Dive into the world of science communication with Dr. Deborah Thompson and learn how to effectively share knowledge in this captivating episode of Audio Signals Podcast!
Guest: Deborah Thomson, Founder and CEO at One Health Lessons [@OneHealthLesson]
On LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborahthomsondvm/
On Twitter | https://twitter.com/onehealthlesson?lang=en
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Host: Marco Ciappelli, Co-Founder at ITSPmagazine [@ITSPmagazine] and Host of Redefining Society Podcast
On ITSPmagazine | https://www.itspmagazine.com/itspmagazine-podcast-radio-hosts/marco-ciappelli
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Episode Introduction
Welcome to another exciting episode of Audio Signals Podcast! Today, we have a thought-provoking conversation with Dr. Deborah Thomson, author of "The Art of Science Communication: Sharing Knowledge with Students, the Public, and Policymakers." This insightful book offers a unique insider's perspective on how to effectively communicate scientific knowledge to different audiences. So, buckle up and get ready to explore the world of science communication, as we dive deep into the art of breaking down complex topics and making them accessible to everyone. Don't forget to share this episode with your friends, colleagues, and fellow science enthusiasts, and subscribe to our podcast for more fascinating discussions!
In this episode, we'll uncover the secrets of connecting with different target audiences, from children and adults to policymakers and legislators. Dr. Thomson shares her experiences and expertise in conveying scientific information in a way that is engaging, compelling, and easy to understand. Whether you're a scientist, researcher, or simply someone who wants to share your knowledge, this conversation will provide you with valuable tips and strategies to become a more effective communicator.
Dr. Thomson's book is divided into three distinct sections, each focusing on communicating with a specific audience: students, the general public, and policymakers. We'll discuss the importance of speaking with kids, as they provide honest and immediate feedback on the effectiveness of your communication. We'll also explore the challenges of communicating with policymakers, whose decisions have a significant impact on our world, even if they may not be experts in a particular field.
Throughout the conversation, Dr. Thomson highlights the importance of sharing knowledge, emphasizing that knowledge is power in today's world. She shares her unique experiences as a science communicator, both in and outside of the classroom. This episode is packed with practical tips and examples that you can use to refine your own communication skills, no matter your field of expertise.
So, join us as we dive into the fascinating world of science communication with Dr. Deborah Thomson, and learn how to effectively share your knowledge with students, the public, and policymakers. This episode will not only inspire you to become a better communicator but also encourage you to share your knowledge with others, to make a difference in our world. Don't miss this incredible opportunity to enhance your communication skills, and make sure to subscribe to the Audio Signals Podcast for more engaging and thought-provoking episodes!
About the Book
What to Say and How to Say It—Navigate the World of the Sound Bite
Do you know how to communicate with the powerful people who can move funding to support your research or hospital? Do you want to inspire children to consider a future in STEM? Are you afraid of public speaking? Need to communicate the essence of your dissertation in simple language? Want to become a better communicator to help your patients and their families?
In The Art of Science Communication, Dr. Deborah Thomson shares tried-and-true strategies for you to use when communicating with children, navigating politics, and conversing with the public about science.
Offering a fresh look at science communication, Dr. Thomson draws on a rich trove of extraordinary experiences taken from the classroom, the veterinary hospital, and the office of a senior US Senator. The result is a judicious and practical book full of unexpected insights that is perfect for professional and aspiring scientists and engineers alike.
Prepare yourself to speak about technical topics with ease and understanding. With Dr. Thomson as your guide, you have an insider’s perspective on what to do and what not to do when approaching diverse audiences.
DR. DEBORAH THOMSON is a veterinarian and One Health advocate who started teaching in 2001. Since then, her career has included launching a global education movement and serving as a science policy advisor in one of the most influential congressional offices in the United States.
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Resources
The Art of Science (book): https://www.amazon.com/Art-Science-Communication-Students-Policymakers-ebook/dp/B097B2S9LZ/ref=sr_1_2?
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Please note that this transcript was created using AI technology and may contain inaccuracies or deviations from the original audio file. The transcript is provided for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a substitute for the original recording as errors may exist. At this time we provide it “as it is” and we hope it can be useful for our audience.
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voiceover00:15
Welcome to the intersection of technology, cybersecurity, and society. Welcome to ITSPmagazine podcast radio. You're about to listen to a new episode of audio signals get ready to take a journey into the unknown, the unknown and everything in between. record that no specific point in time nor space. ITSPmagazine is co founders Marco Ciappelli. And Shawn Martin followed their passion and curiosity as they venture away from the intersection of technology, cybersecurity, and society to discover new stories worth being told. Knowledge is power. Now, more than ever.
Marco Ciappelli01:02
All righty, here we are, with a with a guest that has already been with me before not too long ago. So once we get into representing who she is, and what she does, I will invite you to go back on a different channel, but there'll be the link into the notes here to go listen to our first conversation with which you know, guess what, it's, it's connected so well, you'll understand what I'm talking about for people listening. The guest is Dr. Deborah Thompson. She's a veterinarian, but also the founder of the One Health lessons nonprofit organization, which is what we spoke about in the past episode. And she also wrote, I think, several books, but today we're gonna talk about one in particular. And for those watching, here we are, right here. So say hi. And Deborah, welcome back.
Deborah Thomson01:59
I am back full force.
Marco Ciappelli02:01
So a little introduction about yourself, for the audience that I haven't heard the first episode.
Deborah Thomson02:06
Sure. Oh, wow. Well, I'm in Washington, DC, and I see a presidential precision going right. But
Marco Ciappelli02:15
I know you're not online.
