The Message Box Workbook

Communicating Your Science Effectively

Problems?

Solutions?

So W

hat?Benefits?

Issue

beta version

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 Message Memorable ……

Section V: Using the Message Box …………………..

Section VI: Practice! ……………………………………..

Appendix: Blank Message Boxes

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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,ourtoolsapplytocommunica=nganydiscipline.

Makingyourresearchaccessibleandmeaningfultonon-scien=ststakeseffort,butnooneisbeIerequippedtodoitthanyouare.Yourpassion,experience,andexper=seareuniquetoyou,andpolicymakers,managers,journalistsandsocietywanttohearfromyou.Wehopethatthisworkbookwillhelpyoubuildstrongcommunica=onskills,achievemeaningfulengagement,andar=culatemessagesthatwillresonatewithyouraudiences.

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1Cowan,N.2010.TheMagicalMysteryFour:HowisWorkingMemoryCapacityLimited,andWhy?

CurrDirPsycholSci.February1;19(1):51-57.2NaQonalAcademiesofSciences,Engineering,andMedicine.2016.CommunicaQngScienceEffecQvely:

AResearchAgenda.Washington,DC:TheNaQonalAcademiesPress.doi:10.17226/23674.

Section II: What is the Message Box?TheMessageBoxisatooltohelpyousi]throughthemountainofinformaQonyouholdinyourheadabout

yourworkandidenQfytheessenQalnuggetsforyourchosenaudience.Wehavedesignedittobeflexible,

sothatitcanapplytoawidevarietyofcommunicaQonpurposesandaudiences.Andwe’vebaseditonthe

bestscienQficunderstandingofhowtocommunicateeffecQvely.Beforeyoubeginworkingonyourown

MessageBox,it’shelpfultounderstandafewkeyprinciplesofsciencecommunicaQon.

First,youraudience—whetherajournalist,apolicymaker,aroomofcolleaguesataprofessionalmeeQng,or

aclassofsecond-graders—doesn’thavedeepknowledgeofyoursubjectmacer.Butthatdoesn’tmeanyou

shouldexplaineverythingyouknowinafirehoseofinformaQon.Infact,cogniQveresearchtellsusthatthe

humanbraincanonlyabsorbthreetofivepiecesofinformaQonataQme.1Rather,yourgoalasaneffecQve

communicatoristoidenQfytheinformaQonthatiscriQcaltoyouraudience–whatinformaQonreallymacers

tothem—andsharethat.EffecQvecommunicaQonislessaboutexpoundingonalltheexciQngdetailsthat

youmightwanttoconvey,andmoreaboutknowingyouraudienceandprovidingthemwithwhattheyneed

orwanttoknowfromyou.

Second,manyscienQstsbelievethatiftheysimplysharewhattheyknowwithnonscienQsts,they’llconvince

themtochangetheirviews,includingonissuessuchasclimatechange,vaccinaQon,orothertopics.But

researchinthefieldofsciencecommunicaQondemonstratesthatsimplysharingmorescienQficinformaQon

doesn’tchangeminds,aftudes,orbehaviors.Instead,peopleinterpretinformaQonthroughthelensof

theirownvaluesandculturalidenQQes,andwillrejectinformaQonthattheyfeelisthreateningtothose

values.2Inthisworkbook,we’lldiscusshowtoframeyourmessagesinwaysthatwillresonatewithyour

chosenaudience.

Third,effecQvesciencecommunicaQonrequiresrecognizingthedifferencesbetweenhowscienQsts

tradiQonallyhavebeentaughttocommunicate,andhowtherestoftheworldcommunicates.Infact,

scienQficpapersandpresentaQonsgenerallyfollowadifferentformatthanmostothertypesof

communicaQon.InascienQficpaper,youestablishcredibilityintheintroducQonandmethods,provide

detaileddatainresults,andthensharethesignificanceofyourworkinthediscussionandconclusions.But

therestoftheworldleadswiththeconclusions,becausethat’swhatpeoplewanttoknow.Whyisthis

relevanttothem?Sharingthatfirst,andcomingbacktoitagainlater,willhelpyouraudienceremember

yourbocomline.

