Keep it simple: Carl Sagan’s science communication advice
Carl Sagan. Credit: NASA.
Carl Sagan was a science communicator extraordinaire. Professor, author of multiple books, and star of the TV show Cosmos, the revered astronomer opened the wonders of the universe to the public.
“No one has ever explained space, in all its bewildering glory, as well as Sagan did,” notes the Smithsonian Magazine.
I’ve been reading one of Sagan’s books, The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark (1995), which encourages criticial and sceptical thinking based on the scientific method.
One of the things that stands out to me is Sagan’s emphasis on the need for scientists to communicate clearly about their work to non-specialists. (This is something I teach in the science communication training course I run with Dr. Tali Hoffman).
A quote from the book shows how Sagan thinks scientists should aim to communicate with non-specialists. It’s the kind of sentiment you’ll find in most science communication training programmes.
On keeping it simple with science communication, Sagan says (Italics added):
“Don’t talk to the general audience as you would your scientific colleagues. There are terms that convey your meaning instantly and accurately to fellow experts. You may parse these phrases every day in your professional work. But they do no more than mystify an audience of non-specialists. Use the simplest possible language. Above all, remember how it was before you, yourself, grasped whatever it is you’re explaining.”
Sagan puts is straight. Scientists need to cut jargon when communicating with non-specialists. The aim is to inform, not mystify.
This is easier said than done. I’ve seen too many well-meaning scientists doing public presentations and taking the audience into a tangle of field-specific terminology that only specialists understand.
Keeping it simple requires practice and preparation
Scientists who can communicate in simple terms are an asset to society, making the wonders of science accessible and interesting to non-scientists.
To communicate science simply requires practice and preparation. It means thinking carefully about your audience and their scientific literacy.
Are the terms you (as a scientist) using when communicating with non-specialists things that people like your local barista (providing they’re not a specialist in your field by chance) would understand?
How can you explain your science in a way that doesn’t dilute it but doesn’t make your audience’s eyes glaze over within the first two minutes of a presentation?
Take the time to check through your material for public presentations and engagements. Extricate that jargon and reflect on what Sagan said: “remember how it was before you, yourself, grasped whatever it is you’re explaining.”
If you’re a scientist looking to simplify your science communication check out these helpful resources:
Can you keep it simple with your science communication? - blog post by Brendon Bosworth
Watch your words - guide for checking for jargon from the AGU
ExplainJargon - nifty app for checking jargon
Brendon Bosworth is a science communication trainer and the principal consultant at Human Element Communications. He runs the science communication course, Communicating Science for Impact with Dr Tali Hoffman.
