Editor’s note: Joan Siefert Rose is CEO of LaunchBio and former CEO of the Council for Entrepreneurial Development. LaunchBio is a partner of WRAL TechWire.
DURHAM – Many years ago, I worked at an academic medical center in the Midwest, where my job was to meet reporters interested in interviewing researchers and clinicians. I remember one ambitious young television reporter who was a frequent visitor for general interest stories, such as the flu, breast cancer screening, and diet and exercise.
She arrived early one morning to interview a prominent researcher for a story on weight loss. Just before she met him, the reporter asked me, “What’s the difference between an entomologist and an endocrinologist?” I told her the first one studied bugs, and the second one, glands – and that she would be talking to the glands expert.
I don’t remember whether I watched the report that night.
I recall this story because it’s a reminder that scientific literacy can’t be assumed, even among educated people. And that’s why it’s important for research scientists to learn to communicate what they do so that people who have not been inside of a lab since high school, if ever, can understand it.
This can be a tall order, but help is available.
Researchers, generally speaking, like to hang out with other researchers. They share a common work environment, academic background, and professional language. That language can be highly technical and somewhat intimidating to mere mortals.
But researchers need to engage non-scientists to support their work, especially since so much basic research is funded through public dollars. In addition, the commercialization of their research requires the engagement of investors, lawyers, consultants, partners, and others who want to understand and be inspired by the benefit of their science to society.
LaunchBio is offering a low-stress introduction for scientists who want some pointers on how to bridge this communication gap. Led by Alissa Hinkson, a strategic communications consultant committed to helping researchers tell their best story, this free workshop March 1 is designed to dial down the anxiety, offer some helpful tips, and uncover the message that will connect with a non-scientific audience. She will be joined by Tim Willis, CEO and Managing Director of MED1Ventures, to share his experience of what – and what not – to say in a business meeting; and Karl Bates, Director of Research Communications at Duke University’s Office of News & Communications, who has helped scores of scientists get beyond the jargon to make a clear, concise statement.
We’ll even simulate a networking session by offering participants a chance to practice their pitch over a glass of wine. (All in the name of research, of course.) Information about the session and registration is available here. Because, as a researcher, you never know when you may be faced with the question: Do you work with bugs or glands?