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).

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SohowdoestheMessageBoxwork?TheMessageBoxconsistsoffivesecQonstohelpyousortanddisQllyourknowledgeinawaythatworksforyouraudience.

“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

Issue

Problems?

Solutions?So

Wha

t?

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: alberto.lindner@duke.eduODepartment of Zoology, NMNH, Smithsonian Institution, PO Box 37012,W-329, MRC-0163,Washington, DC, 20013-7012, USA.

E-mail: Cairns.Stephen@NMNH.SI.EDU. PSmithsonianTropical Research Institute, Box 2072, Balboa, Panama.E-mail: guzmanh@naos.si.edu. $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.

We’llwalkthrougheachsecQonoftheboxbelow,usingaMessageBoxdevelopedduringourtrainingandcoachingofbiologistKathyZeller.A]erdiscussingeachsecQonofKathy’sMessageBox,we’llthenshareexamplesofMessageBoxespreparedbyotherscienQstswe’veworkedwith.

Andfourth,alwaysavoidjargon.Jargonisprecise,buttothoseoutsideofyourdiscipline,itmightaswellbeaforeignlanguage.Jargongetsinthewayandexcludespeoplefromyourmeaning.Evenifyoutrytodefinekeytermsthroughoutyourdiscussion,you’llquicklyexceedthethreetofivepiecesofinformaQonyouraudiencecanreadilygraspataQme.Then,everyQmeyourepeattheterms,youraudiencewillbeseveralstepsbehindyou,tryingtotranslateunfamiliarwords,ratherthanfocusedonthemessageyouwanttoconvey.

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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.Whoareyoutryingtocommunicatewith,andwhy?AndwhymighttheyneedthatinformaQon?Isitjournalistswhocanraisepublicawarenessandsetpolicyagendas?IsitpolicymakerswhowouldbenefitfromyourexperQse?IsitconcernedciQzenswonderingaboutimpactsontheircommuniQes,orconsumerstryingtomakeinformedchoices?Whatdotheycareabout?

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!

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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.

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Asyoucansee,Kathy’sIni$alMessageBoxhasalotofdetail.ButworkingonherMessageBoxprompted

hertoiden:fykeyinforma:onfromthescien:ficliteraturethatsherealizedtheCongressmanwouldbe

interestedin,suchastheamountofhabitatlosteachyearandthecostsassociatedwithinac:on.Shegot

thestaff’sa?en:on,andthatfirstmee:ngledtoalotoffollow-upcommunica:onwiththe

Congressman’soffice.TheyaskedKathyforaddi:onalinforma:on,suchasasummaryofconserva:on

benefitsbasedoncurrentscien:ficunderstanding.Sheworkedtoframehermaterialinwaysthatwould

resonatewiththeCongressman’scons:tuentsbyincludinginforma:onrelevanttotheAppalachianTrail

thatrunsthroughVirginia’sBlueRidgeMountains.

IssueProblems?

Solutions?

So W

hat?

Benefits?

StaffersinRep.Beyer’sofficeAudience:

- Theoldparadigmofwildlifeconserva:on-whereprotectedareasareestablishedandwildlifeisconsidered‘conserved’-failstoadequately

protectmanyspecies-wehavethetoolstofixthisissue

- Underthespecterofcon:nuedlandcoverchanges,themaintenanceofbiodiversityandecologicalprocesseswilldependon

rigorouslydefinedprotectedarea/corridornetworksatregionalandcon:nentalscales

- Thisisespeciallytrueunderachangingclimate.IthasbeenshownthatwildlifeareshiLing

theirrangesatarate3xpreviouslythought(11milesfurtherN.everydecade=equivalentto

theworld’sanimalsslowlyshiLing20cmnortheveryhourtoescapewarmerweather)- Bynotaccoun:ngforconnec:vity

betweenprotectedareas,many

speciesofwildlifewillbecome

endangered-addingtoanalready

overburdenedESA/USFWSand

makingtheESAevenmore

conten:ousthanitalreadyis

- Forexample,mydisserta:onworkisfocusedon

mountainlionsinsouthernCalifornia.Thisisoneofthe

mostpopulatedareasinthecountrywithaprojected

humanpopula:onof40millionpeopleby2050.

