Originally published in August 2019 SeaScripts, an editorial on communication.
It Takes Heart
Connecting through Communication
~ Hannah Giddens
Communication is at the heart of both science and education. A scientist that cannot communicate will not share their work effectively with peers, the public, policy makers or educators. Likewise, an educator that cannot communicate will not reach or teach anyone.
Communication occurs in every aspect of our lives and it is for this reason that we all most likely acknowledge its importance yet overlook the importance of practice. Communication is a skill. Communication is in fact not a single skill, but rather a set of skills. These skills must be learned and repeated; they must be flexed and refined.
A vast body of work exists on the topic of communication and the ever-growing field of science communication continues to add to it. Technology and social media platforms in this day and age of constantly streaming information take the art of communication to a whole new level. Google science communication and there is no shortage of authors and opinions to go around: from actors putting in their two cents, like Alan Alda, to scientists trying to explain communication within the context of the scientific method, you can choose whatever aligns with your preference.
At the heart of the matter however is that we are all humans and people innately receive and perceive information as humans: with heart and emotion. Perhaps it is time to work on basic skills such as empathy and relating? These are just some of the questions and ideas we are excited to explore with you during our annual fall conference November 1-3, 2019, when we put the “c”, the communication, in science and science education. After all isn’t communication at the very heart of the matter?
Communication occurs in every aspect of our lives and it is for this reason that we all most likely acknowledge its importance yet overlook the importance of practice. Communication is a skill. Communication is in fact not a single skill, but rather a set of skills. These skills must be learned and repeated; they must be flexed and refined.
A vast body of work exists on the topic of communication and the ever-growing field of science communication continues to add to it. Technology and social media platforms in this day and age of constantly streaming information take the art of communication to a whole new level. Google science communication and there is no shortage of authors and opinions to go around: from actors putting in their two cents, like Alan Alda, to scientists trying to explain communication within the context of the scientific method, you can choose whatever aligns with your preference.
At the heart of the matter however is that we are all humans and people innately receive and perceive information as humans: with heart and emotion. Perhaps it is time to work on basic skills such as empathy and relating? These are just some of the questions and ideas we are excited to explore with you during our annual fall conference November 1-3, 2019, when we put the “c”, the communication, in science and science education. After all isn’t communication at the very heart of the matter?