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The Message Box Workbook
Communicating Your Science Effectively
Problems?
Solutions?
So W
hat?Benefits?
Issue
Table of Contents
Section I: Why the Message Box? ……………………
Section II: What is the Message Box? ……………….
Section III: The Message Box- Section by Section …
Issue …………………………………………………
Problem …………………………………………….
So What ……………………………………………
Solution …………………………………………….
Benefit ………………………………………………
Section IV: Making Your Messages Memorable .…
Section V: Using the Message Box …………………..
Section VI: Practice! ……………………………………..
Appendix: Blank Message Boxes
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�3
Section I: Why the Message Box?Welcome!
The Message Box on Twitter!
Ifyou’rereadingthis,you’reprobablyinterestedinhowyoucanshareyoursciencewiththerestoftheworld.Tooo<en,scien=ficknowledgeislockedupinprofessionaljournalsbecausescien=ststradi=onallyhaven’tbeentrainedtocommunicateeffec=velybeyondtheirpeers.Communica=nginpeer-reviewedjournalsortechnicalreportsisanimportantpartofscience.But,ifyouwantyourworktoberelevanttonon-scien=ficaudiences—fromjournalists,topolicymakers,tomembersofyourcommunity,orothers—youneedtothinkdifferentlyabouthowyoucommunicate.Tohelpyoudis=llthecomplexityofyourresearchinawaythat’smeaningfulforyourpar=cularaudience,we’reexcitedtoshareourmostfundamentaltool,theMessageBox.
Thisdecep=velysimpletoolisincrediblyversa=le.Itcanhelpyouprepareforinterviewswithjournalistsoremployers,planapresenta=on,outlinepapersorlectures,preparegrantproposals,orexplainwhatyoudoandwhyitmaIerstofamilyandfriends.
Asapioneerintheprac=ceofsciencecommunica=on,COMPASShassuccessfullytrainedthousandsofscien=stsfromawiderangeofdisciplinesandins=tu=ons,inspiredjournaliststocreateandsustaincoverageofscience-relatedtopicspreviouslynotonthepublicradar,andfacilitatedconnec=onsbetweenscien=stsandpolicymakersthathaveenrichedpolicydialoguesinmeaningfulways.Workingwithus,scien=stshaveshapedthepublicdiscourseonkeyissuessuchasoceanacidifica=on,fisheries,watersecurityintheAmericanWest,wildfire,ecosystem-basedmanagement,andmore.AlthoughCOMPASSfocuseslargelyontheenvironmentalsciences,theMessageBoxisausefultoolforanyscien=stseekingtodis=llwhattheydoandwhyitmaIersforapar=cularaudience.
Makingyourresearchaccessibleandrelevanttakeseffort,butnooneisbeIerequippedtodoitthanyou.Yourpassion,experience,andexper=seareuniquetoyouandpolicymakers,managers,journalists,andsocietywanttohearfromyou!Wehopethatthisworkbookwillhelpyoubuildstrongcommunica=onskills,achievemeaningfulengagement,andar=culatemessagesthatwillresonatewithyouraudiences.
�41Cowan,N.2010.TheMagicalMysteryFour:HowisWorkingMemoryCapacityLimited,andWhy?
CurrDirPsycholSci.February1;19(1):51-57.
Section II: What is the Message Box?TheMessageBoxisatooltohelpyousiSthroughthemountainofinformaUonyouholdinyourheadabout
yourworkandidenUfytheessenUalnuggetsforyourchosenaudience.TheMessageBoxconsistsoffive
secUonstohelpyousortanddisUllyourknowledgeinawaythatresonateswithyouraudience.It'sflexible,
soyoucanuseitforawidevarietyofpurposesandaudiences.It'sbasedonthescienUficunderpinningsof
howtocommunicateeffecUvely.
Thereisn’tarightorwrongwaytousetheMessageBox,thoughsomeapproacheswillworkbe]erfor
certainaudiences.It'salsoimportanttoknowthattheMessageBoxisn’talinearprocess;youcanstartin
anysecUonthatmakessensetoyou,andworkfromthere.Theimportantthingistogetstarted!
ButbeforeyoubeginworkingonyourownMessageBox,it’shelpfultounderstandafewkeyprinciplesof
sciencecommunicaUon.
First,youraudience—whetherajournalist,apolicymaker,aroomofcolleaguesataprofessionalmeeUng,or
aclassofsecond-graders—doesn’thavedeepknowledgeofyoursubjectma]er.Butthatdoesn’tmeanyou
shouldexplaineverythingyouknowinafirehoseofinformaUon.Infact,cogniUveresearchtellsusthatthe
humanbraincanonlyabsorbthreetofivepiecesofinformaUonataUme.1SoprioriUzewhatyoushare
basedonwhatyouraudienceneedstoknow.YourgoalasyoufilloutyourMessageBoxistoidenUfythe
informaUonthatiscriUcaltoyouraudience—whatreallyma]erstothem—andsharethat.EffecUvescience
communicaUonislessaboutexpoundingonalltheexciUngdetailsthatyoumightwanttoconvey,andmore
aboutknowingyouraudienceandprovidingthemwithwhattheyneedorwanttoknowfromyou.
Second,effecUvesciencecommunicaUonrequiresrecognizingthedifferencesbetweenhowscienUsts
tradiUonallyhavebeentaughttocommunicate,andhowtherestoftheworldcommunicates.Infact,
scienUficpapersandpresentaUonsgenerallyfollowadifferentformatthanmostothertypesof
communicaUon.InascienUficpaper,youestablishcredibilityintheintroducUonandmethods,provide
detaileddatainresults,andthensharethesignificanceofyourworkinthediscussionandconclusions.But
therestoftheworldleadswiththeconclusions,becausethat'swhatpeoplewanttoknow.Whatareyour
findingsandwhyisthisrelevanttothem?Inotherwords,what’syourbo]omline?
Scientists
Background
Methods
Results
Others
Results
So What?
Background
The scientific method of presenting information, versus what non-scientists want to know. Adapted from Escape from the Ivory Tower: A Guide to Making Your Science Matter, by Nancy Baron (Island Press, 2010).
�5
Issue
Problems?
Solutions?
So W
hat?
Benefits?
Distichopora robusta sp. nov., the ¢rst shallow-water stylasterid(Cnidaria: Hydrozoa: Stylasteridae) from the tropical
eastern Paci¢c
Alberto Lindner*, Stephen D. CairnsO$ and Hector M. GuzmanP
*Department of Biology, Duke University, Box 90338, Durham, NC, 27708, USA. E-mail: [email protected] of Zoology, NMNH, Smithsonian Institution, PO Box 37012,W-329, MRC-0163,Washington, DC, 20013-7012, USA.
E-mail: [email protected]. PSmithsonianTropical Research Institute, Box 2072, Balboa, Panama.E-mail: [email protected]. $Corresponding author.
Distichopora robusta, the ¢rst shallow-water stylasterid coral from the tropical eastern Paci¢c, is describedfrom the west coast of Panama. The new species is distinguished from all species of Distichopora describedthus far by having robust branches and poorly de¢ned pore rows.
INTRODUCTION
Stylasterid corals comprise about 250 species, makingthem the second largest group of calci¢ed cnidarians,only the Scleractinia having more species (i.e. 1500;Cairns, 1999; Cairns et al., 1999). They are distributedworldwide in both deep and shallow-water marineenvironments, but most species occur in water depthsof 200^500m (Cairns, 1984, 1992). Among the tropicalshallow-water species, currently assigned to eitherStylaster or Distichopora, most form branching, fan-likecolonies 5 to 25 cm tall and are remarkable for theirbright colours, including violet, red, yellow andorange. These shallow-water species are abundantmostly in the Indo-West Paci¢c, with only twospecies!Stylaster blatteus (Boschma, 1961) and Stylasterrosaceus (Gree¡, 1886)!occurring in the easternAtlantic and a single species!Stylaster roseus (Pallas,1766)!found in the western Atlantic.
The ¢rst descriptions of shallow-water stylasterids werethose of the western Atlantic Stylaster roseus and the Indo-Paci¢c Distichopora violacea (Pallas, 1766). Subsequently,about a dozen additional shallow-water species ofDistichopora were described for the Indo-West Paci¢c. Thisnumber was greatly reduced by Boschma (1959), whorecognized only four valid shallow, Indo-Paci¢c species ofDistichopora (plus two doubtful species). The most wide-spread of these is D. violacea, ranging from the Red Sea,Seychelles, East Africa, through the Indian Ocean to thecentral Paci¢c. Thus far, only for the eastern Paci¢c havetropical shallow-water stylasterid corals not beendescribed.