Mountainlionsherearegelnghammeredbyroads

andhumandevelopment.Infact,mypopula:onisone

ofthemostisolatedintheUSandisshowingtroubling

signsofinbreeding.Wearescramblingtoiden:fyand

restoreconnec:onstothispopula:on,when,ifsome

forethoughtandplanningwasdoneasdevelopment

wasincreasing,thissitua:oncouldhavebeenavoided.

Thisisoneexampleofonepopula:onandonespecies,

justmul:plythisacrossthecountryand#ofspecies

andyoucanstarttoseewhataproblemthiscan

become.Andhowavisionarycorridorsplanatthe

na:onallevelwouldbekey.Healthypopula:onsless

likelytogetintoconflictwithpeople

- Anotherexamplethatmayhitclosertohome-our

kitchensandhumanhealthisofpollinatorspecies.By

notprovidingconnec:vityforthesespeciesitcan

hinderthemaintenanceofwildplantdiversity,narrow

ecosystemstability,andreducecropproduc:on.

Pollinatorscontributemorethan24billion$$tothe

USeconomy.Ithasbeenshownthatprovidingjustone

stripofpollinatorvegeta:oncanpromotetheir

movementbetweencropsandfosterpollina:on.

- Asingle,na:onalplaoormtoassessnaturalareas,wildlife

connec:vity,andecosystemhealthacrossthena:on

- Iden:fyingcorridorsinana:onalcontextandhavinglegisla:onin

placethatwillhelpto:

1. iden:fycorridorsinana:onalcontextregardlessofpoli:cal

boundariesorjurisdic:ons

2. designatelandsasa“corridor”

3. projectandmanagelandsascorridors

- Areviewof25yearsofpeer-reviewedar:clesrevealedthatthemost

frequentrecommenda:onforprotec:ngbiodiversityisimproved

connec:vitytoensurespeciescanmoveandadaptinresponseto

climate-inducedchanges.

- Currently,landisbeinglostatarateof2

millionacres/year-largerthanRI+DE-

helpusstemthe:deoframpant,

thoughtlessdevelopmentandmake

developmentandspeciesconserva:ongo

handinhand

- Beingmoreeffec:veatwildlifeconserva:on

preservesournaturalheritageandwillonly

increasethe$145billioninrevenuethat

comesfromhun:ng,fishing,andwildlife

viewing.

- Preventcostlyprocessoflis:ngspeciesand

designa:ngcri:calhabitat.Reduces

poten:alconflictbetweenlandownersand

gov’t,betweenwildlifeandlandowners.

Increasesgovernmentalefficiency.

- Bringsgov’tinto21stcenturyofwildlife

conserva:onbybeingproac:ve,providing

corridors,andhelpingspeciesinthefaceof

climatechange

Importanceofwildlife

corridors

Biologist Kathy Zeller’s Initial Message Box

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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.

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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.

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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 effect 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).

Wheneveryoucan,understandyouraudienceasdeeplyaspossible.Thiscanbechallenging,andtherearesocialscien8stswhodevotetheircareerstothistopic.Butaskingyourselfafewkeyques8onscanhelp.Forexample:Whatoutletsdoesthejournalistwriteforandwhatangledoesshetypicallytake?Isthepolicymakeranelectedofficialwhoanswerstocons8tuents,oranagencyofficialwhomustrespondtospecificlegisla8vemandates?Whatisthefocusormissionofthisorganiza8onoragency?Whatculturalissuesdoyouneedtoconsiderwhenaddressingcommuni8esandconcernedci8zens?Everyaudienceinterpretsinforma8onthroughtheirownlens.Understandingthatlenswillhelpyouframeyourmessageaseffec8velyaspossible,sothatyouraudiencetotakeshomethemessageyouwanttoconvey.

