Writing for Impact is a three-day science communications course organised by Ninad Bondre and Owen Gaffney. The first course took place in Nepal, February 2015.
25 environmental economists in the SANDEE (South Asia Network for Development and Environmental Economics) network participated.
KeyBio pipeline for bioinformatics and data science
Science communications: Writing for impact
1. Writing for Impact
Clarity of writing follows clarity of thinking
Ninad Bondre
Owen Gaffney
NEPAL FEBRUARY 2015
2. Objectives
• Improve communication skills between
science and society
• Improve interdisciplinary communications
• Learn key communications channels
• Become communicators
• Practice
3. The Economist Style Guide
(It is free online)
1. No over-used
metaphors, similes or
figure of speech
2. Short words rather than
long
3. Always cut words
4. Never use passive where
you can use the active
5. Never use a foreign
phrase, a scientific word
or jargon
6. Break these rules rather
than say anything
outright barbarous
See also, Strunk and White’s “The Elements of Style”
4. Course outline
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3
Mainstream media
•Know your audience
•Meet the press (Ramesh
Bhushal, Saleem Shaikh)
•In journalists’ shoes
•Improving your writing,
developing narratives
Commentary and academic
publishing
•The art of persuasion
(Abhay Kumar)
•Speechwriting
•Commentaries and op-eds
•Academic publishing
Online, policy, presentation
•Blogging
•Twitter and social media
•Engaging stakeholders
•Future Earth
•Presentation skills
•Synthesis and feedback
6. Elevator pitch
You have 2 minutes to make an impact:
Know your take home message and your “ask”
Have a startling fact up your sleeve: “Did you know…”
Johan Rockström with Al Gore, World Economic Forum 2015, Stockholm Resilience Centre
9. What is news?
If you feel a strong desire to tell someone it is probably news
NASA
10. Writing news (or press releases)
University of Leicester press office
11. Writing news is very formulaic
Paragraphs
1.What happened? To who? When and where.
2-3 sentences. First sentence 25 words.
2.More detail following on first – how, why
3.Quote from someone involved.
4.More detail.
5.More detail.
6.Quote.
13. Radiometric dating of the Deccan Trap
volcanics: implications for the extinction of
dinosaurs
• Deccan Traps – one of the largest continental flood basalt
provinces, occupying >5 million km2
in India
• Erupted about 65 Myr ago (close to the K-T boundary)
• Radiometric dating until now has mostly relied on K/Ar & 40
Ar/39
Ar
ages, not precise enough to provide the duration of the total
episode
• This work provides more precise 206
Pb/238
U ages on individual zircon
crystals from segregations within flows and interflow palaeosols
and ash beds
• Dates obtained range from 66.288±0.027 to 65.535±0.027 Ma,
indicating that eruptions began 250,000 years before the K-T and
lasted for 750,000 years
19. Writing for impact
(The opposite of academic writing)
• Headlines
• Introductions
• Writing style
– Short words not long
– Active not passive
– Positive not negative
– To be or not to be
– Omit needless words and phrases
20. The headline
• Clear and concise
• Grabs attention
• Never a question
• Active
• No jargon
21. Headlines
Go ahead, Angela, make my day
Sub-head: Greece’s challenge to Germany – and the Euro
Is American football doomed?
Beware Greeks voting for gifts
Sub-head: Syriza’s success increases the risk of “Grexit”
Hunt for a storied bird pits Pakistanis against
Saudis*
The Economist, Feb 6th
2015
*New York Times, Feb 6 2015
22. The opening paragraph
• Short, simple sentences – 25 words, NO
MORE, this is not negotiable
• What
• Who
• When (time)
• Where
• How and why
23. Opening paragraphs
• Brian Williams is an American journalist.
• He presents the NBC Nightly News in the US.
• On 30 Jan, he claimed on air that he was in a US
military helicopter in Iraq in 2003 that was forced
down by enemy fire.
• Military veterans say he was not in the plane and have
called for his resignation.
• He has apologised saying he was in a different
helicopter, behind the one that was shot at.
• A Fox News journalist said “The admission raises
serious questions about his credibility”.
24. Active
• My first visit to Kathmandu will always be
remembered by me
• I will always remember my first visit to
Kathmandu
• There were a great number of dead leaves
lying on the ground
• Dead leaves covered the ground
26. The page turner
• “He slid the key into the lock. He grabbed the
handle, yanked down, then pushed. The door
flew open.”
