Let’s face it; nobody speaks in perfect, clear, stirring, and memorable soundbites. But scientists are particularly apt to load their communications with so many caveats and so much detail that non-scientists have a hard time determining whether they’ve said anything definitive at all!
We see this when climate experts are called upon to explain extreme weather.
Scientists have good reason to be cautious in their communications—and in a politically charged environment, climate scientists are particularly gun shy. Too much simplification—let alone personal or emotional appeals—may tread too far outside the scientific norms of dispassionate objectivity, and put a scientist’s credibility on the line. For many scientists, the moral dimensions of their work are self-evident. But articulating them is risky.
The problem is that political opponents of climate action often portray the caveats and caution as evidence that scientists are unsure of their findings.
So, what should a scientist do?
Richard C. J. Somerville and Susan Jay Hassol offer some tips for science communicators. I’ve boiled them down here.
