BONUS EPISODE The National Center for Advancing Translational Science emphasizes the need for translational scientists to be skilled communicators with audiences across diverse social, cultural, economic and scientific backgrounds. If research findings are not shared with other academics, industry scientists, nonprofit organizations, governments, or directly to the people who could benefit from breakthroughs the most, the research just sits on a shelf. However, getting these findings to those that can benefit from them takes a team of individuals each with a different, but complementary, perspective on communication. Our team of expert communicators weigh in on the ups and downs, pros and cons of taking science public and impart some practical advice to those who want to become a voice for their community.
Dr. Katrine Wallace
Twitter @DrKatEpi
TikTok @epidemiologistkat
Jacqueline Carey
Twitter @JCareyUIC
Michael Wesbecher
Twitter @ThisIsUIC
And me, Lauren Rieger
Twitter @UIC_CCTS
If you would like to see your interdisciplinary team featured on the podcast, reach out to me at laurenw@uic.edu.
Interested in volunteering to participate in health research? Today’s researchers want to make sure that treatments and cures are designed for everyone’s unique needs. Are you ready to make a difference? Learn more at go.uic.edu/healthresearch.
The University of Illinois Chicago Center for Clinical and Translational Science is supported by the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, National Institutes of Health, through Grant UL1TR002003. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
0:00 Teaser Clip, Jackie Carey
I suppose I just want to set a level playing field that it's not a skill that comes naturally to most people. The need to practice- and to me- the need to think in advance about what things you want to say and anticipate some of the questions and get the information in advance is really helpful. I think that the more you can practice, the more you will become comfortable with that. I'm here to help, communicators around campus are here to help. People like Kat are here to help, if needed.
Voice Over (VO):
Welcome to Collaborative Endeavors, a podcast about how scientists from different areas of research come together to tackle big health challenges, leading to better therapies and healthier communities.
In this episode, we convene a panel of science communicators to talk about how their various roles support the way research is shared. The National Center for Advancing Translational Science emphasizes the need for translational scientists to be skilled communicators with audiences across diverse social, cultural, economic and scientific backgrounds. If research findings are not shared with other academics, industry scientists, nonprofit organizations, governments, or directly to the people who could benefit from breakthroughs the most, the research just sits on a shelf. However, getting these findings to those that can benefit from them takes a team of individuals each with a different, but complementary, perspective on communication. Our team of expert communicators weigh in on the ups and downs, pros and cons of taking science public and impart some practical advice to those who want to become a voice for their community.
To kickstart the conversation, I asked each communicator about their priorities and unique mindset when it comes to sharing information within the campus community as well as the public. We start with Michael Wesbecher, director of communications and events in the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs.
Michael Wesbecher:
When I think about this, especially for executive leadership, I think it comes back to a basic question that all communicators really think about, and that is what is your audience? And one thing that I often encounter is thinking about that internal audience and the external audience, and what those expectations are. Ultimately, I think everyone wants to know about impact, whether you're trying to position this to elected official, to a board member or to the layperson. I think people want to know- What does this mean for me? What does this mean for my community? And I think at any point you can enter into that conversation thinking about impact. But then you get into the details about what is the platform? What is the the way that this is going to be best received for executive leadership? Sometimes you just have to target those thought makers and make sure that it gets in front of them whether or not you're establishing that platform yourself, or whether it's like a newsletter, a website, or whatever.
I'm also thinking about two different kinds of priorities. I would say one is just getting the information out there, knowing- what is that baseline information that we want people to take away? Is it a research finding? Is it some sort of community impact, a health care delivery service, a new service. What is the key information you want to take away? But the other thing that I often am very mindful about- especially for internal audiences, especially for executive leadership- is that recognition. A lot of the time that I am thinking about the communication goals and priorities, it's often that reputation and credibility management as an organization, and I'm thinking about this more of an aggregate of the many different experts, the many different subject matter experts that are part of our UIC and UI Health community. What we hope to do as an organization is really harness that collective expertise and harness that collective knowledge and innovation to have this kind of broader approach and broader impact that's greater than any one individual. So I often want to make sure that not only are we getting that recognition out into the public, but also is that feedback loop coming back to us as an organization so we get a little bit of validation that we are getting recognition in the marketplace? I think that two-way street is often incredibly important, not only for morale- because we want our researchers and our faculty to feel like they are making a difference- but it's important for us to showcase that so that we can continue to springboard to greater collaborations and greater impact. So it's all part of this cycle, I think.
