Communicating science

Communication is essential to the STEM professions. It is about explaining the importance of your work to colleagues, grant panels, funding agencies, the media, and project reviewers; publishing your research; and informing and educating citizens, and sometimes policy makers and industry leaders. It is also involved in building collaborative relationships, bringing and keeping teams together (e.g., in your laboratory, your institution, or across the world), and becoming recognized for your professional expertise. The ability to communicate effectively is not just an innate quality that one either does or does not possess. It is a set of skills that can and should be learned and developed, regardless of your starting point. Indeed, some people seem more naturally adept than others, and STEM women do tend to communicate differently than their male counterparts. It is also important to note that, regardless of how important a topic or issue may be to us, we cannot assume that our audience will share our motivation and perspective and/or have the knowledge and background to be able to understand the information that we are trying to convey, which creates another challenge for effective communication. However, through conscious effort, practice, and constructive feedback, everyone can and should aim to improve. This can be achieved by becoming familiar with and by practicing using different modes of communication when interacting with STEM professionals, the public, and the media, by learning from role models and exemplars, and by committing to continuously developing your skills