Number 41 of 52 Compelling Communicators: Melissa Marshall
October 14, 2013
Do you
ever listen to someone and feel like they have taken a wander in your head?
Melissa Marshall is that person for me.
Always on
the hunt for good communications advice, I check out TED.com on a regular
basis. Melissa has a presentation on TedGlobal called, “Talk Nerdy to Me”.
Like me,
she believes it is imperative for scientists and engineers to communicate
effectively. If we want to understand
what is happening in those intricate minds (and how it impacts us) we need their
data deciphered into plain language. When I listen to her advice, I can hear my
own words.
A good
chunk of my work includes people in both these professions. I was delighted to
see that Melissa specializes in teaching communication skills to engineering
students at Penn State University. She
also lectures at the Centers for Disease Control and is the co-founder of Penn
State Engineering Ambassadors, a science and engineering outreach communication
program.
It is reassuring
to know communications is being taught in these academic circles. Alan Alda of
the 1970’s hit TV Show Mash also plays a role in the world of science communication.
He started the Alan Alda Centre for Science Communication at Stony Brook
University’s School of Journalism in New York. Alda uses improvisational techniques to help
people break out of their jargon and connect to the audience.
 |
| Alan Alda as "Hawkeye Pierce" in the TV adaptation of the film MASH |
As Alda explains on Phys.org, an online news portal, “A better understanding of science can benefit society in ways great and small. Physicians can more clearly explain treatments to patients. Consumer can decipher what chemicals may be in their food.” Alda then adds, “And lawmakers can make better decisions on funding scientific research. They’re not going to ask the right questions if science doesn’t explain to them what’s going on in the most honest and objective ways. You can’t blame them for not knowing the jargon – it’s not their job. Why would anybody put up money for something they don’t understand?”
Exactly. Science,
technology and engineering impact our world and people like Melissa Marshall
and Alan Alda are helping us have a more meaningful dialogue about the pros and
cons of that work.
Content
experts or people who exhaustively study certain topics can engage without
dumbing it down. Marshall pushes her students to make their work accessible.
She quotes Einstein who said it is critical to “Make everything as simple as
possible but no simpler.”
Marshall
goes on to say “So What - Tell us why you are studying your topic.” I say, “So
What, Who Cares? - Tell us why and why we should care.”
Marshall
also says to dump the jargon – Why say “spatial and temporal” when you can say
“space and time”?
These
communications recommendations apply to everyone, not just the scientists and
engineers. We all have jargon and if we know a lot about any topic we can make
it sound complicated. Realtors, bankers,
accountants, lawyers, chefs, tech support, educators and other “experts” you
need to make it easy on us. We don’t need to know how smart you are, we need to
understand you.
Give
Marshall’s advice a whirl and see if those glassy eyeballs in front of you
brighten up and sparkle.
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