Here, we describe Distichopora robusta sp. nov., the ¢rsttropical shallow-water stylasterid coral from the easternPaci¢c. Collected o¡ the coast of Panama, this newspecies has robust branches and lacks well-developed porerows, the latter feature traditionally considered as the mostimportant diagnostic characteristic of Distichopora (Cairns,1983).
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Colonies of Distichopora robusta sp. nov. were collectedat depths of 5 to 25m on the south side of Isla Jicarita,Gulf of Chiriqui, western coast of Panama. Colonieswere preserved in 95% ethanol or kept dried, and werestudied using methodology as described by Cairns(1983). The abbreviations used are: MZUSP (Museu deZoologia da Universidade de Sa‹ o Paulo, Sa‹ o Paulo,Brazil); RMNH (Naturalis, Nationaal NatuurhistorischMuseum, Leiden, the Netherlands); USNM (NationalMuseum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution,Washington, DC, USA).
SYSTEMATICSClass HYDROZOA
Order FILIFERA
Superfamily HYDRACTINOIDEA
Family STYLASTERIDAE Gray, 1847Genus Distichopora Lamarck, 1816
Distichopora robusta sp. nov.(Figures 1 & 2)
Type materialHolotype: female colony, 14 cm wide, dried, and scan-
ning electron microscope (SEM) stubs 1066^1067 (southside of Isla Jicarita, Gulf of Chiriqui, Panama; waterdepth: *12m) [USNM 1020570]. Collected by HectorM. Guzman, 29 August 2002.
Paratypes: male colony, dried (south side of IslaJicarita,Gulf of Chiriqui, Panama; water depth: 5^25m) [RMNHCoel. 32150]. Collected by Carlos A. Guevara, 7 February2003. Female colony, dried (south side of Isla Jicarita, Gulfof Chiriqui, Panama; water depth: 5^25m) [MZUSP467]. Collected by Carlos A. Guevara, 7 February 2003.
Additional paratypes: 3 male and 3 female colonies,dried, SEM stubs 1068^1070, and 33 fragments in ethanol(south side of Isla Jicarita, Gulf of Chiriqui, Panama;
J. Mar. Biol. Ass. U.K. (2004), 84, 943^947Printed in the United Kingdom
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom (2004)
Title Abstract
Background Methods Results
Discussion Conclusion
Translating the research paper format into a Message Box to distill your science.
“One day I will find the right words, and they will be simple.”
- Jack Kerouac, Novelist(from The Dharma Bums)
“One should use common words to say uncommon things.”- Arthur Schopenhauer, Philosopher
Andfourth,alwaysavoidjargon.Jargonisprecise,buttothoseoutsideofyourdiscipline,itmightaswell
beaforeignlanguage.Jargongetsinthewayandexcludespeoplefromyourmeaning.Evenifyoutryto
definekeytermsthroughoutyourdiscussion,you’llquicklyexceedthethreetofivepiecesof
informaUonyouraudiencecanreadilygraspataUme.Then,everyUmeyourepeattheterms,your
audiencewillbeseveralstepsbehindyou,tryingtotranslateunfamiliarwords,ratherthanfocusedon
themessageyouwanttoconvey.
SohowdoestheMessageBoxwork?We’llwalkthrougheachsecUonoftheboxbelow,usingaMessage
BoxdevelopedduringourtrainingandcoachingofbiologistKathyZeller.ASerdiscussingeachsecUonof
Kathy’sMessageBox,we’llthenshareexamplesofMessageBoxespreparedbyotherscienUstswe’ve
workedwith.
Third,manyscienUstsbelievethatiftheysimply
sharewhattheyknowwithnonscienUsts,they’ll
convincethemtochangetheirviews,including
onissuessuchasclimatechange,vaccinaUon,
orothertopics.Butresearchinthefieldof
sciencecommunicaUondemonstratesthat
simplysharingmorescienUficinformaUon
doesn’tchangeminds,aitudes,orbehaviors.
Instead,peopleinterpretinformaUonthrough
thelensoftheirownvaluesandcultural
idenUUes,andwillrejectinformaUonthatthey
feelisthreateningtothosevalues.2Inthis
workbook,we’lldiscusshowtoframeyour
messagesinwaysthatwillresonatewithyour
chosenaudience.
2NaUonalAcademiesofSciences,Engineering,andMedicine.2016.CommunicaUngScienceEffecUvely:
AResearchAgenda.Washington,DC:TheNaUonalAcademiesPress.doi:10.17226/23674.
�6
Althoughwe’llworkthrougheachsecQonpiece-by-piece,theMessageBoxisn’talinearprocess;youcanstartinanysecQonthatmakessensetoyou,andworkfromthere.Don’texpectyourfirstdra]tobeyourfinaldra];peopleo]enstartoutprovidingtoomuchdetailineachsecQon,andthenrefineanddisQllsecQonswitheachnewversion.ThrougheachiteraQon,youwillmakechoicesaboutwhat’smostimportant,andwhicleawayatthelanguageunQlitsuccinctlycapturesthekeymessagesthatyouwanttoconveyaboutyourwork.Bytheendoftheprocess,youshouldhavenomorethanafewlinesforeachsecQon.
“Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius—and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction”
- Ernst F. Schumacher, Economist
Butthereisonecri-calfirststep:youhavetoidenQfyyouraudience.Avoidusing‘thegeneralpublic’asyouraudience:thegeneralpubliciscomprisedofmanydifferentgroupsofpeople,withdifferentinterestsandmoQvaQonsandvalues.WealsocommonlyencounterscienQstswhoidenQfythattheiraudienceistheproblem.ItgoeswithoutsayingthatthisisnotusuallythemostproducQvepathtorelevanceandconversaQon.Thebocomlineiswhoareyoutryingtocommunicatewith?Why?Whatdotheycareabout?
Forsomeofyou,youraudienceiscrystalclear.Maybeyouwanttoreachjournalistswhocanhelpraisepublicawareness?OrpolicymakerswhowouldbenefitfromyourexperQse?Orresourceuserswhoselivelihoodswillbeaffected?OrconcernedciQzenswhoshouldknowaboutimpactstotheircommuniQes?
Inordertofindthe“Sowhat?”ofyourwork,youneedtofocusontheparQcularaudienceyouwanttocommunicatewith,andgearyourMessageBoxtowhatmacerstothem.
IssueProblems?
Solutions?
So W
hat?Benefits?
Go to page 11
Go to page 14
Go to page 16
Go to page 12
Go to page 10
Audience: Identify first!
�7
Section III: The Message Box—Section by SectionKathyZellerwasaPh.D.candidatefocusedonconserva:onbiologyattheUniversityofMassachuse?satAmherstwhenshefirstworkedonaMessageBoxwithCOMPASS.Bythen,shewasalreadyanexpertonlargecatspeciesandtheirhabitatneeds.HavinggrownupindenselypopulatedConnec:cut,shefirstbecamefascinatedwithconservingopenlandscapesasafieldtechnicianinAlaskaaLerfinishingcollege.Thatfascina:onpromptedhertopursueaMaster’sDegreeattheUniversityofMontana.Shespentthenextfewyearsmodelinghowjaguarsmovethroughlandscapes,andhowbesttoconnecttheirdifferenthabitatstooneanother.Assolitarytoppredators,jaguarsneedtocoveralotofgroundtofindmatesandsufficientprey,andtheytendtoavoidhumancontact.Kathyworkedwiththeconserva:ongroupsWildlifeConserva:onSocietyandPantheratohelpthemestablishhabitatcorridorsforjaguarsthroughoutCentralandSouthAmericaandprotectthespeciesthroughoutitsrange.
