Engaging people with science is fundamental to the experience of being a scientist. People’s experiences of engaging in science communication efforts vary widely, from gratifying and fulfilling to intimidating and challenging. Some people have made science communication their entire career, and some simply want to explain to their friends how they spend their time. Every one of these engagement efforts is valuable to the connection between science and society – grounding research in reality and providing a pathway to positivity toward science and scientists.
The goal of science communication may be enhanced dialogue, understanding, resilience, awareness, enthusiasm, influencing sustainable behaviour change, improving decision making, and/or community building. Projects can have widely varying objectives depending on their scale, scope, and methods. Depending on the intended impact, and the demographics of the audience, tactics and strategies can be used to create environments that result in different participant experiences.
Activities focussed on cultivating emotive experiences with the subject matter, regardless of learning outcomes, can have significant impact and enhance audiences’ connection with the natural world in a lasting manner. Encouraging and facilitating audiences to feel welcomed by, and create positive emotional association with, the concept of science is critical to pervasive perception change. The communication goals do not always align with the audience’s expectations. Balancing these needs, as well as adapting the tone of the engagement, is important in reaching your intended impact.
With a focus on creative or unexpected methods, accompanied by evidence-based examples of impact, this session invites you to learn from each other in a community of practice seeking to and advance the effective communication of geoscience.