional information
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Getting the Message Out
• Using audience-based information sources
• Connecting interested audiences back to more
information
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Questions?
[email protected]
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