Butshewasalsotroubled.Herworkduringthis:meraisedalotofques:onsabouthowhabitatconnec:vitywasbeingmodeledbymostbiologists.Kathysensedthatthosemodelsweren’treallycapturingthewayanimalsmoveacrosslandscapes.SoshedecidedtopursueaPh.D.toexploreandiden:fymoreeffec:vewaystomodelcorridors.WhileshefoundherPh.D.researchrewarding,shediscoveredthatshemissedapplyingherworkdirectlytoreal-lifeconserva:onproblems.“Ifeltsomewhatisolatedintheivorytower,”shesaid.AndsosheappliedtotheSwitzerEnvironmentalFellowshipProgram,aleadershipandcommunica:ontrainingprogramfundedbytheRobert&PatriciaSwitzerFounda:on,toreconnectwiththeappliedbiologynetwork.AspartofthatFellowship,KathyworkedwithCOMPASSinWashington,D.C.tolearnhowtocommunicatehersciencemoreeffec:velywithpolicymakers.That’swhenshefirstdevelopedaMessageBox.
Toiden:fyameaningfulaudienceforherscience,Kathycontactedpeoplesheknewinconserva:ongroups.ShelearnedthatCongressmanDonBeyerofVirginiawasinterestedindevelopinglegisla:ontoaddresswildlifehabitatneeds,andarrangedamee:ngwithtwoofhisstaff.HerfirstMessageBoxreflectsherini:ala?empttodis:llthescienceofconserva:oncorridorsfortheCongressmanandhisstaffinawaythatwouldmo:vateac:onandguidethedevelopmentofeffec:velegisla:on.
FYI There are several blank Message Boxes at the end of this workbook for you to practice with as you work through the workbook. For an editable PDF version, visit us online at www.COMPASSscicomm.org.
�8
Asyoucansee,Kathy’sIni$alMessageBoxhasalotofdetail.ButworkingonherMessageBoxpromptedhertoiden:fykeyinforma:onfromthescien:ficliteraturethatsherealizedtheCongressmanwouldbeinterestedin,suchastheamountofhabitatlosteachyearandthecostsassociatedwithinac:on.Shegotthestaff’sa?en:on,andthatfirstmee:ngledtoalotoffollow-upcommunica:onwiththeCongressman’soffice.TheyaskedKathyforaddi:onalinforma:on,suchasasummaryofconserva:onbenefitsbasedoncurrentscien:ficunderstanding.SheworkedtoframehermaterialinwaysthatwouldresonatewiththeCongressman’scons:tuentsbyincludinginforma:onrelevanttotheAppalachianTrailthatrunsthroughVirginia’sBlueRidgeMountains.
IssueProblems?
Solutions?
So W
hat?
Benefits?
StaffersinRep.Beyer’sofficeAudience:
- Theoldparadigmofwildlifeconserva:on-whereprotectedareasareestablishedandwildlifeisconsidered‘conserved’-failstoadequatelyprotectmanyspecies-wehavethetoolstofixthisissue
- Underthespecterofcon:nuedlandcoverchanges,themaintenanceofbiodiversityandecologicalprocesseswilldependonrigorouslydefinedprotectedarea/corridornetworksatregionalandcon:nentalscales
- Thisisespeciallytrueunderachangingclimate.IthasbeenshownthatwildlifeareshiLingtheirrangesatarate3xpreviouslythought(11milesfurtherN.everydecade=equivalenttotheworld’sanimalsslowlyshiLing20cmnortheveryhourtoescapewarmerweather) - Bynotaccoun:ngforconnec:vity
betweenprotectedareas,manyspeciesofwildlifewillbecomeendangered-addingtoanalreadyoverburdenedESA/USFWSandmakingtheESAevenmoreconten:ousthanitalreadyis
- Forexample,mydisserta:onworkisfocusedonmountainlionsinsouthernCalifornia.Thisisoneofthemostpopulatedareasinthecountrywithaprojectedhumanpopula:onof40millionpeopleby2050.Mountainlionsherearegelnghammeredbyroadsandhumandevelopment.Infact,mypopula:onisoneofthemostisolatedintheUSandisshowingtroublingsignsofinbreeding.Wearescramblingtoiden:fyandrestoreconnec:onstothispopula:on,when,ifsomeforethoughtandplanningwasdoneasdevelopmentwasincreasing,thissitua:oncouldhavebeenavoided.Thisisoneexampleofonepopula:onandonespecies,justmul:plythisacrossthecountryand#ofspeciesandyoucanstarttoseewhataproblemthiscanbecome.Andhowavisionarycorridorsplanatthena:onallevelwouldbekey.Healthypopula:onslesslikelytogetintoconflictwithpeople
- Anotherexamplethatmayhitclosertohome-ourkitchensandhumanhealthisofpollinatorspecies.Bynotprovidingconnec:vityforthesespeciesitcanhinderthemaintenanceofwildplantdiversity,narrowecosystemstability,andreducecropproduc:on.Pollinatorscontributemorethan24billion$$totheUSeconomy.Ithasbeenshownthatprovidingjustonestripofpollinatorvegeta:oncanpromotetheirmovementbetweencropsandfosterpollina:on.
- Asingle,na:onalplaoormtoassessnaturalareas,wildlifeconnec:vity,andecosystemhealthacrossthena:on
- Iden:fyingcorridorsinana:onalcontextandhavinglegisla:oninplacethatwillhelpto:
1. iden:fycorridorsinana:onalcontextregardlessofpoli:calboundariesorjurisdic:ons
2. designatelandsasa“corridor”3. projectandmanagelandsascorridors
- Areviewof25yearsofpeer-reviewedar:clesrevealedthatthemostfrequentrecommenda:onforprotec:ngbiodiversityisimprovedconnec:vitytoensurespeciescanmoveandadaptinresponsetoclimate-inducedchanges.
- Currently,landisbeinglostatarateof2millionacres/year-largerthanRI+DE-helpusstemthe:deoframpant,thoughtlessdevelopmentandmakedevelopmentandspeciesconserva:ongohandinhand
- Beingmoreeffec:veatwildlifeconserva:onpreservesournaturalheritageandwillonlyincreasethe$145billioninrevenuethatcomesfromhun:ng,fishing,andwildlifeviewing.
- Preventcostlyprocessoflis:ngspeciesanddesigna:ngcri:calhabitat.Reducespoten:alconflictbetweenlandownersandgov’t,betweenwildlifeandlandowners.Increasesgovernmentalefficiency.
- Bringsgov’tinto21stcenturyofwildlifeconserva:onbybeingproac:ve,providingcorridors,andhelpingspeciesinthefaceofclimatechange
Importanceofwildlifecorridors
Biologist Kathy Zeller’s Initial Message Box
�9
SeveralmonthsaLerKathy’smee:ngwithhisstaff,CongressmanBeyerintroducedtheWildlifeCorridorsConserva:onAct.ThebillincorporatedseveralkeycomponentsthatKathyhadoutlined,includingestablishingana:onaldatabaseonprotectedareasandhabitatcorridors,anddirec:nggovernmentagenciestoworktogethertoestablishcorridors.Bythen,Kathyhadbecomeapost-doctoralresearcheratSanDiegoStateUniversityFounda:on.ShedrewonherMessageBoxtocraLale?eraddressedtomembersofCongressthatwassignedbyadozenprominentconserva:onbiologists,reitera:nghermainpointsandurgingsupportforthelegisla:on.AndsheworkedwithCOMPASStorefineherMessageBoxfurther.HerRefinedMessageBox(below)dis:llsthesciencefurtherandframesitinwaysthatcanengageawiderangeofcongressionalinterests,notjustCongressmanBeyer’s.
Biologist Kathy Zeller’s Refined Message Box
Inthediscussionbelow,we’llwalkthrougheachsec:onoftheMessageBoxusingKathy’sIni$alandRefinedMessageBoxesasanexample,highligh:nghoweachsec:onhelpssortcomplexinforma:onandhoweachitera:onoftheMessageBoxhelpsdis:llthemessagefurther,increasingitseffec:veness.WorkingonyourMessageBoxneverreallyends—it’sanongoingprocessthat,over:me,revealstheessenceofwhatyouwanttoconveyinawaythatconnectswithyourintendedaudience.
MembersofCongress&theirstaffAudience:
IssueProblems?
Solutions?
So W
hat?Benefits?
- ManyspeciesofwildlifeintheUSaredeclining- TheUSlosesabout2millionacresofnaturallandperyear-largerthanthestatesofRhodeIslandandDelawarecombined.Thislossfragmentswildlifehabitatandinhibitswildlifemovement.
- Wildlifedonotobservepoli:calboundaries,yetfederal,state,tribal,andlocalagenciesdon’tcoordinatelandusedecisions.
- Wildlifeproviderecrea:onal,aesthe:c,spiritual,andeconomicvaluetoAmericansandsupporthealthyecosystems.Eachyear,wildlifeviewing,hun:ng,andfishingpumpover$145billionintotheUSeconomy.