VO:
Representing the perspective of UIC’s Office of Strategic Marketing and Communications is Jacqueline Carey, director of health sciences and research communications.
Jackie Carey
I think that in the grand scheme of translational research there are lots of audiences and lots of opportunities to communicate in different ways about what you're doing. I think that for researchers to understand what their communication goal is and what the audience is for that goal at any particular stage in research is really important. For example, if someone is trying to gain funding for research, I think that there are different goals than when somebody has a research finding, and would like to share that broadly with a certain type of patient. So I think, along with the spectrum of research and communication, it should always be a conversation about what's the goal? And what's the audience? And how do we sort of bridge that. For me, I work in the Public Relations Office of a major research institution in Chicago. So my priority is trying to connect our researchers or our faculty or our staff, our students, or whoever that is, with news media so that we have an opportunity to sort of get that broad reach and that consumer-angled story, if you will. I think that the most critical thing for perhaps researchers and faculty and staff- whoever it is- is to understand is that there is really a number of things that go into a good story. We have to have a media ready spokesperson. We have to have something to say about a topic and hopefully positive things to say, and positive examples of what we've been doing as an institution or as a research team. And I think that we also need to keep in mind that there is a very strong timeliness to news stories that we have to both react to and sort of pay attention to. So I think that for researchers who are looking to share their story through news media, there's a couple of things that are sometimes areas that we need to work through first. You know, I understand that you want to talk about your research, but is now a good time to talk about your research? I think that we can use examples of natural disasters or pandemics. There are moments in time where it is very salient for news media to talk about- What are the health effects of climate change, or what are the health effects of exposure to a chemical in the environment? And I think that for a long time we've been in the COVID19 pandemic world, where all stories are all COVID all the time. But you know that is time bound as well.
As researchers are thinking about this component for news media, and communicating through news media, and what makes a good news story, there's all these avenues that we have to talk about. I think that there's opportunities for everything, but we're really kind of looking at that trifecta of things. Are you ready as a spokesperson? Do we have something powerful to say that can be translated in just a few sound bites? And is it a good time for news media to tell this story as well? And I think that oftentimes there can be disappointment if all of those things don't come together when somebody wants it to. But the journey is long, and opportunities will come in the future, and we can learn from past opportunities. So I think, to just keep in mind that there's lots that we can do to prepare, and that we're really sort of on a journey together throughout these various stages of research and storytelling through news media.
VO:
Rounding out our expert panel is Dr. Katrine Wallace. Dr. Wallace - AKA Dr. Kat on TikTok- is an adjunct assistant professor in the department of epidemiology and biostatistics at UIC’s School of Public Health. In addition to her many years of experience in epidemiology, health economics, research design and biostatistics, Dr. Wallace is an experienced science communicator who has a very large social media following and has been interviewed and profiled in several mainstream media outlets such as BBC World News, MSNBC, CNN, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Bloomberg and National Public Radio.
Katrine Wallace:
It's really important to figure out how to translate your research in a way that does get picked up by different outlets, because you can post something on social media and maybe nobody will like it or share it. You’ve got to try to figure out a way to make your research kind of usable by the general public. It's difficult because we are trained as scientists to be very niche and very expert in one particular thing, and that one particular thing may not be completely translatable to a wide audience, right? So it's a little bit harder. So I think if we're talking about connecting people on campus, some of these cross-campus kind of things that your department does to, you know, publicize what people are doing really helps. Because, for example, when I did that presentation for the School of Public Health Alumni Association, I had other people from around the campus contacting me that are also interested in misinformation. But they didn't know who I was otherwise, because they don't follow me on social media, so that was helpful from a UIC campus perspective.
