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How improv techniques will change the way you write
Below is a tell-tale description of a common style of scientific writing—used not only by philosophers and sociologists, but also by many scientists from all disciplines. In his book “Writing with power: techniques for mastering the writing process,” Peter Elbow tells us: “One thinks about modern academics, especially philosophers and sociologists. Their language is often voiceless and without power because it is so utterly cut off from experience and things. There is no sense of words carrying experiences, only of reflecting relationships between other words or between “concepts.” There is no sense of an actual self seeing a thing or having an experience… Sociology—by its very nature?—seems to be…
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How to make your presentation more engaging: puzzle or problem?
How do you, as scientist, invite and welcome non-scientists into your wonderland? By making your ideas accessible? Do you avoid jargon and bullet points? Yes, you should definitely make your ideas accessible, avoid jargon and bullet points, and use all the other tricks of the trade to present ideas clearly and convincingly. However, this is not—any more—enough. Let me explain: we’re all suffering from information overload, so what’s the point in presenting more and more information even if it is clear and convincing? In this information-filled landscape, you may find that engaging an audience is becoming harder and harder. I tell scientists to use a different approach—present a problem, not…
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“Pop culture scaffold” — What it is, and how it’s used in science communication
To understand the concept of pop culture scaffold, we’ll rely on Neil deGrasse Tyson—acclaimed astrophysicist, planetary scientist, TV personality, science educator and science communicator—who advocates the use of pop culture references to make scientific concepts graspable to audiences of non-scientists. Pop culture—or popular culture—is the set of practices, beliefs, and objects that embody the most broadly shared meanings of a social system. It includes media objects, entertainment and leisure, fashion and trends, and linguistic conventions, among other things. Popular culture is usually associated with either mass culture or folk culture, and differentiated from high culture and various institutional cultures (political culture, educational culture, legal culture, etc.). So think music, film,…