Please find pasted below Econnect Communication’s fourth newsletter. This newsletter is particularly focused on message-design, and we would welcome your feedback and ideas.

 

Please feel free to send this edition of the newsletter to anyone else who might be interested, and who would like to be on our newsletter contact list. You are also welcome to use any of the material in the newsletter, as long as you acknowledge Econnect as the source.

 

With regards

The team at Econnect Communication (Jenni Metcalfe, Lin Martin, Louise Ralph, Michelle Riedlinger)

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CONTACT ECONNECT COMMUNICATION – phone 07 3846 7111; EMAIL admin@econnect.com.au; website: http://www.econnect.com.au. Econnect is committed to planning and delivering innovative and effective communication in the natural resource and environmental fields to ensure a sustainable future. We work with clients and their partners in an open, respectful and cooperative manner fulfilling our commitment to conservation and social justice.

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NEWSLETTER 4, 21 September 2001

Feel free to reproduce any of the following articles as long as you acknowledge Econnect as the source

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MESSAGE DESIGN TIPS By Jenni Metcalfe

There are three “magic” questions that we find useful when shaping messages – whether they be for fact sheets, media releases, presentations, signage, or whatever the communication tactic:

1.        What do you what to get across to a particular audience? (Your objectives and content. Many stop at the first question but if you really want to deliver messages that are both useful and clear then the next two questions are critical)

2.        What does your audience want to know about the topic you are wanting to communicate? (Their benefit from listening to you; Ensures relevance – you may need to do some audience research to answer this question properly)

3.        What could the audience get wrong about your information unless you stress the correct information? (This ensure clarity and helps to avoid misinformation)

 

When you have considered your answers to the above three questions (your answers to questions 2 and 3 should shape what you original wrote), you are ready to design your core messages.

 

Shaping messages

1.       Find out what people want to know. What you think is important, and what others think is important may differ greatly. While it is important to communicate information you consider critical, you need to consider the concerns of affected or interested groups.

2.       Acknowledge uncertainties. This will help your long-term credibility as well as helping to educate people about the nature of the issue, and technical information available.

3.       Put information into perspective. It is important not to raise expectations beyond what can be delivered or to minimise risks. (People require enough information to enable them to make their own personal decisions.)

4.       Take care when simplifying information. A fine balance needs to be maintained between providing too much complex information and providing them with too little.

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CLEAR MESSAGES KEEP PROJECTS ON-TRACK By Lin Martin

Having an agreed upon set of messages and objectives to guide projects as they are implemented not only allows for coherent messages to be delivered to and by all stakeholders as the project unfolds, but they can also be used as reference points when a project threatens to come unstuck.

 

In a current Econnect project, misunderstanding amongst committee members was slowing progress. At the meeting designed to tackle these issues, members were taken back to the original project objectives, developed from the set of messages, which were based on consultation with the partners.

 

By re-examining these messages, all parties were reminded that common, agreed upon goals were shared. This became the point where we could all move forward, and re-recognise that the various tactics outlined in the plans were flexible and necessary steps for implementing the project.

 

A set of clear messages also allows partners from differing disciplines or responsibilities to see what the whole project is trying to achieve, and not with just a particular agency or association "hat" on. Clear messages can help transcend some of the "patch protection" that goes on that hampers communication and effective working partnerships.

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PRE-TESTING MESSAGES

It is useful to test how clear your messages are before finalising a communication strategy or tactic. One way to do this is to pre-test the message with a sample of the “target audience”. For example, you can send out a draft fact sheet to a few people to give feedback on before you finalise it, or you can present a draft strategy at a focus group and ask them about the messages delivered.

 

Some questions that are useful for pre-testing are:

1. What was the main idea this document [or presentation, video clip, fact sheet, etc] was trying to get across to you?

2. What does this document ask you to do?

3. What action, if any, is the document recommending that people take?

4. In your opinion, was there anything in the document that was confusing?

5. Which of these phrases best describes the document?            Easy to understand/Hard to understand

6. In your opinion, was there anything in particular that was worth remembering about the document?

7. What, if anything, did you particularly like about the document?

8. Was there anything in the document that you particularly disliked or that bothered you? If yes, what?

9. In your opinion was there anything in the document that was hard to believe? If yes, what?

10. In your opinion, what type of person was this document talking to? Was it talking to: Someone like me/Someone different to me

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SCIENCE COMMUNICATION – AN EVOLUTION By Louise Ralph

A couple of decades ago, communicating science to the public was something left to those few journalists with a curiosity about what went on behind lab doors. Most research organisations had never considered the idea of science communication, much less employing people with skills in that area.