�13

Remember,communica8onisatwo-waystreet.

It’snotaboutperfec8ngamonologue.Effec8ve

communica8onrequireslisteningtoyouraudience,

understandingtheirconcernsandhavinga

conversa8on.Aconversa8oncanhelpyoudiscern

theSoWhatthatma\ersmosttothemandframe

yourmessageinawaythatwillresonatewith

them.Insomecases,thoseconversa8onscan

shapetheresearchques8onsyouchoosetoask

downtheroad.

FAQ for So What? CanIincludemorethanonereasontocareinmySoWhat?Yes.Justbesuretokeepeachexamplesuccinct,andremembertos8cktothreetofive

ideastotal.HowcanIbesuremyaudiencewillcareaboutmywork?

Dosomeresearchonyouraudiencetogaininsightonwhataspectsofyourworkwillbe

relevanttothem.Butit’shelpfultorememberthatmostaudienceswillnotbeas

interestedinthescien8ficortheore8calaspectsofyourwork,andcertainlynotthe

detailsandnuances.Theytypicallyaremoreinterestedintheprac8caloremo8onal

aspects.Considerhowyourworkcanaffecttheirlives—ifnotnow,theninthefuture—

andhowyoumightappealtotheirheartsaswellastheirminds.Sharingyourown

passionforyourwork,andwhyyoucare,canoaenhelpyoureachothers.

IsitokayifmySoWhatrelatestobasicresearch?Ifyouraudienceisotherscien8sts,andaddingtothescien8ficfounda8onsofyourfield

istheprimaryrelevanceofyourwork,thencertainly.Ifyouraudienceisnon-scien8sts,

thenconsiderwhataspectsofyourworkmightresonatewiththem.Thoseaspects

mightincludesomeoftheprac8calapplica8onsofyourworkthatcouldemergeinthe

future.OritmightaddresshowincreasingourunderstandingofXcouldleadtobe\er

understandingofY—assumingthatYissomethingthatresonateswithyouraudience.

Alterna8vely,youmightemphasizetheawe-factorofyourwork,what’snewaboutit,or

howitchangesourunderstandingoftheworld.Doyouhaveadiscoverytosharethat

wouldbeamazingandinherentlyinteres8ngtoanaudienceofnon-scien8sts?Be

carefulhere.Dependingonthesubjectarea,manyscien8ficdiscoveriesontheirown

aren’tinherentlyexci8ngtonon-scien8sts.

Reminder! There are more examples of the MB in use at the end of this workbook!

“It takes a great man to be a good listener.”

- Calvin Coolidge, 30th President of the United States

InKathy’sIni$alSoWhatsheincludesalotofdetail,suchassta8s8csonhumanpopula8ongrowthin

oneregionofthecountry,inbreedinginmountainlions,theissueoflanduseplanning,avarietyof

impactsonpollinators,andsomeacronymsthatheraudiencemightnotunderstand.Theessenceofwhy

heraudienceshouldcarecangetlostinthedetails.InherRefinedSoWhat,Kathymakestwomain

points:thatwildlifeareimportantandthattheirsurvivaldependsontheirabilitytomoveacross

landscapes.Indiscussingwhywildlifeareimportant,sheframeshermessageinawaythatincludesa

diverserangeofvaluesthatmembersofCongressandtheircons8tuentsmightcareabout,including

economic,recrea8onal,aesthe8candspiritual.

“It takes two to speak the truth—one to speak and another to hear.”

- Henry David Thoreau, Naturalist and Writer

�14

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%ngforpolicychanges?Whetheryouwanttoadvocateforapar*cularsolu*onorcourseofac*onisapersonalchoice.Insomefields,advoca*ngforapar*cularposi*oniscommonprac*ce.Inothers,itraisesfearsaboutunderminingscien*ficobjec*vityandcredibility.Whethertoadvocateforapolicysolu*ondependsontheaudience,yourprofessionalrole,andthecontextinwhichyou’represen*ngyourinforma*on.Haveyoubeenaskedbydecision-makerstoshareyourprofessionaljudgment?Arespecificpolicysolu*onscri*caltosolvingtheproblem?Howimportantistheprobleminyouropinion?

