Effective Science Communication: Concept, Challenges & Ways Forward

  Birte FÄHNRICH, Berlin-Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Germany
  Anne DIJKSTRA, University of Twente, Faculty of Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences (BMS), Netherlands
  John BESLEY, Michigan State University, Advertising + Public Relations Department, United States
  Mike SCHÄFER, University of Zurich, Institute for Communication Science and Media Studies IKMZ, Switzerland

Background

With the growth of professional science communication and related political initiatives, the notion of “effectiveness” has gained attention in science communication research and practice in recent years. The concept of effective communication originates from strategic and organizational communication, where it serves as a core concept for controlling and evaluating communication, and where it is connected strongly to the idea of measurable effects of strategic communication. Although the term “effectiveness” has been applied widely to science communication, it is often used vaguely, has neither been clearly defined nor sufficiently analyzed in the field. And while strands of science communication research like the “science of science communication” have used the concept extensively, they do so from a specific, rather narrow perspective that is derived from social psychology and media effects research and thus falls short of a comprehensive understanding of the overall concept.  In sum, the concept of “effective science communication” poses a challenge to the field. It needs to be scrutinised in more detail and requires a substantial debate within the community. 

Objective and format

Against this backdrop, the discussion panel focuses on the concept of effective communication in the context of science communication. It aims for a substantial discussion of different perspectives of effectiveness. To enable openness and exchange, the workshop will be structured along four main questions:

• What meanings can 'effective' have in 'effective science  communication'?   
• What effects of (science) communication can be validly assessed or measured?
• Where and through what disciplines can we get useful insights for understanding how science communication works?   
• How do these discussions translate to science communication  practice?

During the panel we will approach these questions in three steps: 1) on the basis of lightning talks, and 2) in the context of structured discussions to deal with the questions in depth. The final discussion will 3) be used to wrap up the insights, to discuss implications for science communication research and practice, and to point to future directions for effective science communication.
 
 

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