• Every sentence you write should make the
reader read the next sentence
• One idea per sentence
• Short (opening sentence – NO MORE THAN 25
WORDS – this is non-negotiable)
27. Long words, redundant phrases
• Demonstrate
• Encounter
• Frequently
• Fundamental
• In an effort to
• In addition to
• In attendance
• In conjunction with
• In order to
• Parenthesis (brackets)
• It is thought that
28. Long words, redundant phrases
• A large number of
• Adjacent to
• Accommodation
• Accounted for by the fact that
• Arising from the fact that
• Based on the fact that
• Additionally
• Along with
• Advance planning
• At this moment in time
29. To be or not to be
• It was ebay that first launched the concept of
personal shopping.
• It is Anu you need to speak to about the admin
system.
• It is the Environment Agency’s aim to reintroduce
some of the lost natural features of the river.
• Iran is the world’s second largest gas reserve
holder, second only to Russia.
• There have been no subsequent incidents.
30. To be or not to be
• Ebay first launched the concept of personal
shopping.
• Speak to Anu about the admin system.
• The Environment Agency aims to reintroduce
some of the lost natural features of the river.
• Iran holds the world’s second largest gas
reserve after Russia.
• No subsequent incidents occurred.
31. Tautology
• Your past history shows your future prospects are not
good.
• Your past shows your prospects are not good.
• We send our grateful thanks for successfully
developing the product.
• Thank you for successfully developing the product.
• Our new innovation creates structured training.
• Our innovation creates structured training.
• Tragic death.
• Bitter criticism.
32. Positive not negative
• He was not very often on time
• He usually came late
• She did not think that studying Latin was a
sensible use of her time
• She thought studying Latin a waste of time
• Not strong – weak
• Not important – insignificant
• Did not succeed - failed
33. Redundant words and phrases
• In order to
• The fact that
• The reason why is that – because
• (Parentheses)
34. Verbs are better than nouns
• The development of our magazine depends on
the improvement of facilities within the office.
• Developing our magazine depends on
improving of office facilities.
35. Verbs are better than nouns
• IBM is aiming for the establishment of a
research and development facility close to
Delhi.
• IBM plans to develop a research and
development facility close to Delhi.
36. Verbs are better than nouns
• We are aiming at the creation of a new media
centre but it will be reliant on an increase in
profits.
• We are aiming to create a new media centre
but it will rely on increasing profits.
37. Verbs are better than nouns
• There is a rise in the number of successful
prosecutions over the past year.
• Successful prosecutions have risen in the past
year.
38. “crimes” against inverted commas
• When to “use”
• Priya said: “Let’s dance!”
• Please “do not” use
• We “care about you”
• “New” underwear
• “Fresh” fish
• Fresh “fish”
• “women” only
40. Repetition
For us, they packed up their worldly
possessions.
For us, they toiled in sweatshops.
For us, they fought and died.
This is the price of citizenship.
This is the source of our confidence.
This is the meaning of liberty.
Barack Obama 2009
41. Repetition
We will fight them on the beaches.
We will fight them on the landing grounds.
We shall fight them in the streets.
We shall fight them in the hills.
We will never surrender.
Winston Churchill
42. A forest of metaphors
• This oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and
raging storms. (Barack Obama)
• We have our foot on the accelerator and we
are heading for an abyss. (Ban Ki Moon)
• The earth is being scorched by the flames of
himsa. (Mahatma Ghandi)
• Waiting in the wings.
• At a crossroads.
43. Five essential skills (Cicero, 400BC)
1. Invention - framing the
problem to give it a new,
fresh perspective
2. Arrangement - able to
organise arguments well
3. Style - right language for your
message
4. Memory – no notes
5. Performance – you are a
performer. Your speech
needs drama and tension to
hold attention
44. Six essential components of a
persuasive speech (Cicero, 400BC)
1. Introduction
2. Vivid narration of the facts
3. The current areas of
dispute
4. Evidence supporting your
argument
5. Refutation
6. Conclusion and call to
action
45. The art of persuasion (Rhetoric)
Ethos
•Connect with
audience
•Personal
anecdotes
Pathos
•Narrative
•Emotion –
passion - both
positive and
negative
Logos
Research
Facts
Statistics
Benefits
Arguments
46. Speech – 2 minutes
(about 200 words)
• Everyone should walk 30 minutes a day
• Ugly architecture is killing our cities (the Mayor)
• Become vegetarian (Europe)
• Eat meat (vegetarians)
• Protect the remaining forests of Nepal (farmers)
• Coal power is the future for India (politician)
• Equality improves sustainability
• We need more green space in our cities
• Dhoni should resign immediately as Indian captain
47. The art of persuasion (Rhetoric)
• The rule of threes
• Repetition
• Antithesis
• Metaphor
48. The art of persuasion
• Audience
• Aim
• Attention
• Acceptance
• Agreement
• Action
49. The art of narrative
• Character
• Conflict
• Structure
• Meaning
50. The art of soundbites
• Alliteration
• Repetition
• Personal
• Metaphor
• Be interesting
• Care about words
• Edit ruthlessly
51. Soundbites
• Power to the people
• Ban the bomb
• People’s princess
• Make love not war
• The Iron Curtain
• Sexism in the City
54. Commentaries, opinions, editorials
• All media including science media have “op-
eds”
• Often most read section
• Usually about 800 words
• Usually relate to a big event in the world –
environmental catastrophe, financial crisis,
climate summit, World Water Week
• Usually finish with some sort of demand or
“ask”
63. Nature commentary guidelines
A Nature Comment piece is a personal, agenda-setting
and provocative short article calling for action on
topical issues pertaining to research and its political,
ethical and social ramifications. It must be written with
a colourful, authoritative voice, at a level accessible to
all of Nature's global, interdisciplinary readers,
researchers and policy-makers, protein chemists and
astrophysicists alike.