Kathychosetoadvocateforna*onallegisla*onbecausesheconsideredthatsolu*onnecessarytosolvetheproblem.Butmanyproblemscanbeaddressedinwaysthatdon’tinvolvechangesinpublicpolicy.WordchoicecanmaWerhereaswell:Withoutsayingthatonepar*cularac*on"should"betaken,youcanevaluateop*onsanduseif/thenstatementstodescribethelikelyconsequencesofagivenac*on,forexample,"Ifthisac*onistaken,thenthisoutcomemightbeexpected.”Thishelpsexpandtherangeofpossiblesolu*onsfordecision-makerstoconsider.

�15

FAQ for The Solution? WhatiftheonlySolu%onthatIcanthinkofissimplymoreresearch?Thesolu*oninsomecasesmightsimplybetoobtainagreaterunderstandingofX,Y,orZ.Butinmanycases,havingthisasyouronlySolu%onisanindica*onthattheProblemstatementortheSoWhatneedsfurtherdis*lla*on.Considerwhethereither(orboth)ofthesesec*onsaretooin-the-weedsofyourscien*ficdiscipline,andaren’tframedastopicsthatmaWerinpeople’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.

�16

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.

�17

General Message Box FAQ

HowlongdopeopletypicallyspendcraDingtheirMessageBoxes?

Itvaries.CraUinganeffec,veMessageBoxisanitera,veprocess.Youmightstartbypu[ngdownonpaperthethreetofivepiecesofinforma,onthatyouthinkaremostimportantineachsec,on,andthenreviselateraUertalkingwithrepresenta,vesofyourintendedaudience.Oryoumightstartbygatheringinforma,onaboutpoten,alaudiencesandcarefullycraUingyourwordstoaddresstheirinterestsandvalues.Eachperson’sexperienceisuniqueandmightchangedependingonhowcontroversialtheissueis,theaudiencetheywanttoaddress,andwhattheyhopetoaccomplishbycommunica,ngtheirscience.

? HowdoIknowwhenmyMessageBoxisdone?AMessageBoxdoesn’treallyevergetfinished;itjustkeepsevolvingtosuityourneeds.TheMessageBoxprinciplesareeasy,butittakes,metodevelopmessagesthatwillworkforyouandyouraudiences.Ul,mately,youwanttoparedownyourideassothateachsec,onisafewclearsentences.Ifyous,llhaveaparagraph,keepworkingtorefineyourmessages,andtheywillevolveandgetbeaerover,me.Remember,the“Sowhat?”canvarydependingonwhateachaudiencecaresabout.Thiscaninfluencetheproblemsyouiden,fy,thesolu,onsyouhighlightandthebenefitsyouemphasize.Onceyoufeelyouhavedis,lledyourmessagedowntoitsessence,workontakingyourmessagetothenextstepbymakingitmemorable.

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.

�18

Section IV: Making Your Message 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.

Craft a headline or Tweet

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

�19

Section V: Using the Message Box

COMPASSmosto/enworkswithenvironmentalscien;stsinterestedinbecomingmoreengagedinthepublicdiscourse.Butwehavehelpedscien;stsinavarietyofdisciplines,communica;ngwithmanyaudiencesandworkingtowarddifferenttypesofgoals,todis;llandframetheirmessageswiththeMessageBox.

Theexamplesonthefollowingpagesprovideaglimpseofthatdiversityofthoughtandapproach.NotehoweachMessageBoxiden;fiesitsaudienceupfront,andprovidesaframeworkforsor;nganddis;llingcomplexissuesdowntotheiressence,answeringsomeoftheques;onsoutlinedabove.

- Whatareyouseeinginyourresearchthatmakesyouwanttocommunicate?

