My presentation at the Australian Science Communicators Conference, February 2014

1. Learning
from
&
working
with
other
disciplines:
Communication
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2. www.melkettle.com.au!
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3. What is science communication?
!
Presenting science related topics to nonexperts to :!
• inform and influence!
• motivate people!
• change behaviours!
• empower people!
• increase knowledge and understanding!
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4. The single biggest
problem with
communication is the
illusion that it has "
taken place."
"
"
George Bernard Shaw
!
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5. 4 Cs of communication...!
1. Customers (audience)!
2. Channel !
3. Content!
4. Community!
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6. 1. Customers/
audience
!
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7. Source: timidmonster.com!
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8. Behaviour patterns!
Demographic!
Geo-demographics!
Geographic!
Segment your
audience!
Activities and "
lifestyle!
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Attitudinal/"
psychographic!
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9. Other agencies!
Surveys – online, telephone,"
mail, face to face!
Online databases!
Focus groups!
Journals!
Research tools for
segmentation!
Government"
agencies eg CDC!
Casual observation!
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Public libraries !
In-depth "
interviews!
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10. 2. Channel
!
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11. Source: socialmediatoday.com!
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13. We know that people are
out in social media channels
seeking information "
and researching. "
We need to use social media
to influence behavior. !
Source: Harvard Business Review
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14. Liking, following,
linking, tagging,
stumbling: social media is
changing the nature of
[science]-related
interactions!
Report: The heart of the matter
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15. Source: worldofdtcmarketing.com !
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16. 3. Content!
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17. Writing great content
!
• know your audience!
• share your knowledge !
• provide valuable information !
• use your authentic voice and be consistent!
• show relevance!
• use stories, pictures, real examples!
• NO JARGON!
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18. Top tips
!
1. Use bite-sized pieces of content!
2. Prioritise by user need!
3. Evaluate or separate calls to action!
4. Connect sharing to individual pieces of
content!
5. Vary images for visual distinction!
6. Make navigation features clear (for
online)!
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19. !
!
!
!
!
Source: Melissa Marshall, TEDGlobal 2012 University, Talk Nerdy to Me
!
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20. 4. Community!
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21. Creating community
!
• Your message needs to be community-worthy!
• Identify the call to action!
• Appoint champions !
• Encourage conversation!
• Provide the tools for engagement!
• Regular community engagement!
• Promote, promote, promote !
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22. 6 steps of measurement!
1. Know your goals!
2. Define your audience!
3. Define benchmarks!
4. Define metrics – what is success to you?!
5. Select data collection tools and media!
6. Measure – be data informed not data
driven!
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23.
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