Newsletters

Our free periodical newsletter is especially relevant to you if you work in the fields of science and/or natural resource management. Some of our readers responded in a survey about our newsletter:

“It’s written in a very clear language and tackles topics of great importance for science communication – there is no other one like this that I know of.”

“I love how practical and direct the tips are. I have changed the way I communicate based on your newsletters and have saved some that I refer back to when needed!”

Browse the latest published newsletters under our 7 topics below:

or if you are looking for more information or tips on a particular topic, search the archive.

Latest Post

Read our latest newslettter

Participatory science communication

Participatory science communication

Participatory science communication is getting more attention by practitioners as a method for more deliberative engagement of publics. It is also considered to be useful in creating attitudinal and behavioural change than one-way dissemination of facts. In this newsletter, we provide further perspectives on participatory scicomm.

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NEWSLETTERS

Writing science simply

Communicating science for outside audiences is about distilling

Communicating science for outside audiences is about distilling

Scientists sometimes claim that science communicators “dumb down” their ideas and words. But the best communication of science distils the essence of the scientist’s work. Interpretive centres show this clearly, portraying big ideas in few words, excluding most technical language, and embracing different cultural values to reach the widest audience.

In this newsletter, we look at five principles of distilling scientific information.

Storytelling

Storytelling

Humans are captivated by stories. They foster cooperation, pass on social norms, and honour those who are good at telling stories.

At Econnect, we like to harness the power of a good story in our work. We use elements of storytelling in many different ways: from interviewing people to write case studies of best practice, to developing interpretive information about different topics for visitor centres. We’re currently helping Pacific Islands communicators tell their stories about the Pacific tuna fisheries. Stories aplenty!

Writing simply without jargon

Writing simply without jargon

As science communicators a lot of our work involves writing simply without jargon, and at Econnect we believe it’s important to challenge people with the quality of scientific ideas rather than the complexity of the language. This newsletter explores this issue and provides tips on how to avoid both technical and bureaucratic jargon.

NEWSLETTERS

Making stories visual

Infographics we love

Infographics we love

Infographics are great for summarising detailed information in a way that help readers get to the heart of your material very quickly. They are light on text, and rely on appealing graphic design to link elements and sketch out the main story. We’ve put together some of our favourite infographics.

Presenting science graphically

Presenting science graphically

The thoughtful use of well-designed graphical elements are central to the presentation of science. They need to be accurate, appropriate to the scientific endeavour – and attractive and easy to grasp quickly. Good graphics don’t just reiterate the text: they add an extra dimension to a reader’s understanding of a subject.

Using videos to communicate your science

Using videos to communicate your science

We love videos as a communication medium here at Econnect. Earlier this year we put together a video using existing footage and new interviews for the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency. The video helped FFA win a global prize for their efforts to reduce illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing of tuna in the Pacific.

This newsletter will provide you with tips on communicating your science visually: from technical do’s and dont’s to building your story.

Choosing the right media tool to communicate science

Choosing the right media tool to communicate science

At Econnect, the communication projects we bring to life often rely on using several media platforms. They range from traditional forms like newspapers, radio and TV to the current popular online platforms such as Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. Some people still refer to online platforms as “new” media, but they’re all now well established. Likewise, they may be referred to as “social” media, but just how social are they really?

When talking about science (or any other field), the main thing to keep in mind is to use the platforms used by the audience you want to reach, and which suit your message.

NEWSLETTERS

Planning science communication

Participatory science communication

Participatory science communication

Participatory science communication is getting more attention by practitioners as a method for more deliberative engagement of publics. It is also considered to be useful in creating attitudinal and behavioural change than one-way dissemination of facts. In this newsletter, we provide further perspectives on participatory scicomm.

Communicating risk

Communicating risk

Communicating risk – such as in these COVID-ridden times – is not straightforward. How we think of risks is influenced by many things: our personal experiences, trust in institutions, what we need, and more. But we can head off many problems by understanding people, how they perceive risk, and what can go wrong.

NEWSLETTERS

Telling stories

Emotion and science communication

Good science communication engages the senses. At Econnect, we focus on awakening curiosity, fascination, enthusiasm, and a desire to know in our audiences.

Science communication that leaves audiences feeling confused or bored, or even excluded can be worse than no communication at all. At Econnect we start by discovering what excites our intended audiences.

Communicating for behaviour change

No matter what area of science or communication you’re in, you’ll likely work on documents or activities that aim to persuade, to change. We offer advice on ways to encourage behaviour change, raising awareness about change, giving people patience and time to change and the sequence of stages people go through to make changes to their behaviours.

Trust vs. ‘Fake News’

There’s been a lot written, tweeted and debated in recent days about the rise of ‘fake news’. What does it mean for scientists and science communicators? We think it draws attention to the issue of Trust: Who can we trust? Who can audiences for science communication...

NEWSLETTERS

Training to communicate

Evaluation

Tips on evaluation – the 5 Ps of evaluation, demonstrating the benefits of science communication, evaluating as you go and using evaluation to refine communication objectives.

The value of networking

As Christmas looms, opportunities arise for catching up with people we may not have seen for some time.

It’s easy to knock back an invitation, but take a moment to consider whether you’re knocking back more than just a glass of cheap bubbly and a limp sausage roll.

NEWSLETTERS

Editing for clarity

NEWSLETTERS

Interpreting natural environments

Giving and receiving feedback

We love feedback. How do you get it and give it? Read this month’s newsletter: Using a camera to give feedback on presentations. Feedback from journalists and presenters in media skills workshops. Gaining useful feedback about our work. Editing or reviewing someone’s document: 3 tips.

Being edited

Writing is such a large and necessary part of what we do at Econnect that, while some of us are experienced at editing, all of us are experienced at being edited.

Editing is intended to save the writer from embarrassment (and, of course, help the reader), but it’s easy to get defensive, especially when the editor goes beyond fixing errors.

Perhaps in the workplace it’s better to think of writing as a collaboration—a process through which both writer and editor hone their skills to jointly create something of excellence—something more than the sum of the parts.

Engaging people in science issues

This month, we thought about Clever ideas to engage people in science-based issues – particularly ones that encourage us to consider multiple perspectives.
We love to see fascinating activities that engage people in thinking about issues that are important to them, and that could help them make the best decisions about that issue.

Advancing science communication

Science communication is advancing but it is still a career that quite a few of us have to explain. In this newsletter we define the essential role of a science communicator, discuss the ‘energie.wenden’ exhibit in Munich which encourages people to build their own opinion by providing facts, and give tips for making great screencasts.