- Howdoesitaffectpeopleandtheenvironment?

- Ifyouwerelookingforinforma;ononline,whatwouldbethe2-3wordsearchtermyou’duse?

- Whatsignaldoesyourwordchoicesend(i.e.‘climatechange’v.s.‘globalwarming’)?

- Whatchangescanbemadetothewaythingscurrentlystand?

- Whocanmakethosechanges?- WhatwouldittaketosolvetheProblemsiden;fied?

- Whatdoesyouraudiencevalue?

- Howdoesitimpactthem,orsomethingtheycareaboutit?

- Whatisimportantaboutwhatyou’resharing(scale,effects)?

- Whodoesthishelp,andhow?

- Whatimprovesintheshortterm?

- Whatimprovesinthelongterm?

Issue

Solutions?

So W

hat?Benefits?

Audience:

Problems?

Thegraphicbelowhighlightssomeofques;onsthatmayhelpprimeyourthinkingasyoubegintodra/yourownMessageBoxesandusethem.Thereisn’tarightorawrongwaytouseMessageBox,thoughsomeapproacheswillworkbeWerforcertainaudiences.Theimportantthingistogetstarted!

Youmayalsofindyourselfbeingaskedsomeoftheseques;onswhenyouaresharingyourscience,sotheycanalsobeahelpfulwaytoprepareforthoseconversa;ons.

Whoisimpactedbythis?Whocanchangethis?Whocaresaboutthis?

IssueProblem

s?

Solutions?

So What?Benefits?

Audience:

-Detec&onofexplosivesfrom

asafedistance,especiallyinpublicspaces,isextremelydiffi

cult.-

Ionmobilitytechnologyusedtoanalyzethefam

iliarwipesatairportsecurityrequires

contact,&meforanalysis,trainedstaffandsupplies.

-Laser-basedhandheldRam

anspectrometersusedforiden&fica&on

ofmaterialsarenotsensi&vetotracequan&&esofexplosivesand

arenoteye-safe.

Theselimita&onsofpresent

methodsusedtosafeguard

publicspacespreventwidespreaduseforanum

berofpublicspaces,suchassubw

ays,parkinglots,largeoutdooreventsandairports.

Laserscancomplem

entexis&ngsecuritytechnologiesbydetec&ngthepresenceoftracequan&&esofexplosivesthatw

ouldbemostlikely

carriedbyterroristsintheirfingerprints,clothing,andhand-carriedpackages;quickly,inexpensivelyandatasafedistance.

Ongoingim

provementsinlasertechnologiesindicatethat

fast-imaginglaserscanrobustlydetectstandofftrace

explosivesfromadistance,aresafeforskinandeyes,and

don’trequiretrainedstafforconsumablesupplies.

Agencies,Industry,&Scien&stsw

orkingondetec&onofexplosives

MarcosDantosisaDis&nguishedProfessorofChem

istryandPhysicsatMichiganStateU

niversity.Herequestedcoachingfrom

COMPASStoprepareforhispresenta&onataconferenceofsecurityprofessionals,includingstafffrom

governmentagenciesand

businesses,aswellasacadem

ics.Hisaudienceallworkedinthefieldofdetec&ngexplosives,buthaddifferinglevelsoftechnical

knowledge.HisfirstM

essageBoxsuccinctlyconveyedsomekeyideas,butbecauseM

arcoswasintroducinganen&relynew

approachtodetec&ngexplosives,hew

antedtobecertainthathislanguagewasaspersuasiveaspossible,w

ithoutappearingtodiscreditthoseinhisaudiencecom

miSedtoexis&ngapproaches.HisfinalM

essageBoxreflectsthatnuance,withsom

ekeywords

inhisBenefitssec&on(suchas“complem

en&ngexis&ngstrategies”).Anditemphasizesthepar&cularsitua&onsinw

hichhisnew

approachmightbebeneficialintheSoW

hatsec&on.Heacknowledgesthedifferinglevelsoftechnicalknow

ledgeinhisaudiencebyprovidingexam

plesintheProblemandSolu3onsec&ons.M

arcosreportedthathistalkwentextrem

elywell:“M

anypeoplethathadneverusedlasersandthatw

ereveryskep4cal,cameandtoldm

ethattheylikedthepresenta4onandsawgreatpoten4al.”