VO:
Sharing research- or other scientific information- with the community is not for the faint of heart. As nerve wracking as it can be to publish a post or go on camera, the majority of the heavy lifting is done behind the scenes. Katrine, Jackie and Michael share some of the communication challenges they frequently encounter and provide advice on how to overcome them.
Katrine
I think it's really important, as Michael was saying, to figure out the goals for what you're trying to accomplish. With me when I started science communication, I had always just been a professor in a classroom and somebody writing academic papers. I was never a science communicator on anything news, social media. Except for at the beginning of this pandemic, I saw a lot of misinformation about COVID, and my goal was to correct the misinformation, and that was it. I didn't have any kind of pie-in-the-sky ideas of where that was going. My goal was just to get correct information that was evidence based out in the same spaces where the misinformation was also existing. I think because I was doing that, media outlets could see that I could articulate complex topics in a very boiled down sort of straightforward way, and that sort of paid off because they didn't need to vet me or they could just ask me to come on CBS 2 because they could see I could already do it. I think if people are interested in doing commentary on the media or things like that, I think social media is a good way for people to be able to see you. It's almost like having a reel, you know. You can see what the person is capable of before actually taking a chance on them.
Otherwise, I worked with Jackie. We started working together back in January because somebody contacted her wanting me to do something. That was really helpful because she and I sat down and we kind of talked through what am I supposed to even do on these shows? What I was starting to do is just write down, again, the goals of what I'm trying to do. What is the goal of this interview? Don't let the person who is conducting the interview take you off the path of whatever your goal is. If my goal is to say three things, I have my three bullet points and I have them stuck to the side of my computer screen. And if they ask me a left field question, I steer myself back to those points, even if it's weird, because that is what I'm doing here, right?
Reporters are not your buddy, no matter how great. Even if you're having a great conversation with a reporter, do not overshare. Just stick to your goals. Stick to your points because I've definitely done that, and it doesn't end up going well for anybody. Another thing is, if you do get asked to do either a podcast or an interview, or something else where somebody is kind of controlling the narrative, make sure you get as much information beforehand as possible on what you're supposed to be talking about so that you know what to prepare. When people send me an email- can you please come on at 9 am to talk about the latest news on COVID? I'm like, what does that even mean? There's so many things! And then I've got post-its all over the place with all the latest everything, and you don't end up covering half of that. So it's good to get as much information as you possibly can, and have again goals for what you're trying to accomplish, whether it's me doing a video on TikTok or a series of slides on Instagram. I have a reason why I'm doing it, and that's it. And no fluff information.
Jackie
One thing that everyone should know is that the people that you see on TV or on the radio really do make it look easy and it's not. It's a skill that you have to practice. And you can be the smartest in your field, you can be very articulate in meetings, and that's not the same skill as talking with a news reporter. I’m fortunate because I talk with researchers about this, but I myself never had to go on TV. So it's easy for me to say- these are the things that you should do, and these are the best practices for a TV news interview or a radio interview or a print interview, whatever it is.
But I suppose I just want to set a level playing field that it's not a skill that comes naturally to most people. The need to practice- and to me- the need to think in advance about what things you want to say and anticipate some of the questions and get the information in advance is really helpful. I think that the more you can practice, the more you will become comfortable with that. I'm here to help, communicators around campus are here to help. People like Kat are here to help, if needed.
I would also say there are a couple of things that researchers and faculty will commonly ask. Will I be able to review the story in advance? Questions like that that. I can share from many years of experience that no, it is very unlikely that you will get to review anything in advance. I think that there's some learning that we can all share in to understand how media works so that we're more effective. That way, the likelihood of being misquoted, or the likelihood that you're going to be disappointed if you don't review the story in advance, is sort of dealt with upfront.
