Effective communication in the science and policy arena

Background/Question/Methods

Communication of scientific information depends on having information your audience wants and providing it as clearly and accurately as possible.  Different audiences have different needs.  The general public wants to know why they should care and how your results may affect them.   Policy makers already care because they have a mandate to care from Endangered Species Act, the Clean Water Act; they want to know how your results can help them do their job.  Developers don't need to care, they need to know the needs, sensitivities, and strengths of environmental components they are likely to affect in order to minimize their impacts while achieving their ends.   Scientists and engineers want to know how it ties into what they care about, which can be difficult to predict.  An excellent presentation that does not answer the need of the audience is wasted.
Different audiences learn differently.  Scientists are often verbally oriented and expect to learn by lectures and reading; often that is the only learning mode we think legitimate.  Members of the public often expect more TV-like presentations, with visuals and narratives tailored to hold their interest with a minimum of effort on their part.  Policy makers often expect to be very interactive and can get frustrated if their questions and comments are not immediately addressed.  Developers and lawyers can often be interested only in detailed and exact, carefully worded conclusions and may care much less about the logical background.  An excellent presentation that does not engage the audience is wasted.

Results/Conclusions

Effective presentations focus on the audience and allow you to draw their attention to particular points in a figure and interpret it for their needs; the figures must be clear and focused to support your verbal narrative and the conclusions you intend for the particular audience.  The figures without your narrative may be nearly opaque.   Where there is no text, it cannot be misinterpreted.  Even simple bullets can be misinterpreted.  Figures that do not relate to the final conclusions are distracting and frustrate the audience; you do not need a figure for every point.  Presentations are not reports.  Figures and text in a report must stand alone.  If a written report is required, write one that accurately states your work and conclusions, but a good written report is an entirely different product than a communicative presentation.