20

Safeguardingpublicspacesfrom

terrorists

IssueProblem

s?

Solutions?

So What?Benefits?

Audience:

TessaHillisanA

ssociateProfessorintheDepartm

entofEarthandPlanetarySciencesatBodegaMarineLaboratory,andA

ssociateDirectorofA

cademicProgram

sattheCoastalandMarineSciencesIns&tuteattheU

niversityofCaliforniaatDavis.Shew

orkedonherM

essageBoxataCOMPA

SStraininginprepara&onforaninterviewonN

PR’sScienceFridaylaterthatweek(youcanlistentoit

here3).Theboxaboveisherfourthitera&on,illustra&nghow

manypeoplefinditvaluabletow

orkandreworktheirm

essagestomakethem

clearandmem

orable.ListenforthepointsthatsheoutlinedinherMessageBox,andnotehow

shedoesn’treadfrom

herBox,butuseshermessagesinherconversa&onw

ithradiohostIraFlatow.Shealsousesm

etaphorstohelptheaudienceunderstandherpoints,anddoesadem

onstra&on!

3www.sciencefriday.com

/segments/for-oysters-challenges-and-hope-in-the-changing-ocean/

-Carbondioxideconcentra&onshavebeenincreasinginrecentdecades.Theoceanisaspongeforcarbondioxide-soakingup30%

ofwhatw

eemit.Butthis

comesatacost.Carbondioxideinseaw

aterincreasestheacidityoftheocean.-

Increasingaciditymakesitm

oredifficultforanim

alslikeoysters,mussels,&

abalone(thingsweliketoeat!)tom

aketheirprotec&veshells.

OceanA

cidifica&on&Seafood

-Oystersandothershellfisharea

bigpartofourseafoodharvestandourcoastaleconom

y.-

Thisprocessthreatensfoodonourtables,localcom

muni&es,

andfamiliesthatrelyonshellfish

harvestfortheirlocaleconomies.

-Wepartnerw

ithsustainableaquaculturepartnerstounderstandwhatw

illmakeshellfishm

oreresilienttooceanacidifica&on.-

Wealsow

orktounderstandhowcoastalvegetatedhabitats,likeseagrasses,m

ightmodify

thechemistryofw

aterduetophotosynthesis.Wedothisbym

easuringthechemistryof

thewater,andbym

easuringthecarbondioxidethatisstoredintheenvironment.

Understandingtheim

pactsandpoten&alsolu&onscanhelpusprotectseafoodthatw

eenjoyandsupportcoastaleconom

ies

21

RadioProgram

IssueProblem

s?

Solutions?

So What?Benefits?

Audience:

-TreesarenotevenlydistributedacrossthecityofDurham

,NC.

-Minorityandlow

-incomecom

muni&es,inpar&cular,havefew

ertrees.-

Manyofthelegacytreesacrosstheareaaredying.

-Durham

hasalimitedam

ountofmoneytoplantnew

trees.

Durham,N

CTownPlanners&

localcommunityadvocacygroups

Valueofgreenspaceandtreestocom

muni&es.

-Withfew

ertrees,minorityand

lowincom

ecommuni&es

dispropor&onatelymissouton

thebenefitsthattreesandgreenspaceprovide.

-Treesrepresentaw

iseinvestm

entforenhancinghum

anhealthandqualityoflife,aSrac&ngresidentsandbusinessesthatcanincreasethetaxbase.

-Reduceair,w

ater,andnoisepollu&on.

-Cooldow

nneighborhoodsandreducetheurbanheatislandeffect.

-Increasew

ildlifehabitat.-

Contributetorespiratoryandmentalhealthbenefits.

-Im

proveaesthe&cvalues,vitality,andsocialcohesionofneighborhoods.