Michael
I think the other thing that I would just echo from what Jackie and Kat have said is that there's a lot that goes behind the scenes for that like one or two minutes, maybe a most or thirty second clip that's out there. There's a lot of preparation so that we can be aware of not only the connection to the organization, but is there any risk presented, too? What is the risk that that is presenting to the organization? And sometimes maybe we are trying to frame that discussion in a little bit more pointed way, or just knowing who is the right person to be talking about this, because maybe the person that was approached might not be the right figure head for that topic or for the institution. There is usually a lot of calculus that goes behind any good communicator when they're figuring out what they want to do. But I think it ensures that everyone is also on the same page. And I think as people go out representing the organization, or just representing their professional findings, understanding that as part of your goals is also incredibly important.
VO:
In the world of smart phones and fast news, we tend to default to social media and news networks as the primary mechanism to tell stories. And while each of these outlets has their benefits, there are definite perks to sharing stories internally as well. Jackie and Michael weigh in.
Jackie
For me, it reinforces the importance of various channels of communication and talking to different audiences, because we could have the most amazing story in the world, and only get thirty seconds on TV news or a quote in a print article. But when we tell our own stories, whether it's through our website or a magazine or a newsletter, we have a lot more opportunity to dive deep, sometimes share what the impact is of that story, or the many different areas that story might touch on. It is very rare for there to be a traditional news media story with a headline of “UIC is Amazing,” for example, or “UIC has done so many things to solve XYZ problem.” That's just not how news media work. They strive to be unbiased and very fair and represent different views. We do have so many channels to tell stories that give us an opportunity to do so in more detail. I think that there can be a prestige about news media stories, and certainly I think that there's a benefit to news media stories- that's why I work in the field that I work in. That's what I do, I love it. I see the value in those. But that doesn't mean that an internal story isn't equally valuable in a different way.
Michael
As a primary responsibility of being an internal communicator, we do have a little bit of a luxury where we give our internal audience and our internal sources a little bit more connection and approvals for those stories. We mentioned that the public media is not going to give you a second look once you've given them a quote. But if we're developing something for an internal publication for an internal story, there is a lot more connection to the subjects on that to say, “Hey, we wanted to make sure that this is an accurate quote from you. Is the scientific information that is presented here accurate?”
As we're thinking about multi-channels. One thing that I've encountered so many times is the exhaustion that people often feel about sharing their stories, and they think maybe it doesn't happen too often. Maybe this is a luxury to have, but sometimes we end up going back to the same people. I think about myself as someone that consumes a lot of information just like anyone does, and nobody really ingests something just from hearing it one time. We have to make sure that we are consistent with our message time and time again. And quite frankly if I hear people internally saying, I’m getting sick of saying this, or I’m sick of seeing this brand or this identity or this thing, I say- that's good. That means that it's starting to work, and other people are starting to hear it, because it's my best practice that if you are feeling that you've said this for too long, and that people are getting sick of hearing it, that means that they're just starting to hear it. You probably need to keep going a little bit further a little bit longer, so that people can really start to digest and really feel like they're taking away the message and goals that you're hoping to achieve from that interaction.
Jackie
I feel like we have all, at one point or another felt the stress of having to do something with fewer resources than we wanted, and I think that a willingness to sort of start small and build incrementally can be really helpful when it comes to communication. We were talking earlier about how not everything is a national news story, but I do see a lot of national news stories that get picked up from local stories. You don't want to underestimate the power of your story, and just because you think that it has a lot of value doesn't mean you shouldn't start local sometimes. That's the best way to actually build a story into a national news story by working with the local affiliates, doing a little bit of a deeper dive, and letting that story sort of grow on its own. In the public research university environment, I suppose I don't want to stop people from dreaming big or imagining big impact, but also to not underestimate the value of starting small when it comes to communication. A really powerful profile, a really powerful local news story can grow its impact.
VO:
Viewing yourself as a subject matter expert is something that, ironically, is often a rarity in academia. From imposter syndrome to self-criticism, we frequently see humility limit the confidence of our faculty and staff when it comes to talking to audiences outside of their field. But sharing our expertise not only helps build the university’s reputation, it demonstrate our value at the local, state and national level. It helps bring researchers from different disciplines together so they can envision new collaborations and innovative approaches to complex problems. And perhaps most importantly, it is often how members of our community first learn about the ways scientists are trying to make the world a better place.
