Science Communication (Guest Lecture)

Question 1

Order these steps of communicating science

1- Identify your channels
2- Identify the story
3- Connect with an expert
4- determine suitability and newsworthiness
5- Share

Answer 1

2 4 3 1 5

Question 2

What are 5 factors to consider when determining newsworthiness?

Answer 2

• timeliness (new stories)
• significance (# of people affected matters)
• proximity (near us= inc significance)
• prominence (important people= inc interest)
• human interest (stories that appeal to emotion)

Question 3

How many key messages should you use?
Should key messages be detailed or simplified?

Answer 3

2-3

• should be a simplified big picture of the topic

Question 4

Describe the inverted pyramid style of writing a press release

Answer 4

1. grab attention off the top- crucial info the reader must know
2. provide the relevant info- supporting details that’ll help to understand the main ideas
3. fill in the details (nice to know background info)

Question 5

Explain the “block-bridge- hook” method for when you are asked an irrelevant question in an interview
- include things you might say

Answer 5

1. Block- “it would be inappropriate for me to speculate”
2. Bridge- “but what I CAN tell you is…”
3. Hook- redirect reporter back to one of your key messages

Question 6

During an interview:
- Look at the ___(reporter/ camera)
- ____ (use/ avoid) acronyms and technical terms
- there are lot’s of effective ways to say “_________”- don’t be afraid to!

Answer 6

• reporter, NOT the camera
• avoid
• I don’t know