Durhamshouldplanttreesstrategically:

-Im

provetreecoverageinunderservedneighborhoodswhile

avoidingareaswheretreesm

aycontributetodecreasedsafety.-

Plantalongroadwaysandnearhospitalsandschoolstobuffer

pollutantsandimproveaesthe&csandw

alkability.-

Usena&vespeciestoreplacedyingtreesandfornew

plan&ngs.-

Provideincen&vestodeveloperstoleavetreesinplace.

AnneNealeisaresearchscien&stattheU.S.Environm

entalProtec&onAgency’sOfficeofResearchandDevelopm

ent.SheistheProjectLeadforEnviroAtlas,anonline,openaccesstoolallow

inguserstoview,analyze,anddownloadaw

ealthofgeospa&aldataandotherresourcesrelatedtothebenefitshum

ansreceivefromnature.Thesedataprovideafram

eworktoinform

decisionsandpoliciesatm

ul&plespa&alscales,educatearangeofaudiences,andsupplydataforresearch.AnnepreparedthisMessageBoxas

partofaCOMPASSw

orkshoptoillustratehowtheinform

a&onmadeavailablethroughEnviroAtlas(inthiscase,abouttheloca&on

oftreesincommuni&es)canbeusedtoenhancetangiblebenefitstocom

muni&esandtheenvironm

entontheground—including

inherlocalcommunityofDurham

,NorthCarolina.ShegearedherM

essageBoxtolocalplannerstohelpguidedecision-making

abouttreeplan&ngsinthecity.

22

IssueProblem

s?

Solutions?

So What?Benefits?

Audience:

-Gravita&onalw

aveswillprovidenew

insightintotheuniverse’sm

ostextreme

eventssuchasthecollisionoftwoblack

holesandmayeventuallyenableusto

Universityfacultyandadm

inistrators

Advanceourunderstandingoftheuniversethrough

gravita&onalwave

astronomy

-Gravita&onalw

aveastronomy

hasthepoten&altorevolu&onizeourunderstandingoftheuniverseasm

uchasmodern

electromagne&castronom

yhassincethe&m

eofGalileo.-

Anaggressiveobserva&onprogram

willletusknow

what

drivesthemostenerge&cevents

intheuniverse.Themorew

eknow

aboutsucheventsthemorew

eareabletoinferabouthow

starsareborn,howtheylive,

andhowtheyul&m

atelydie.

ChadHannaisanAssistantProfessorofPhysicsatPennStateUniversityw

howaspreparingforhisfourth-yearreview

attheuniversity.Hisaudienceincludedfacultyinhisdepartm

entandassociateddepartments,asw

ellasuniversityadministrators.

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23

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�24

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.YoucanalsocheckouttheCOMPASSblogathIp://compassblogs.org/,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!

Issu

e

Prob

lem

s?

Solu

tions

?

So What?Benefits?

Aud

ienc

e:

Issue

Problems?

Solutions?

So What?Benefits?

Audience:

Issu

e

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s?

Solu

tions

?

So What?Benefits?

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ienc

e:

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,buttheyoEenneedhelpinlearninghowtoengageeffecAvely.COMPASStrainsandempowersscienAststoparAcipateeffecAvelyinthepublicdiscourseanddecision-making.COMPASS’DirectorofScienceOutreachNancyBarondevelopedourversionoftheMessageBoxearlyon,buildingonothers’workandaddingkeycomponentssuchasidenAfyingthe“Sowhat?”ofyourscience—a core dimension of making your work meaningful to non-scienAsts. Over theyears,theMessageBoxhasremainedthefoundaAonofourtrainingpracAce.

ThisWorkbookand its illustraAonswere inspiredand informedbyEscape fromtheIvoryTower:AGuidetoMakingYourScienceMa?erbyNancyBaron,aswellasourcollecAveexperiencehelpingscienAststodevelopandrefinetheirMessageBoxesinour trainings and coaching. For addiAonal useful informaAon and context, weencourageyoutoreadthebookaswell.