Our communications ambassador Aditi Aiyer (PhD candidate, Infectious Diseases and Immunology, The University of Sydney) shares her views on scientific communication.

“Sci-“entific “Comm-“unication (or #SciComm) is loosely defined as "the practice of informing, educating, raising awareness of science-related topics, and increasing the sense of wonder about scientific discoveries and arguments".

But how does one encourage "wonder" in the hearts and minds of the public - especially when, at times, scientific concepts are dry and content heavy. How can you condense the entire process of, say, antimicrobial reistance in to 200 characters on Twitter without losing scientific integrity while also captivating an audience?

Last year, we ASM communication ambassadors had the privilege to hear about #SciComm from two experts, Kylie Ahern and AJ Epstein from STEM Matters - an Australian company focused on strategies to enhance scientific communication to broader audiences.

Here are a few pointers from my perspective to improve your #SciComm game:

1. Know your audience

Firstly, understanding SciComm, requires a little "market-research". Essentially, you would need to understand the economy of #SciComm by looking at what an audience demands.

Fortunately, finding your audience is rather easy. Look at your favourite social media and search for relevant tags. Some examples are, #AcademicTwitter, #phdlife, #AcademicChatter and of course, #SciComm.

These generic tags can be the first step to finding other accounts to follow and gauge the kinds of posts that garner the most interaction. This obviously all depends on the kind of social media you are using. If it's Twitter, then the best kinds of tweets tend to involve the larger academic community while posts on Instagram are more aesthetically pleasing, while also informative.

2. Pick your niche or keep it broad

If the 21st century has taught any of us anything, it is that the world of science is one that is constantly changing. Take the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, one year ago we could not have imagined seeing the terms “PCR”, “genome sequencing” and “mRNA vaccines” in the new daily. Effective scientific communication is essential when explaining these niche concepts to the general public.

This is where you as a communicator needs to decide what you want to discuss - will you frame yourself as an expert in the field or a jack of all trades; whether it is coming from a place of interest or expertise.

3. Break it down

Following your understanding of an audience and picking your subject matter; you should come away with a basic idea of what you would want to talk about. Understandably, your area of interest may be fraught with complexity - or at least that is what you think. When trying to break down a concept, I find that the best way to do this is, again, to think about your audience. Are you communicating to kids or to other educated experts in the field? How one breaks down a concept will differ. This video explains it perfectly.

Biologist explains

4. It’s all about engagement

Engagement is a metric determined by the different social media that you are using. Twitter is likes and retweets, Instagram is likes, posts and shares, and Youtube is views and subscribers. Regardless, engagement means there is a greater chance for your opinion and work to be shared with others in the community.

5. Try, try and try again

A key that AJ and Kylie highlighted to us ASM ambassadors is post engagement is not always a one-shot wonder. Sometimes, it is simply the timing is incorrect. This feeds back into understanding your audience, which takes some trial and error of posting and reposting the same post at different times to see when people are able to engage with it the most.

Of course, the best way to learn about SciComm is simply by engaging with the community more. Afterall, practice makes perfect.

If you would like to know more or get in touch with the lovely folks at STEM Matters - visit their website at https://stemmatters.com.au/

Twitter: @AiyerDidi