Effectively Communicating Science Annual Workshops

Mitchell Hamline School Of Law, Saint Paul MN

Investigators

Abstract

This projects support a series of annual one-week long workshops to learn and to practice how best to communicate complex scientific information about climate science to non-specialist audiences. The novel twist of this project is found in that the communication skills would be practiced in the context of the courtroom setting. The courtroom setting is highly organized and regimented and provides real challenges for scientists to effectively communicate complex technical issues in a manner that is useful to the parties in a dispute. The project offers a chance to train scientists in not what to say about science but how best to say whatever their professional judgment leads them to say. The workshops will not seek to dictate the scientific conclusion to be presented because the workshops will require that both sides of the issue at hand in the climate practicum exercises be represented. Participants in the workshop will be exposed to both sides of the dispute underlying the practical exercise since as an expert witness they could be called to testify by either side and examined by either side as well. The goal of the project is not to make judgments as to what scientific evidence is best but to practice communicating science in an unfamiliar setting that helps build capacity within the scientific community in effective communication. Each workshop will initially involve thirty climate scientists as participants and a faculty of attorneys, other scientific experts, journalists, and communications professionals that will help the scientists present written and oral testimony in a manner that allows listeners to understand the information provided by the scientific expert. Participants will receive coaching and feedback on their written documents and oral presentations thus allowing them to experiment and practice what works best. In general, the aim of the workshops is to demonstrate the merit of learning-by-doing training and the open exchange of scientific and legal approaches to communicating scientific data and its interpretation and explanation. The primary broader impacts involve providing a novel educational and practical experience in communicating and synthesizing complex science and technical issues to a variety of audiences including non-specialists.