Scientists, policy makers can't hear you! How to improve your chances of being heard

Background/Question/Methods

Science contributes great benefits to our knowledge base, our technology, our economy, and our national and international security, but there is still potential for greater impacts.  The burden of strengthening scientific impact lies predominantly on the shoulders of scientists.  To bring their work to bear on policy, scientists must learn to function in the language of policy makers, accept the human element as important in their work, move at the speed at which policy moves, and be flexible and accept the ”75 percent solution”.  

Scientists and policy makers see the world through different lenses and use different vernacular to communicate and reinforce their own worldviews.    Both collect and analyze data about the world, but from distinctly different vantages.  Scientists study the why, when, where, and how, most often exclusive of the human element.   U.S. policy makers’ context is built on interpersonal relationships and distinctly anthropocentric disciplines.  Policy makers analyze the “who” scientists often neglect – who is benefitted, who is paying, who is regulating, who is complying?  

Policy makers are forced to make decisions in very short time-frames on technical matters about which they have little or no understanding.  The pace and the lack of certainty are uncomfortable for scientists.  A useful rule of thumb is the “75 percent solution”: when three quarters of the questions is answered, it is sufficient for policy. This level of certainty should prevent errors that cannot be corrected with refined future policy solutions.

Results/Conclusions

The language and style of communication that is most effective to both parties within their own spheres alienates one from the other when these spheres collide.    Science does not need to be dumbed down for policy makers; it must be put into their distinctly human context and delivered at a faster pace.  Scientists inserting themselves into the policy-science interface must become comfortable with making decisions based on uncertain or incomplete data.