- Wildlifesurvivaldependsonday-to-daymovements,seasonalmigra:on,ortheshiLofaspecies’geographicrangeinresponsetoclimatechange.
Thisincludesspeciessuchaselk,pronghorn,mountain
lions,salmon,andmore.
- CongressshouldpasstheWildlifeCorridorsConserva:onActtocreateana:onalgeographicinforma:onsystemwithmapstoiden:fyandpriori:zenaturalcorridorsforwildlifeandtorequireallrelevantfederal,tribal,state,andlocalgovernmentagenciestocoordinateonlandusedecisions.
- 25yearsofscien:ficresearchindicatesthatconnec:onsbetweennaturalareasiscrucialforwildlifemovementandlongtermsurvival.
Conservingwildlifecorridors
- Conservewildlifeandthemul:plevaluestheyprovidebyallowingmovement.
- Preventspeciesfrombecomingendangeredtoavoidcostlyrecoveryeffortsinthefuture.
- Reducewildlife-vehiclecollisions- Increaserevenuefromwildlifeviewing,hun:ng,andfishing.
�10
The IssueTheIssuesec*oninthecenteroftheboxiden*fiesanddescribestheoverarchingissueortopicthatyou’readdressinginbroadterms.It’sthebig-picturecontextofyourwork.Thisshouldbeveryconcise
andclear;nomorethanashortphrase.YoumightfindyourevisittheIssueaEeryou’vefilledoutyourMessageBox,toseeifyourthinkingontheoverarchingtopichaschangedsinceyoustarted.
FAQ for The Issue? Howbroad/narrowistoobroad/narrow?TheIssueneedstobebroadenoughtoencompassthekeypointsyouwanttoget
across,butspecificenoughthatitsetsupwhat’stocome.Myresearchisonlyonesmallpartofthistopic.Isthatokay?
Yes.PuJngyourworkintothebroadercontexthelpsyoutotakeastepbackand
ar*culatetheotherpartsoftheMessageBoxandwhytheyshouldmaKertoyour
audience.ItcanalsohelpguideyouasyouworkthroughtheMessageBox.OEen,one
pieceoftheMessageBoxwillfeelveryclear,theothers,maybenotsomuch.Sotaking
abroaderviewandthinkingaboutthena*onalorinterna*onalcontextcanbehelpful.
Whydoeswordchoicema=er?TheIssuecancueor‘frame’therestofyourMessageBox,sowhileitseemsvery
simple,it’ss*llimportantforsignalingthescale,severity,orsignificanceofyour
message.
InKathy’sexample,usingtheword“conserving”inherRefinedMessageBoxinplaceof
“theimportanceof”inherIni(alMessageBoxprovidesaliKlemorespecificityabout
whatshewantstosay.Thatis,she’sgoingtodiscusshowtoconservethesecorridors
forwildlife,notjustwhytheyareimportant.
�11
The ProblemTheProblemisthechunkofthebroaderissuethatyou’readdressinginyourareaofexper9se.It’syourpieceofthepie,reflec9ngyourworkandexpertknowledge.Thinkaboutyourresearchques9onsandwhataspectofthespecificproblemyou’readdressingwouldmaCertoyouraudience.TheProblemisalsowhereyousetuptheSoWhatanddescribethesitua9onyouseeandwanttoaddress.
InKathy’sexample,sheincludedafairbitoffactualdetailinherIni$alMessageBox,butmuchofitfocusedonthesolu9onshewasproposing,beforeshehadclearlyspelledouttheproblem.InherRefinedMessageBox,shespelledoutthebasicproblemfirst—thatwildlifearedeclining—andthenlistedtwokeypointsaboutwhythatwashappeningthatrelatetoherIssueofwildlifecorridors.
FAQ for the Problem? What’sthedifferencebetweentheProblemandtheIssue?TheIssueboxprovidesthebroadercontextandsetsthestage,whiletheProblemboxismorefocusedandspecifictoyourworkorresearchques9on.TheIssueboxishelpfulforprovidingcontextandindica9nghowtheProblemyou’veiden9fiedfitsintothebiggerpicture.
Whatifthere’smorethanoneProblem?TheremightwellbemorethanoneProblemthatyou’reseeing—theworldiscomplexandnuanced.Andsomeproblemshaveseveralkeycomponents.Considerwhetheryouneedtotalkabouttwoproblemswiththisaudience.Ifoneoftheseproblemsismoreurgentorimportantthantheother,usethatasyourmainproblem,andspendless9meon,orleaveout,thesecondproblem.Wegenerallyrecommendfocusingonjustoneproblemperaudience,butitalldependsonthecontext.Ifthisisasitua9onwhereyoufeelyoucanincludemoreinforma9on,giveitatry.Butbejudiciousandmindfulofwhatwillberelevantandusefultotheaudienceyou’retarge9ng.
HowcanIfindtheProblem?Formanyscien9sts,theProblemistheirresearchques9on.Aproblemmightalsorevealitselfthroughatroublingtrendinthedata,orasitua9onthatwillhaveanega9veeffectonpeopleortheenvironment.
Reminder! There are more examples of the MB in use at the end of this workbook!
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The So WhatThecruxoftheMessageBox,andthecri8calques8ontheCOMPASSteamseekstohelpscien8stsanswer,is“Sowhat?”
Whyshouldyouraudiencecare?Whataboutyourresearchorworkisimportantforthemtoknow?Whyareyoutalkingtothemaboutit?Theanswertothisques8onmaychangefromaudiencetoaudience,andyou’llwanttobeabletoadjustbasedontheirinterestsandneeds.WeliketousetheanalogyofpuMngamessagethroughaprismthatclarifiestheimportancetodifferentaudiences.Eachaudiencewillbeinterestedindifferentfacetsofyourwork,andyouwantyourmessagetoreflecttheirinterestsandaccommodatetheirneeds.Theprismbelowincludesaspectrumofaudiencesyoumightwanttoreach,andsomeoftheques8onstheymighthaveaboutyourwork.
Does this support my agenda? Do my constituents care?
What will it cost - time, effort, money? Who supports this?
How does this fit our agenda?
Is it groundbreaking? It is robust? How does it affect my work?
Is it news? Will it sell? Is it a good story?
Does this fit within our portfolio?
Policy
makers
Manager
s
NGOs
Scientists
MediaFoundationsConc. Citizens
How does this affect safety/health, livelihoods and natural resources?
So What?MESSAGE
The “So What?” Prism. Adapted from Escape from the Ivory Tower: A Guide to Making Your Science Matter, by Nancy Baron (Island Press, 2010).
Insteadofsimplydispensingknowledge,trytounderstandthepeopleyouaretalkingtobyaskingques8onsandlearningmoreaboutwhatisimportanttothem.Thisalsohelpsyoutoknowwhichaspectsofyourresearcharemostrelevanttothem,andwhatyoushouldpriori8zeasyou'resharingyourwork.Everyaudienceinterpretsinforma8onthroughtheirownlens.Understandingthatlenswillhelpyouframeyourmessageaseffec8velyaspossible,sothatyouraudiencetotakeshomethemessageyouwanttoconvey.Askingyourselfafewkeyques8onscanhelp.Forexample:Whatoutletsdoesthejournalistwriteforandwhatangledoesshetypicallytake?Isthepolicymakeranelectedofficialwhoanswerstocons8tuents,oranagencyofficialwhomustrespondtospecificlegisla8vemandates?Whatisthefocusormissionofthisorganiza8onoragency?Whatculturalissuesdoyouneedtoconsiderwhenaddressingcommuni8esandconcernedci8zens?
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“It takes a great man to be a good listener.”
- Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States
Remember,communica8onisatwo-waystreet.It’snotaboutperfec8ngamonologue.Effec8vecommunica8onrequireslisteningtoyouraudience,understandingtheirconcernsandhavingaconversa8on.Aconversa8oncanhelpyoudiscerntheSoWhatthatma]ersmosttothemandframeyourmessageinawaythatwillresonatewiththem.Insomecases,thoseconversa8onscanshapetheresearchques8onsyouchoosetoaskdowntheroad.
FAQ for So What? CanIincludemorethanonereasontocareinmySoWhat?Yes.Justbesuretokeepeachexamplesuccinct,andremembertos8cktothreetofiveideastotal.