Most importantly the piece must include specifics: eg
who must do what exactly to whom, when, how, over
what time period; and, importantly, what will be the
impact of heeding your call to action, and of not doing
so?
66. 340
440
540
640
740
840
07-Jun 27-Jun 17-Jul 06-Aug 26-Aug 15-Sep
“Publishing is good. Being read is better” (Bruno Locatelli, CIFOR
Scientist)
– A paper published in the journal Forests (18 Mar 11)
– A blog article about this paper on CIFOR website (16 Aug 11)
Before the blog:
3 per day
Before the blog:
3 per day
Since then:
7 per day
Since then:
7 per day
During 3
days after
the blog:
35 per day
During 3
days after
the blog:
35 per day
The power of the blog
Downloads
Adapted from CIFOR
74. Blog 300-500 words
• Introduction – grab attention
• 3 paragraphs on the issue/challenge
• The current areas of dispute
• Your solutions/ideas/perspectives
• Conclusion and call to action
78. Twitter is a powerful communications tool for researchers
79. Getting started
• Create a Twitter account
• Choose a name (eg.
@owengaffney)
• Upload a picture
• Write a short bio (140
characters)
• Start following people and
organisations eg
@fromSANDEE)
• Compose first tweet
81. Science is
somewhere
in here.
In the short and medium
term, science can
influence public support
and economics. In the
long term, it can influence
values.
82. Roles of science in policy
• Pure scientist (“here’s the literature, work it out.”)
• Science arbiter (“ask me a question and I’ll try to
answer it from the literature.”)
• Issues advocate (“climate needs to be higher up the
political agenda.”)
• Honest broker of policy alternatives (“here’s a bunch
of policy options consistent with the literature.”)
Adapted from Roger Pielke’s The Honest Broker
83. Policy engagement
• Participate in science-policy assessment eg IPCC,
IPBES
• Advocate for improved science-policy interface eg
establish Parliamentary Office of Science and
Technology or UN Scientific Advisory Board
• Advocate for more consideration of a particular issue
eg climate, biodiversity, water…usually by
participating in a policy process eg SDGs, UNFCCC
84. • Targeted reports
• Academic papers and commentaries
• Mainstream media (news and commentaries)
• Social media and online communications
• Meetings, events
• One-to-one briefings
• Policy briefs
CANNOT RELY ON JUST ONE TOOL. NEED THE
WHOLE TOOLBOX
Science-Policy Tool Box
88. 2009-2011 Survey of Latin America
and South Asia.
500 policy stakeholders surveyed
(government, NGOs, private sector,
media.)
Policy briefs are bottom of the list
as information exchange useful to
policymakers.
TAKE HOME MESSAGE:
Policy briefs cannot be the centre of
your strategy.
http://www.idrc.ca/EN/Documents/IDRC-Global-Report.pdf
90. What is Future Earth?
A global platform for international scientific
collaboration
•Enables integrated research on grand challenges and
transformations to sustainability
•Strengthens global partnerships between researchers,
funders and users of research
•Communicates science to society and society to
science
91. 1. Water, energy, and food nexus
2. Decarbonise economies
3. Terrestrial, freshwater and marine natural
assets
4. Resilient cities.
5. Human health.
6. Sustainable consumption and
production
7. Increase social resilience by building
adaptive governance systems.
Future Earth’s 8 research challenges
94. Future Earth Vision and Priorities
• Future Earth 2025 vision: Success
Factors for Future Earth
• Strategic Research Agenda: focus
within the Research Themes
providing guidance to funders on 3-5
year research priorities
• Short-term initiatives: Fast track and
clustering activities
95. Future Earth Research Themes
And cross-cutting issues: Observing systems, models, theory
development, data management, research infrastructures
96. Dynamic Planet
Observing, explaining,
understanding, projecting
earth, environmental and
societal system trends, drivers
and processes and their
interactions; anticipating
global thresholds and risks.
