Science Storytelling: How and Why
In a world of raging pandemics and rising temperatures, we need clear, engaging and effective science communication. Science teaches us how and why these things happen and how we can stop them.
But science is complicated. And scientists don’t always talk about what they do in ways that most people understand. When the general public doesn’t understand or care about how science impacts their lives, we face big consequences — from not wearing masks during a global health crisis, to questioning whether climate change is real.
Bridging the gap between science and the public understanding isn’t easy. Key challenges science communicators face when communicating with lay audiences include:
Information overload; questionable credibility: In today’s media landscape, anyone can be a publisher. This can mean facts aren’t always checked and some “news” simply is not true. With so many sources available, readers may find it hard to find credible, reliable information.
Science is often inaccessible: Scientists have a language of their own and often use words those outside their field don’t understand. When science communication is filled with jargon and complexities, many people don’t understand what they’re saying and don’t grasp important takeaways.
Quality reporting is expensive: People want information, but they don’t always want to pay for it. When readers don’t pay, independent news outlets may have to cut corners to make ends meet. Private organizations may be able to foot the bill to publish, but that can leave many voices out or create biased coverage.
Scientific issues can be political or at odds with personal beliefs and understandings: This leads some people to not accept scientific information as fact or doubt the credibility of science.
This independent study explores how pairing clear, lay-friendly explanations of science with compelling human stories can help overcome some of these science communication challenges — and help improve the public’s understanding of science. I interviewed a number of storytellers who focus on scientific issues. My goal was to learn more about how and why communicators — from authors to marketers to journalists — effectively tell science stories.
They shared deep insight on using storytelling to engage lay audiences with complex issues like climate change and health disparities. I connected with storytellers who focus on environmental issues and health, as these are my biggest areas of interest. But these insights could be broadly applied across science.
See the big-picture takeaways from this project and learn more about the subject matter experts.