HowcanIbesuremyaudiencewillcareaboutmywork?Dosomeresearchonyouraudiencetogaininsightonwhataspectsofyourworkwillberelevanttothem.Butit’shelpfultorememberthatmostaudienceswillnotbeasinterestedinthescien8ficortheore8calaspectsofyourwork,andcertainlynotthedetailsandnuances.Theyaretypicallymoreinterestedinprac8calapplica8ons—whatmightyourresultsmeanforlivelihoods,health,well-being,orsecurity?Considerhowyourworkcanaffecttheirlives—ifnotnow,theninthefuture—andhowyoumightappealtotheirheartsaswellastheirminds.Sharingyourownpassionforyourwork,andwhyyoucare,canobenhelpyoureachothers.
WhatifI’mdoingbasicresearch?Ifyouraudienceisotherscien8sts,thenaddingtothescien8ficfounda8onsofyourfieldmightbetheprimaryrelevanceofyourwork.Ifyouraudienceisnon-scien8sts,thenconsiderwhataspectsofyourworkmightresonatewiththem.Thoseaspectsmightincludesomeoftheprac8calapplica8onsofyourworkthatcouldemergeinthefuture.OritmightaddresshowincreasingourunderstandingofXcouldleadtobe]erunderstandingofY—assumingthatYissomethingthatresonateswithyouraudience.Alterna8vely,youmightemphasizetheawe-factorofyourwork,what’snewaboutit,orhowitchangesourunderstandingoftheworld.Doyouhaveadiscoverytosharethatwouldbeamazingandinherentlyinteres8ngtoanaudienceofnon-scien8sts?It’simportanttobemindfulofwhatyouraudiencecaresabout—howcanyouconnectwithwhattheyvalue,theirconcerns,ortheirhopesforthefuture?Thebo]omlineistofindtheintersec8onbetweenwhatyoucareaboutandwhatyouraudiencecaresabout.
Reminder! There are more examples of the MB in use at the end of this workbook!
InKathy’sIni$alSoWhatsheincludesalotofdetail,suchassta8s8csonhumanpopula8ongrowthinoneregionofthecountry,inbreedinginmountainlions,theissueoflanduseplanning,avarietyofimpactsonpollinators,andsomeacronymsthatheraudiencemightnotunderstand.Theessenceofwhyheraudienceshouldcarecangetlostinthedetails.InherRefinedSoWhat,Kathymakestwomainpoints:thatwildlifeareimportantandthattheirsurvivaldependsontheirabilitytomoveacrosslandscapes.Indiscussingwhywildlifeareimportant,sheframeshermessageinawaythatincludesadiverserangeofvaluesthatmembersofCongressandtheircons8tuentsmightcareabout,includingeconomic,recrea8onal,aesthe8candspiritual.
“It takes two to speak the truth—one to speak and another to hear.”
- Henry David Thoreau, Naturalist and Writer
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The SolutionTheSolu%onsec*onoutlinestheop*onsforsolvingtheproblemyouiden*fied.Whenpresen*ngpossiblesolu*ons,considerwhethertheyaresomethingyouraudiencecaninfluenceoractupon.Andremindyourselfofyourcommunica*ongoals:Whyareyoucommunica*ngwiththisaudience?Whatdoyouwanttoaccomplish?
InKathy’sIni$alMessageBox,shelistsseveralcomponentsneededinna*onallegisla*ontocreatewildlifecorridors,andreferstothelargebodyofscien*ficliteratureindica*ngthatcorridorsarenecessaryforwildlifesurvival.Kathy’sRefinedMessageBoxreflectsnotonlyherworkonrefininghermessage,butalsoeventsthatoccurredaKerherini*almee*ngwithCongressmanBeyer’sstaffonCapitolHill;namely,theintroduc*onoflegisla*on.InherRefinedbox,Kathy’saudienceisamoregeneralcongressionalaudience—typicallyverybusypeopledealingwithdozensofissuessimultaneously,withlimited*metograspcomplexconcepts.Shemen*onsthesciencesuppor*ngtheneedforthebill,andthensimplyurgesheraudiencetosupporttheintroducedbillwithabriefdescrip*onofwhatitwoulddo.
FAQ for The Solution? HowmanyideasshouldIhaveintheSolu%onsec%on?Theremaybeseveralideasyouwanttoinclude—justmakesurethattheyareallrelevanttothepar*cularaudienceandthespecificproblem(s)youareaddressing,andarestatedsuccinctly.Butremember,theMessageBoxisintendedtohelpyoupriori*zewhatismostimportanttoconvey,sothinkhardaboutthat.AlsoconsiderwhetheryourProblemstatementistoobroadandcouldbemorespecific.Insomecases,revisi*ngtheProblemstatementcanhelpnarrowdownthefocusofthetopicandwhatneedstobedonetoaddressit.
HowdoIhandletheissueofadvoca%ngforapar%cularsolu%on?Whetheryouwanttoadvocateforapar*cularsolu*onorcourseofac*onisadeeplypersonalchoice.Insomescien*ficfields,advoca*ngforaspecificposi*oniscommonprac*ce.Inothers,itraisesconcernsthatadvocacycouldunderminescien*ficobjec*vityorcredibility.Decidingtoadvocateforagivensolu*ondependsontheaudience,yourprofessionalrole,andthecontextinwhichyou’represen*ngyourinforma*on.Haveyoubeenaskedbydecision-makerstoshareyourprofessionaljudgment?Isapar*cularsolu*oncri*caltosolvingtheproblem?Howimportantistheproblem?
Intheside-by-sideMBexamplefromKathyZeller,shechosetoadvocateforna*onallegisla*onbecausesheconsideredthatsolu*onnecessarytosolvetheproblem.However,manyproblemscanbeaddressedinwaysthatdon'tinvolvechangesinpublicpolicy.WordchoicemaZershere,too.Withoutsugges*ngthatapar*cularac*on"should"betaken,youcanhelpdecision-makersevaluateop*ons,anduseif/thenstatementstodescribethelikelyconsequencesofagivenac*on.Forexample,"Ifthisac*onistaken(ornottaken),thenthisistheexpectedoutcome."Thishelpsexpandtherangeofpossiblesolu*onsfordecision-makerstoconsider.
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FAQ for The Solution? WhatiftheonlySolu%onthatIcanthinkofissimplymoreresearch?Thesolu*oninsomecasesmightsimplybetoobtainagreaterunderstandingofX,Y,orZ.Butinmanycases,havingthisasyouronlySolu%onisanindica*onthattheProblemstatementortheSoWhatneedsfurtherdis*lla*on.Considerwhethereither(orboth)ofthesesec*onsaretooin-the-weedsofyourscien*ficdiscipline,andaren’tframedastopicsthatmaZerinpeople’slives.Trytoreworkthemtomakesurethattheyarerelevanttoyouraudience.
WhatifmySolu%ondoesn’treallyimpacttheProblem?IfyourSolu%onsdon’trelatetotheProblemyouiden*fied,theneitheradjusttheProblemoradjusttheSolu%onsothattheydorelate.Someques*onstoconsiderincludewhetheryourProblemandSolu%onpointsareopera*ngatthesamescale(i.e.,iftheproblemisthatwildlifearen'tabletomovevastdistancesacrossthecountryduetobarriers,butyoursolu*onistohavetownhallmee*ngsinonlyonestate,youwouldneedtoadjustthescaleofyoursuggestedsolu*on).Anotherques*ontoconsidermightbewhetheryourSolu%onisspecificenough,orifitisstatedtoovaguelytoactuallysolvetheProblem.
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The BenefitIntheBenefitsec,on,youlistthebenefitsofaddressingtheProblem—allthegoodthingsthatcouldhappenifyourSolu.onsec,onisimplemented.This,esintotheSoWhatofwhyyouraudiencecares,butfocusesontheposi,veresultsoftakingac,on(theSoWhatmaybeanega,vething—forexample,inac,oncouldleadtoconsequencesthatyouraudiencecaresabout).Ifpossible,itcanbehelpfultobespecifichere—concreteexamplesaremorecompellingthanabstract.Whoislikelytobenefit,andwhere,andwhen?
