<
https://theconversation.com/fact-bombing-by-experts-doesnt-change-hearts-and-minds-but-good-science-communication-can-218030>
"A stir went through the Australian science communication community last week,
caused by an article with the headline
Science communicators need to stop
telling everybody the universe is a meaningless void. In meetings and online
back channels we cried “not ALL science communicators!”
As experts in science communication, we think the article got a few things
right but also that this isn’t the whole story. As science communication
researchers have recognised for decades, some people who communicate science
don’t really take their audiences into account. Instead they rely on the
“deficit model”, which wrongly suggests you can change people’s beliefs and
behaviours simply by giving them facts to fill perceived gaps in their
knowledge.
However, this isn’t the norm. Science communicators are not evangelists for the
science-only worldview of scientism. Many science communicators think very
deeply about what values matter to people, and how to reach their audiences.
Good science communicators put a lot of work into understanding audiences.
Sometimes we undertake research programs to understand attitudes, values and
worldviews so we can communicate empathetically with audiences, not just
transmit information. Yet much of this work is invisible to the public – and
clearly it isn’t widely recognised."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