Photo: United Nations
97. Global Sustainable Development
Providing the knowledge for
sustainable, secure and fair
stewardship of food, water,
biodiversity, health, energy,
materials and other ecosystem
functions and services.
Photo: CAFOD
98. Transformations towards Sustainability
Understanding transformation
processes and options,
assessing how these relate to
human values, emerging
technologies and economic
development pathways, and
evaluating strategies for
governing and managing the
global environment across
sectors and scales.
Photo: Rob Goodier/Engineering for Change
99. 2025 Vision
1. Challenges
─ Inspired and created ground-breaking interdisciplinary science
relevant to major global sustainability challenges
1. Outputs
─ Delivered products and services that our societal partners need to
achieve these challenges
1. Approaches
─ Pioneered approaches to co-design and co-produce solutions-
oriented science, knowledge and innovation for global sustainable
development
1. Capacities
─ Enabled and mobilised capacities to co-produce knowledge, across
cultural and social differences, geographies and generations
16.03.1599
100. Fast track Initiatives and Cluster
Activities
• In August 2014, a series of Future Earth Fast Track
Initiatives and Cluster Activities was launched, fully
supported by the US National Science Foundation.
• The list of funded activities covers the following topics:
•Exploring nitrogen in Future Earth
•Scientific support for IPBES knowledge generation
•Urbanisation
•Bright spots: seeds of a good Anthropocene
•Global biodiversity monitoring, prediction and reporting
•Extreme events and environments from climate to society
•Linking earth system and socio-economic models
•Sustainability for water, food and energy
101. Inputs to global assessments 1
IPCC Climate model inter-comparisons
(CMIP5)AR5 WG1 SPM - Global surface
temperature change for the end of
the 21st century is likely to exceed
1.5°C relative to 1850 to 1900 for all
RCP scenarios except RCP2.6. It is
likely to exceed 2°C for RCP6.0 and
RCP8.5, and more likely than not to
exceed 2°C for RCP4.5. Warming
….will not be regionally uniform
102. Inputs to global assessments 2
Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and
Ecosystem Services
Launched, Apr. 2012, Panama
IPBES-1, Jan. 2013, Germany
IPBES-2, Dec. 2013, Turkey
IPBES-3, Jan. 2015, Germany
106. Getting involved
• Subscribe to the Future Earth newsletter
www.futureearth.org
• Follow Future Earth communications on
Facebook and Twitter @futureearth
• Attend a Future Earth event
• Contribute to the Future Earth blog
• Connect with our existing research projects
109. Conclusions: course objectives
• Improve communication skills between
science and society
• Improve interdisciplinary communications
• Learn key communications channels
• Become communicators
• Practice
110. The Economist
1. No over-used metaphors, similes or figure of
speech
2. Short words rather than long
3. Always cut words
4. Never use passive where you can use the active
5. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word or
jargon
6. Break these rules rather than say anything
outright barbarous
112. Writing for impact
Thank you for participating!
Ninad Bondre @ninad_bondre
Owen Gaffney @owengaffney
Hinweis der Redaktion
If your organisation is not blogging you should start. The blog is our central content producer. All content is then leveraged and repackaged to go across the other platforms and websites. We believe the CIFOR blog could potentially overtake the website one day, but it does not compete. Key fact: AOL bought Huffington Post, basically a blog, for $315 million. Newsweek sold for $1 with $50 million in debt.
And this why you should blog. We have reversed the decline in citations in 2010 and 2011. Another example is a POLEX that was disseminated in August reviewing a CIFOR publication on Protected Areas and conservation by Manuel Guariguata. After the blog appeared downloads increased from 5 in July to 1,387 in August.
These build on areas of research strength in the existing Core Projects and are intended to kick-start integrated activities and strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration.
The Science Committee is comprised of 18 members including a Chair and two co-Chairs, representing the full spectrum of global environmental change science from natural science to social sciences, humanities and engineering.
Schematic representation of the global funding pyramid. Strategy should jointly target the 4 funding levels
A: global co-operation – build a coherent network to facilitate collaboration between research communities, funders and stakeholders
B: trans-national research – sustain research teams across countries + disciplines where solutions can not be found at national level
C: national strategic programmes – develop pro-active and co-aligned programmes on emergent fields
D: Basic research – engage scientists – stimulate Future Earth related proposals to national blue sky funding mechanism
Website has more information about the programme. And can sign up for quarterly newsletter
blog has articles relating to global sustainability for general audience
Also on facebook and twitter