Kathy’sIni$alBenefitsec,onlistsmul,plebenefitsofcrea,ngcorridorsacrossthecountryforwildlife.Butshealsoincludessomeinforma,onthatoutlinestheproblem(thatis,thelossofnaturalareasacrossthecountry).InherRefinedMessageBoxshemovedthatimportantinforma,onabouthabitatlosstotheProblemsec,ontohelpestablishherSoWhat.HerRefinedBenefitsec,onprovideslessdetail.ShecanalwaysaddthatdetailbackinduringdiscussionswithmembersofCongressandtheirstaffifshediscoversshehas,me.ButherMessageBoxhelpsherdis,llherkeypointsdowntotheiressence,sosheknowswhatmainpointsshewantstohit.
FAQ for The Benefit? MySoWhatissimilartotheBenefits.Isthataproblem?Nothat’snotaproblem.TheMessageBoxisasor,ngtooltohelpyoudecidewhatismostimportant.Youmayendupwithonlythreekeymessages,orevenless.It’snotaboutfillingtheboxes,it’saboutdecidingwhatisthemostimportantthingtosay,outofallthethingsyoucouldsay.IftheSoWhatandBenefitaresimilar,that’sfine.Butmakethemrelevanttoyourtargetaudience.
WhatiftheonlyBenefitIcanthinkofappliestofutureresearchers?That’sfine,ifyouraudienceisscien,stswhoareinterestedinlong-termbenefitsforresearch.Foranaudienceofnon-scien,sts,though,trytothinkabouthowyourresearchcouldconnectbacktotheSoWhat.Ifthiswasbasicresearchthattoldyousomethingnewabouttheworld,considertheapplica,onsdowntheroadthatthisaudiencemightcareabout,orwhythesediscoveriesmightconnectwiththememo,onally.
HowdoIavoidover-promisingtheBenefit?OUen,societalandenvironmentalbenefitsaccruethroughacombina,onofefforts,approaches,andsolu,ons.Yourworkmightonlybeonepartofthatlargersolu,on.It’sokaytoiden,fythelarger-scalebenefitsyourworkwillcontributeto.Justmakeitclearthatthesolu,onsyou’veiden,fiedareonlyonepieceofthepuzzle.YoumightalsorevisityourProblemstatementandmakesurethatit’sappropriatelyscaledfortheSolu.oniden,fied.Ifnecessary,youcanincludequalifierssuchas“could,”thoughbeprudentwithyourcaveatsandonlyusethemwhenyoureallyhaveto.
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General Message Box FAQ
HowlongdopeopletypicallyspendcraDingtheirMessageBoxes?
Itvaries.CraUinganeffec,veMessageBoxisanitera,veprocess.Youmightstartwiththethreetofivepiecesofinforma,onthatyouthinkaremostimportantineachsec,on,andthenboilitdown.Thatdis,lla,oncancomefromconversa,onswithyourintendedaudience—what’sresona,ng?Whatdoyounowbe[erunderstandabouttheirinterestsandvalues?Oritcouldcomefrompeerfeedback.Eachperson'sexperienceisuniqueandmightchangedependingonhowcontroversialtheissueis,theaudiencetheywanttoaddress,andwhattheyhopetoaccomplishbycommunica,ngtheirscience.
? HowdoIknowwhenmyMessageBoxisdone?AMessageBoxdoesn’treallyevergetfinished;itjustkeepsevolvingtosuityourneeds.TheMessageBoxprinciplesareeasy,butittakes,metodevelopmessagesthatwillworkforyouandyouraudiences.Ul,mately,youwanttoparedownyourideassothateachsec,onisafewclearsentences.Ifyous,llhaveaparagraph,keepworkingtorefineyourmessages,andtheywillevolveandgetbe[erover,me.Remember,the“Sowhat?”canvarydependingonwhateachaudiencecaresabout.Thiscaninfluencetheproblemsyouiden,fy,thesolu,onsyouhighlightandthebenefitsyouemphasize.Onceyoufeelyouhavedis,lledyourmessagedowntoitsessence,workontakingyourmessagetothenextstepbymakingitmemorable(seepage18).
Crafting a Message Box is often an iterative process. Tessa ultimately completed four iterations of her box for this interview.
HowmanyMessageBoxesdoIneedtodo?Oneforeachaudience!Differentaudienceshavedifferentinterests,needs,andvalues.You’llwanttoreflectthatinyourmessages.
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Section IV: Making Your Messages MemorableThinkoftheMessageBoxasaframework.Itallowsyoutofocusonwhat’smostimportantandwhatwill
resonatewithyouraudience.Butonceyou’vegotaclearmessage,you’llwanttoaddfleshtothose
bones.HowdoyoutaketheessenEalideasandmakethemmemorableandcompellingtoyour
audience?Consideranecdotes,examples,metaphors,sound-bites,andfactsthatwouldresonatewith
youraudienceandcansupplementandreinforceyourmessages.Thisiswheresomeofthedetailand
datayoutookoutofyourMessageBoxcancomebackintoplay.ButthecommunicaEonguidelineswe
discussedabovedon’tdisappearonceyourMessageBoxisreadytouse.Asyouprepareforyourpaper,
presentaEon,meeEng,orinterview,herearesomepointstokeepinmindtocommunicateeffecEvely:
Supportyourmessagewithdata,butlimitthenumberofideas.Remember,thehumanbraincan
onlytakeinaboutthreetofivepiecesofinformaEonataEme.
Limittheuseofnumbersandsta6s6cs,butdoincludethemifthey’reillustraEve.Kathy'sRefinedMessageBoxincludestwoimportantnumbers:that2millionacresofnaturallandarelostper
year,andthatrecreaEonalacEviEesinnaturallandsputs$145billionbackintotheeconomyeach
year.Thosewereimportantnumbersforheraudiences.
Usespecificexamples,andmakethemmemorableandquick
toexplain,withjudicioususeofmetaphorsorothertoolsto
helppeopleputthemintocontext.
Comparenumbersorconceptswithsomethingmostpeoplecanrelateto,includingmetaphorsoranalogieswhenpossible.
Kathyhelpedpeoplegraspthescaleofthose2millionacresof
naturallandlosteachyearbypoinEngoutthatthatisanarea
largerthanthestatesofRhodeIslandandDelawarecombined.
Don’tusejargon.AWercompleEngyourMessageBox,re-readittodoublecheckthatyou’renot
relyingonwordsthatarefamiliartoscienEstsinyourdiscipline,butthatwouldn’tmakesenseto
familymembers.
Leadwithwhatyouknow,notwithwhatyoudon’tknow.Uncertaintyexists,andyouneedtobehonestaboutthelimitsofyourresearchandscienEficunderstanding,butdon’tburythemessage
incaveats.
Remember:effecEvecommunicaEonrequireslisteningandtrulyengagingwithyouraudienceina
two-wayconversaEon.Listentowhatyouraudiencecaresabout.WhatquesEonsdidtheyask?
Whichofyourpointsreallyseemedtotriggeraresponse?Incorporatethatfeedbackintofuture
MessageBoxesandmaterials.
AWercreaEngandrefiningyourMessageBox,considerwhatbo[omlinemessageitconveysby
craWingaheadlineorTweetthatcapturesyourmainpointinjustafewwords.Ifyoucan’t
conveyyourmessagethatsuccinctly,youmaywanttodisEllitfurther.
InKathy’scase,themainpointis“supporttheWildlifeCorridorsConservaEonAct.”Although
Congresshaschangedhandssincethebillwasintroduced,supportershopethatthebill,now
draWed,canbereintroducedatsomepointinthefuture.
"In the Midwest, it's 7 oF warmer in the winter than it was in 1974. That's the difference between wearing and not wearing long underwear."
- Tracey Holloway, Professor,University of Wisconsin
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Section V: Using the Message Box
COMPASSmosto/enworkswithenvironmentalscien;stsinterestedinbecomingmoreengagedinthepublicdiscourse.Butwehavehelpedscien;stsinavarietyofdisciplines,communica;ngwithmanyaudiencesandworkingtowarddifferenttypesofgoals,todis;llandframetheirmessageswiththeMessageBox.
Theexamplesonthefollowingpagesprovideaglimpseofthatdiversityofthoughtandapproach.NotehoweachMessageBoxiden;fiesitsaudienceupfront,andprovidesaframeworkforsor;nganddis;llingcomplexissuesdowntotheiressence,answeringsomeoftheques;onsoutlinedabove.
- Whatspecificdimensionoftheissueareyouaddressing?
Broadly,whatareyouworkingon?Whatkeywordswouldyousearchtofind
yourtopiconline?