Katrine
I think what holds a lot of us back as faculty members is impostor syndrome. What's really important for us to all remember is that we are experts, and that we as academics and as scientists, we are kind of trained to critically evaluate everything, which means we do that to ourselves, and it's really, really hard sometimes to overcome this. It's really hard not to critique yourself, because that's what we do in our discipline all the time. We're always revising. We're always redoing. We're saying, “well, that study didn't go well, so let's do this differently this next time.” And so it's really hard not to be hard on yourself, because the more you know about a topic, the more hard on yourself you are. It's really easy for somebody who watches a YouTube video to criticize me when I’m talking about vaccines or something, because they feel very empowered from watching this one video, and they don't know what they don't know, right? As scientists, we do know what we don't know, and that's a lot a lot of the time. It’s really hard sometimes to think of ourselves as experts, because we know there's a lot still to learn about everything. But we are experts, and that's why we're in these jobs, and that's why we do research, and that's why we have the degrees that we have. I think it's important for communicators to understand that as long as we're talking about something that we know about, you just need to kind of move past this voice in your head that's saying like, “why are they asking me to do this? Why am I the person that's on this show? Because they're asking you. Because you're an expert. That's why. And it's something that I battle with all the time, which is why I talk about it all the time. Because I think it holds a lot of academics back.
Jackie
There is something to be said for owning your expertise and being willing to share that with the world. That is difficult, especially when imposter syndrome is at play. Especially when busy schedules are at play and priorities and stress. But I would say, too, that you can always, when opportunities arise, take the moment to talk with the communicator, or talk with the reporter and say, “you know, here's where I think I can really add value,” so that you are protecting yourself from maybe being asked questions about things that are out of your field of expertise. But really demonstrating where you can have valuable input for that. It's absolutely okay to have those conversations upfront and say, tell me more about your story. Here's where I think I can really contribute. If you're looking for something that's three blocks away from what I can talk about, maybe I can help you find somebody else. There is a way to own your field and own your expertise while still protecting yourself. I think that everyone should know that, and feel very comfortable having those conversations, if they're needed.
The university that we work in is complex. The research that we do is complex and all the intricacies of those things are. But I feel like I kind of come back to the same thing all the time, it's a willingness to keep each other in the loop. I can only be as helpful to the faculty at UIC, to research staff, to students or patients, whatever that is, as far as I know what's happening. I certainly can't pitch a reporter a story about you if I don't even know that that thing is happening at UIC. So I think that there is something to be said for just chiming in and sharing and taking a minute to let somebody know what you're working on in case it becomes of value, especially if you're interested in sharing those things. As communicators, we certainly never shy away from more information. Anything that we can get from each other that adds context, or more information, or more data or more stats, just makes us all more effective at doing our jobs. So that willingness to work together and learn about what each other needs and what would be of interest to each other can be really helpful.
Michael
I'm always looking for more information, more stories, more points of pride for us as an organization and points of impact. Just because your- or anyone's- story is not picked up by NPR or NBC National News doesn't mean that there isn’t an audience and a niche for it. Because there is an audience and niche for everyone. Whether it's peer colleagues that are at other institutions in your specialty or if it's other collaborators on campus, there is someone out there that that does care and communicators across campus and other colleagues like Kat can help anyone to really navigate that path and find it. Just because it's not on a national network that has millions and millions of views doesn't mean that you can’t still have great impact by talking to the right people on the right channels.
VO:
Collaborative Endeavors is produced by me, Lauren Rieger, on behalf of the Center for Clinical and Translational Science (AKA the CCTS) at the University of Illinois Chicago.
To learn more about the research coming out of the University of Illinois Chicago, visit the links in our shown notes.
The CCTS is supported by the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Advancing Translational Science through their Clinical and Translational Science Award. Opinions expressed by guests of the show are their own and do not necessarily represent the views of myself, the CCTS or our funding agencies.
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