 

In recent years science has leapt out of the lab and into the public arena. Science communication has become a recognised profession with thousands employed in this field and special inter-disciplinary courses such as Queensland University’s post-grad course beginning in 2002.

 

Those of us who are Arts majors will assure you that being a science communicator doesn’t require a degree in science. It requires curiosity, passion and an ability to pitch science at a level everyone can understand.

 

Science communication is about communicating with stakeholders and helping translate valuable research into government and industry action, and community benefits. It’s about inspiring our children to see science as exciting and as a potential career. It’s about communicating science: the good, the bad and the ugly, and not backing away from public debate.

 

Next month, Brisbane’s chapter of the Australian Science Communicators presents the NATIONAL SCIENCE WRITER’S FESTIVAL from October 18-21.

 

This festival is for you if you are:

*a scientist or post-grad science student ~ and you would like to improve your media and writing skills, move in to science communication, or learn innovative ways to communicate with your various publics

*a science communicator or communication student wanting to enhance your skills

 *a freelance writer or author with an interest in science

 

The festival brings together some of the most talented and respected science communicators in Australia, as workshop presenters, speakers and participants. It is a chance for science communicators and scientists to celebrate their craft, network and learn new skills.

 

This festival promises to be well worth the effort of running the gauntlet of airline chaos - with special events like the Science of Blokes (a public event linking in with the Brisbane Writers Festival), the Science of Wine, a festival feast, and inspiring plenary sessions and workshops

 

REGISTER NOW!

20% discount if registered before close of business Friday September 28^th.

For online registration, more information, special travel and accommodation bookings, go to www.asc.asn.au/sciwriters/

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MESSAGES AND MISCOMMUNICATION By Michelle Riedlinger

Miscommunication often happens at the boundaries between various groups of people. It is important to understand why this occurs so that you can plan your communication messages more effectively. If you are experiencing communication problems with those you are dealing with, such as misunderstandings or hostility it may be because the groups to which these people identify, for example organisational or regional affiliations, have conflicting agendas and are trying to establish the boundaries between themselves and each other.

 

A communication strategy often employed by groups is that of no communication at all. Many groups use this strategy to keep their boundaries rigid and protect the agenda and ideals of their group. If your messages involve changing the agenda or priorities of certain groups, such as awareness raising, it is important to remember that not all communication will be received positively. Communication is often used to reinforce and promote the agenda of groups or for individuals to flag that they are loyal to a certain group and its ideals. This means that it is very important to listen to what people are saying about their group membership because they are conveying a lot of information about how they view the world and what messages will be receptive to them.

 

You can often establish the values and beliefs of a group by paying attention to what they are not. If an individual has trouble with others they will often describe what these problems are in terms of group membership. These people are often members of other groups or people who are in an opposing group to them. You can find out the concerns and needs of members of a certain group by observing how they describe other groups.  This will help you design messages that don’t threaten a group’s identify or values.

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EVENTS OR CONFERENCES COMING UP

·         ScienceNOW! Melbourne, 23-26 August 2001, http://www.sciencenow.org.au

·         Interpretation Association of Australia 2001 National Conference, 3-7 September 2001, Alice Springs, http://home.vicnet.net.au/~interpoz/

·         National Conference of the Australian Science Communicators (ASC), 23-26 September 2001, Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, http://www.asc.asn.au/

·         National Science Writers’ Festival, 18-21 October 2001, University of Queensland and SouthBank, Brisbane, Email: louise@econnect.com.au

·         Ecotourism Association of Australia Conference, Rottnest Island, 23-26 October 2001, www.ecotourism.org.au, Email: tony.charters@tq.com.au

·         Natural Resources Communicators Conference, National Museum, Canberra, 13-14 November 2001, Email Lawrie.Kirk@mdbc.gov.au

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