- Whatcanbedonetoaddresstheproblem?- Orwhatareyoudoingtoaddressit?
- Whatdoesyouraudiencevalue?
- Howdoesitimpactthem,orsomethingtheycareaboutit?
- Whodoesthishelp,andhow?
- Whatimprovesintheshort-term?Long-term?
Issue
Solutions?
So W
hat?Benefits?
Audience:
Problems?
Thegraphicbelowhighlightssomeofques;onsthatmayhelpprimeyourthinkingasyoubegintodra/yourownMessageBoxesandusethem.Thereisn’tarightorawrongwaytouseMessageBox,thoughsomeapproacheswillworkbeRerforcertainaudiences.Theimportantthingistogetstarted!
Youmayalsofindyourselfbeingaskedsomeoftheseques;onswhenyouaresharingyourscience,sotheycanalsobeahelpfulwaytoprepareforthoseconversa;ons.
Whoisimpactedbythis?Whocanchangethis?Whocaresaboutthis?
IssueProblems?
Solutions?
So W
hat?Benefits?
Audience:
- Detec&onofexplosivesfromasafedistance,especiallyinpublicspaces,isextremelydifficult.- Ionmobilitytechnologyusedtoanalyzethefamiliarwipesatairportsecurityrequires
contact,&meforanalysis,trainedstaffandsupplies.- Laser-basedhandheldRamanspectrometersusedforiden&fica&on
ofmaterialsarenotsensi&vetotracequan&&esofexplosivesandarenoteye-safe.
Theselimita&onsofpresentmethodsusedtosafeguardpublicspacespreventwidespreaduseforanumberofpublicspaces,suchassubways,parkinglots,largeoutdooreventsandairports.
Laserscancomplementexis&ngsecuritytechnologiesbydetec&ngthepresenceoftracequan&&esofexplosivesthatwouldbemostlikelycarriedbyterroristsintheirfingerprints,clothing,andhand-carriedpackages;quickly,inexpensivelyandatasafedistance.
Ongoingimprovementsinlasertechnologiesindicatethatfast-imaginglaserscanrobustlydetectstandofftraceexplosivesfromadistance,aresafeforskinandeyes,anddon’trequiretrainedstafforconsumablesupplies.
Agencies,Industry,&Scien&stsworkingondetec&onofexplosives
MarcosDantusisaDis&nguishedProfessorofChemistryandPhysicsatMichiganStateUniversity.HerequestedcoachingfromCOMPASStoprepareforhispresenta&onataconferenceofsecurityprofessionals,includingstafffromgovernmentagenciesandbusinesses,aswellasacademics.Hisaudienceallworkedinthefieldofdetec&ngexplosives,buthaddifferinglevelsoftechnicalknowledge.HisfirstMessageBoxsuccinctlyconveyedsomekeyideas,butbecauseMarcoswasintroducinganen&relynewapproachtodetec&ngexplosives,hewantedtobecertainthathislanguagewasaspersuasiveaspossible,withoutappearingtodiscreditthoseinhisaudiencecommiSedtoexis&ngapproaches.HisfinalMessageBoxreflectsthatnuance,withsomekeywordsinhisBenefitssec&on(suchas“complemen&ngexis&ngstrategies”).Anditemphasizesthepar&cularsitua&onsinwhichhisnewapproachmightbebeneficialintheSoWhatsec&on.HeacknowledgesthedifferinglevelsoftechnicalknowledgeinhisaudiencebyprovidingexamplesintheProblemandSolu3onsec&ons.Marcosreportedthathistalkwentextremelywell:“Manypeoplethathadneverusedlasersandthatwereveryskep4cal,cameandtoldmethattheylikedthepresenta4onandsawgreatpoten4al.”
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Safeguardingpublicspacesfromterrorists
IssueProblems?
Solutions?
So W
hat?Benefits?
Audience:
TessaHillisanAssociateProfessorintheDepartmentofEarthandPlanetarySciencesatBodegaMarineLaboratory,andAssociateDirectorofAcademicProgramsattheCoastalandMarineSciencesIns&tuteattheUniversityofCaliforniaatDavis.SheworkedonherMessageBoxataCOMPASStraininginprepara&onforaninterviewonNPR’sScienceFridaylaterthatweek(youcanlistentoithere3).Theboxaboveisherfourthitera&on,illustra&nghowmanypeoplefinditvaluabletoworkandreworktheirmessagestomakethemclearandmemorable.ListenforthepointsthatsheoutlinedinherMessageBox,andnotehowshedoesn’treadfromherBox,butuseshermessagesinherconversa&onwithradiohostIraFlatow.Shealsousesmetaphorstohelptheaudienceunderstandherpoints,anddoesademonstra&on!
3www.sciencefriday.com/segments/for-oysters-challenges-and-hope-in-the-changing-ocean/
- Carbondioxideconcentra&onshavebeenincreasinginrecentdecades.Theoceanisaspongeforcarbondioxide-soakingup30%ofwhatweemit.Butthiscomesatacost.Carbondioxideinseawaterincreasestheacidityoftheocean.
- Increasingaciditymakesitmoredifficultforanimalslikeoysters,mussels,&abalone(thingsweliketoeat!)tomaketheirprotec&veshells.
OceanAcidifica&on&Seafood
- Oystersandothershellfishareabigpartofourseafoodharvestandourcoastaleconomy.
- Thisprocessthreatensfoodonourtables,localcommuni&es,andfamiliesthatrelyonshellfishharvestfortheirlocaleconomies.
- Wepartnerwithsustainableaquaculturepartnerstounderstandwhatwillmakeshellfishmoreresilienttooceanacidifica&on.
- Wealsoworktounderstandhowcoastalvegetatedhabitats,likeseagrasses,mightmodifythechemistryofwaterduetophotosynthesis.Wedothisbymeasuringthechemistryofthewater,andbymeasuringthecarbondioxidethatisstoredintheenvironment.
Understandingtheimpactsandpoten&alsolu&onscanhelpusprotectseafoodthatweenjoyandsupportcoastaleconomies
21RadioProgram
IssueProblems?
Solutions?
So W
hat?Benefits?
Audience:
- TreesarenotevenlydistributedacrossthecityofDurham,NC.- Minorityandlow-incomecommuni&es,inpar&cular,havefewertrees.- Manyofthelegacytreesacrosstheareaaredying.- Durhamhasalimitedamountofmoneytoplantnewtrees.
Durham,NCTownPlanners&localcommunityadvocacygroups
Valueofgreenspaceandtreestocommuni&es.
- Withfewertrees,minorityandlowincomecommuni&esdispropor&onatelymissoutonthebenefitsthattreesandgreenspaceprovide.
- Treesrepresentawiseinvestmentforenhancinghumanhealthandqualityoflife,aSrac&ngresidentsandbusinessesthatcanincreasethetaxbase.
- Reduceair,water,andnoisepollu&on.
- Cooldownneighborhoodsandreducetheurbanheatislandeffect.
- Increasewildlifehabitat.- Contributetorespiratoryand
mentalhealthbenefits.- Improveaesthe&cvalues,vitality,
andsocialcohesionofneighborhoods.
Durhamshouldplanttreesstrategically:- Improvetreecoverageinunderservedneighborhoodswhile
avoidingareaswheretreesmaycontributetodecreasedsafety.- Plantalongroadwaysandnearhospitalsandschoolstobuffer
pollutantsandimproveaesthe&csandwalkability.- Usena&vespeciestoreplacedyingtreesandfornewplan&ngs.- Provideincen&vestodeveloperstoleavetreesinplace.
AnneNealeisaresearchscien&stattheU.S.EnvironmentalProtec&onAgency’sOfficeofResearchandDevelopment.SheistheProjectLeadforEnviroAtlas,anonline,openaccesstoolallowinguserstoview,analyze,anddownloadawealthofgeospa&aldataandotherresourcesrelatedtothebenefitshumansreceivefromnature.Thesedataprovideaframeworktoinformdecisionsandpoliciesatmul&plespa&alscales,educatearangeofaudiences,andsupplydataforresearch.AnnepreparedthisMessageBoxaspartofaCOMPASSworkshoptoillustratehowtheinforma&onmadeavailablethroughEnviroAtlas(inthiscase,abouttheloca&onoftreesincommuni&es)canbeusedtoenhancetangiblebenefitstocommuni&esandtheenvironmentontheground—includinginherlocalcommunityofDurham,NorthCarolina.ShegearedherMessageBoxtolocalplannerstohelpguidedecision-makingabouttreeplan&ngsinthecity.
