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The Effective Use of Rhetoric in Scientific CommunicationHow to get to know your audience

Keith GibsonSenior Design ConsultantAllen Communication Learning Services

Aristotle’s Reasoning

• Demonstration—when the premises from which the deduction starts are true and primitive

• Dialectic—when it reasons from reputable opinions

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Simon Locke• The technical sphere is nonrhetorical because it is the

sphere of truth; rhetoric is employed only as “handmaiden” in imparting truth to nonspecialist, public audiences, whose reasoning is “untrained.” –The Public Understanding of Science, 2002

My Claim

• The effectiveness of science communication is directly proportional to the level of knowledge about the audience

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Three Questions• What does our audience need?

• Where do we disagree with them?

• What do we have in common with them?

Three Audiences• Public• Journalists• Politicians

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Building Metaphors• Thomson’s plum pudding model of the atom• Schrodinger’s cat• Turing test

Telling Stories

• “If we are to win the battle that is now going on around the world between freedom and tyranny, the dramatic achievements in space which occurred in recent weeks should have made clear to us all, as did the Sputnik in 1957, the impact of this adventure on the minds of men everywhere, who are attempting to make a determination of which road they should take.” --John Kennedy

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Finding RelevanceKepler Spacecraft• 76 stellar systems

explored• 242 exoplanets

confirmed• 3,277 exoplanet

candidates identified• $550 million

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Identify the Issue• Stasis Theory

• Fact• Definition• Quality• Procedure

Climate Change - Fact

Source: NASA, Goddard Institute for Space Studies

Climate Change - Definition

Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

Climate Change - Quality

Armed Conflict BiodiversityChronic Disease Climate ChangeEducation Hunger and MalnutritionInfectious Disease Natural DisastersPopulation Growth Water and Sanitation

World’s Ten Most Important Challenges

Climate Change – Quality/ProcedureChallenge Solution

1 Hunger & Education Bundled Interventions to Reduce Undernutrition

2 Infectious Disease Subsidy for Malaria Combination Treatment 3 Infectious Disease Expanded Childhood Immunization Coverage 4 Infectious Disease Deworming of Schoolchildren 5 Infectious Disease Expanding Tuberculosis Treatment 6 Hunger & Biodiversity R&D to Increase Yield Enhancements

& Climate Change7 Natural Disasters Investing in Effective Early Warning Systems 8 Infectious Disease Strengthening Surgical Capacity 9 Chronic Disease Hepatitis B Immunization 10 Chronic Disease Acute Heart Attack Low Cost Drugs ‐

11 Chronic Disease Salt Reduction Campaign 12 Climate Change Geo Engineering R&D ‐13 Education Conditional Cash Transfers for

School Attendance 14 Infectious Disease Accelerated HIV Vaccine R&D 15 Education Information Campaign on Benefits

From Schooling16 Water and Sanitation Borehole and Public Hand Pump Intervention

Climate Change - Procedure

Source: stevenleahy.net

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Climate Change Stasis• Fact: How much warming has there been?• Definition: What is an acceptable level of warming?• Quality: Is climate change more dire than other problems?• Procedure: How can we most efficiently slow the warming?

Find a Commonplace

• What does the audience value?• What are their goals?• How can your project help them achieve those goals?

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Commonplace?

Commonplace?

Commonplace?

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Climate Change Stasis• Fact: How much warming has there been?• Definition: What is an acceptable level of warming?• Quality: Is climate change more dire than other problems?• Procedure: How can we most efficiently slow the warming?

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Three Questions• What does our audience need?

• Where do we disagree with them?

• What do we have in common with them?