Patti Wolter leads CRS Career Catalyst on Communicating Science with the Public
On May 2nd, CRS welcomed Professor Patti Wolter the Helen Gurley Brown Magazine Professor for the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. Professor Wolter’s Career Catalyst presentation, “Communicating Science with the Public: How to make journalists listen, your friends and family understand, and your outreach more impactful”, brought some fantastic insights into effective communication and how to apply what we already know as scientists, the scientific methods to reporting our own stories to broad audiences.
Scientists spend their education and careers presenting their work at research conferences and science-based events. But that is not the only time where sharing your science is going to be of importance. Professor Wolter shared with our audience how to navigate communication between scientists and journalists so that media reporting of scientific advancements is relevant, digestible, and accurate.
Professor Wolter shared a blueprint of methods to navigate the needs of both scientists and journalists. Research stories must find a way to draw a broad audience in, what is the hook and the novelty? And ultimately why should the public care? Now more than ever, talking about our science more broadly to the public shows the importance of our scientific advancements and innovations to our society but Professor Wolter emphasizes that scientists much learn to shift our language to engage audiences, make the science accessible.
Overall, Professor Wolter’s Career Catalyst provided some great pointers for our CRS scientists in how to communicate our science and utilize journalists to broaden the reach of our science. Engage with the media and be a conduit through which understanding science advancements is attainable and understandable by diverse audiences.