22
IssueProblems?
Solutions?
So W
hat?Benefits?
Audience:
- Gravita&onalwaveswillprovidenewinsightintotheuniverse’smostextremeeventssuchasthecollisionoftwoblackholesandmayeventuallyenableusto
Universityfacultyandadministrators
Advanceourunderstandingoftheuniversethrough
gravita&onalwaveastronomy
- Gravita&onalwaveastronomyhasthepoten&altorevolu&onizeourunderstandingoftheuniverseasmuchasmodernelectromagne&castronomyhassincethe&meofGalileo.
- Anaggressiveobserva&onprogramwillletusknowwhatdrivesthemostenerge&ceventsintheuniverse.Themoreweknowaboutsucheventsthemoreweareabletoinferabouthowstarsareborn,howtheylive,andhowtheyul&matelydie.
ChadHannaisanAssistantProfessorofPhysicsatPennStateUniversitywhowaspreparingforhisfourth-yearreviewattheuniversity.Hisaudienceincludedfacultyinhisdepartmentandassociateddepartments,aswellasuniversityadministrators.Therefore,hisaudiencevariedinitstechnicalknowledgeofastrophysics.Chadwantedthesignificanceofhiscuing-edgebasicresearchtobeapparenttoallmembersofthereviewboard,whowillbeconsideringhimforpromo&onandtenure.HeusedhisMessageBoxtohelpcrajhisnarra&vewriteuptosubmittotheboardforitsevalua&onofhiscontribu&onstothefieldofastrophysics.AsthisWorkbookwenttoprint,Chadhadn'tyetreceivedthereviewboard'sfeedback.
23
- Althoughitmaybepossibletocorrelategravita&onalwavesandelectromagne&cwaves,itwillbechallengingbecauseitwillberarethatbothshowupstronglyatthesame&me.
- Manyastrophysicalphenomenasuchsupernovaandgammarayburstsarelikelytoemitgravita&onalwavesinaddi&ontoelectromagne&candpar&cleemission.
- Detec&nggravita&onalwavessimultaneouslywithelectromagne&candpar&cleemissionwouldletusconfirmmanymodernastrophysicstheories.
- Gravita&onalwavesarisefromoneofthemost
profoundtheoriesofmodernphysics-theideathatspaceand
&mearedynamicallychanging,firstproposedbyEinsteinover100years
agobutonlyrecentlyproven.- Gravita&onalwavesareinmanyways
analogoustosound.Withgravita&onalwaveobserva&ons,ouruniversefinallyhasasoundtrack!
“listen”allthewaybacktothebeginningoftheuniverse,whichisnotpossiblewithanyotherobserva&onaltools.
- Iden&fythesourceofgravita&onalwavestheinstanttheyarriveatearthinordertocatchtheassociatedelectromagne&ccounterpartsthatmayfadequicklyandtono&fyastronomerstofollowupgravita&onalwavesignals.
- Anaggressiveobserva&oncampaigntomaximizethechancesofobservingelectromagne&ceventsthatcoincidewithgravita&onalwaves.
- Decreasethedelaybetweendetec&ngandloca&nggravita&onalwavesfrom1minuteto1secondtocatchelectromagne&cemissionsthatmightfadequickly,andotherwisebeoverlooked.
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Section VI: Practice!Sure,itlooksgoodonpaper,buthowdoyouknowifitwillmakesensetoyouraudience?AtCOMPASS,wefindthatfeedbackfromothersisaninvaluabletoolforimprovingMessageBoxesandwemakethatanintegralpartofourtrainings.TestyourMessageBoxonotherswhoareunfamiliarwithyourwork.EvenbeIer,tryitoutonfriendsorcolleaguesoutsideyourareaofexperJse,orwhoaren’tscienJsts.
Dotheyunderstandandrememberyourmainpoints?Whatdidtheyfindconfusing(didyouinadvertentlyusejargon)?Diditresonatewiththem?Istheretoomuchdetail,confusingthemainmessage?Conversely,isitsogeneralthatitdoesn’tconveyanythingusefulorintriguing?IstheSoWhatappropriateforyourtargetaudience?
AgreatwaytogetfeedbackonyourMessageBoxistoformanon-sitestudygroupwithotherscienJsts.Groupsofthreetofivepeopleworkwell.GiveeachpersontwotothreeminutestopresenttheirMessageBox,andthenhavethegroupgiveconcrete,construcJvefeedbackforfiveminutesorso.Ifyouareinthesamefieldasothersinyourgroup,trytolistenasifyouwereunfamiliarwiththetopicsathand.ThenadjustyourMessageBoxonceagain,incorporaJngusefulfeedbackintoyourrevision.
Additional ResourcesIfyou’dliketoreadmoreaboutimprovingyourcommunicaJonskillsandengagingwithjournalists,policymakersandothers,checkoutaddiJonalresourcesontheCOMPASSwebsiteatwww.COMPASSscicomm.org.Youcanlearnaboutourmorein-depthbook,EscapefromtheIvoryTower:AGuidetoMakingYourScienceMa?er,byCOMPASS’DirectorofScienceOutreachNancyBaron(availablethroughIslandPressandotheroutlets)andfindlinkstoprimersandJpsforengagingwithpolicymakersortalkingtothemedia.YoucanalsocheckouttheCOMPASSblogatwww.compassscicomm.org/compassblog,wherewesharetools,resources,pracJcalJps,insightintoourwork,andstoriesofscienJstsengaging.
#Share on Social MediaToshareyourMessageBoxonTwiIer,usethe#COMPASSMessageBoxtag(followandtweetat@COMPASSscicommtomakesureweseeit).YoucanalsoshareyourMessageBoxonInstagramusing#COMPASSMessageBox.WelovetoseetheMessageBoxinacJon,andthiscanbeagreatwaytogetfeedbackfromyourcolleagues!
WehopethatthisintroducJontotheMessageBoxhashelpedyoutoshareyourimportantworkwiththewiderworld.Ifyouwantmorehelp,COMPASSofferscustomizedin-persontrainings,groundedinthelatestresearchinsciencecommunicaJonanddesignedtoempowerscienJststoidenJfyandaccomplishtheirpublicengagementgoals.Tolearnmore,visitourwebsiteatwww.COMPASSscicomm.orgoremailusatinfo@COMPASSscicomm.org.
WelookforwardtohearingyourstoriesofengagementandcommunicaJonasyouconJnuetorefineyourskills!
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Connect with COMPASS www.COMPASSscicomm.org
@COMPASSscicomm
About COMPASS and the Message Box
In1999COMPASS’founderssetouttoaddressthegapsbetweenscience,policy,andthepublicdiscourse. ScienAsts, they recognized,haveagreatdeal to contribute tosolvingsociety’smostpressingproblems,buttheyoEenneedhelpinlearninghowtoengage effecAvely. COMPASS empowers scienAsts to engage meaningfully in thepublicdiscourseanddecision-making.COMPASS’DirectorofScienceOutreachNancyBarondevelopedourversionoftheMessageBoxearlyon,buildingonothers’workandadding key components suchas idenAfying the “Sowhat?”of your science—acoredimensionofmakingyourworkrelevanttoyouraudience.Overtheyears,theMessageBoxhasremainedthefoundaAonofourcommunicaAontrainings.
TheMessageBoxWorkbookwasdevelopedthroughthegeneroussupportoftheRitaAllenFoundaAon.Weareexcitedtosharethisupdatedandexpandedversion,withexamplesofhowtheMessageBoxcanbeusedbeyondtheenvironmentalsciences.
ThisWorkbookand its illustraAonswere inspiredand informedbyEscape fromtheIvoryTower:AGuidetoMakingYourScienceMa?erbyNancyBaron,aswellasourcollecAveexperiencehelpingscienAststodevelopandrefinetheirMessageBoxesinour trainings and coaching. For addiAonal useful informaAon and context, weencourageyoutoreadthebookaswell.
TheMessageBoxWorkbookisprovidedfreeofchargeforpersonalandeducaAonaluse only. COMPASS retains intellectual rights to allmaterials; please contact us [email protected].
PleasecredittheMessageBoxWorkbookandanymaterialscreatedfromorinspiredby it: COMPASS Science CommunicaAon, Inc. (2017). The Message BoxWorkbook.h^ps://www.COMPASSscicomm.org/