Deborah Thomson02:19
That was a lot, of course, just then. But nice to see you again, Marco. And hello, everybody. I'm Dr. Deborah Thompson, right based out of the Washington DC area. Just last time, we spoke about One Health lessons a nonprofit that inspires children and adults around the world to value the connection between our health and the health of the environment, animals and plants. But today, we're gonna be talking about a book that I wrote called The Art of science communication.
Marco Ciappelli02:50
So like I said, it's connected, we talked last time about the fact that this symbiosis and synergy between everything on this planet, it should be common sense, but it's not. But once you see it, you cannot unsee it anymore. And we talk about kids that you're teaching you and all the people part of the volunteers of the organization, and how kids are like, kind of like a wake up moment where everything starts, well, not everything, but many things start to make more sense about the environment, and animals and health and all of that. So but but what you do when you do these kids, is you have to break the conversation, you have to use different metaphor, you have to use different example, depending on their age group, and so forth. We talked about this again. And so yes, I think communication is an art either you're an advertiser, you're a writer, you're any person that is in charge of sharing knowledge. So why you thought it was needed for you to write this book.
Deborah Thomson03:58
Right, thanks, Marco for this. Um I feel like there are people who are very good at science communication, and that's their job. But what about all the other science and STEM advocates out there people who do this science and STEM as a living does that mean that we clinicians, we researchers, we whatever fill in the blank can't be proficient in communication? Would we rather have a third party speak on our behalf? Or would we rather speak our truth directly to the target audience? And so this book is designed to improve the communication skills of STEM professionals.
Marco Ciappelli04:45
So yeah, does it come first the communicator or are first experts? Is it first to heck or that?
Deborah Thomson04:54
Right. I think ultimately the way we need to start to train In scientists, aspiring scientists and aspiring stem folks, is to infuse communication every step of the way. So that way it becomes second nature. But here's the problem. If you look at our professors, it's not to say that they're the best communicators. So how can you fix that cycle that's just seems to be never ending, right? So what happened with this book is after I finished my time on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, working on one health legislation and policy at the federal level, I was writing note notes upon notes upon notes of lessons learned. I always do that at the end of every single project that I do, I write down lessons learned. And the thing is, these notes just kept going on and on and on. And I'm looking at them. And I'm like, this needs to be shared. So the entire third section of the book is dedicated to people coming from science, technology, engineering, mathematics, who want to eventually speak with politicians speak with policymakers and their staff, and make sure that they deliver their message in an efficient manner to get what needs to be done, done.
Marco Ciappelli06:19
And that's really important, I can tell you in a lot of our audience, because our origin as ITSPmagazine are in the cybersecurity industry. And there's always this thing about a communicating very technical issues to people that are not technical about that they are in charge of their business run in business. And you need to tell stories, it's about storytelling, right? So on the other hand, you have situation where the legislator, as you mentioned, they may not be knowledgeable enough about a topic, but they're still making an important decision for us. So how do we how do we address that?
Deborah Thomson07:01
Right, and this is where our last podcast together about One Health lessons plays in. Because my exposure to the classroom truly made a difference in how I practice veterinary medicine today, how I worked on Capitol Hill, how I really process information. So actually, this book is divided into three different sections. The first part is how to deliver science to students. Because if you want to speak with a politician or somebody have incredible influence, you need to make sure that you communicate efficiently and effectively. And one of the best ways to do that is to speak with kids, kids are honest, they're going to show you if they're bored, you're going to slow you if they're confused, right, they're going to ask lots of questions. But people who are very well known in their career who have political influence, they're not going to be as forthcoming. They're not going to show you that they don't know what you're talking about. They're going to be just Yes, yes, yes. Next, right. So one of the best ways to make sure that your skill set as a communicator is as strong as possible is to go into classrooms and talk during career day, about what you do on a daily basis, right? Speak with kids. So that's the first section of the book. The second section of the book is how to speak with the public. But same principles are aligned. Again, an eight year olds attention span is how short well guess what adults are just as short. So again, is the kids that really show you how effective how efficient you actually are as a communicator. And if you can perfect your communication skills with that type of audience, you're going to be that much stronger when you speak with adults.
Marco Ciappelli09:10
Okay, so do you give specific tips on I mean, are you actually asking people that here's the homework or talk to kids? Or do you say, Well, if you don't have the time or access to a class or, or kids, here are the things that you can start practicing on yourself? Like, yes, it's any I'm sure it's full of tips. So that's let's not give up their book obviously. But that's that's easy enough. So people are like, hey, this could be interesting.
Deborah Thomson09:41
Yes, there are other ways to go about if you can't speak with a child about your thesis statement, you know your your thesis for your postdoc or your doctorate. What are other target audience that are just as honest it's listed in the book so that you can find a group of honest adults in a safe environment that can provide good feedback.
Marco Ciappelli10:10
So let's make a difference between so this book, you said you have different chapter needs, or section in this section you're talking about, if you're talking to the public in general, maybe journalist, you know, you're invited on a show on on NBC, or whatever it is to talk about an important topic. So how do you break it down for everybody to understand, but then you have the targeting timeline, the another audience, which is kids is students, and another one is legislator, so you work with legislator. So give me a couple of, you know, your experience that cause you to take these notes and say, Okay, I really need to work on a book like this, because these are like, What would have done different? Or oh, I did this right. So, right, like, are there like a very delimited? line between? And I assume the answer is yes. But what are they so? Well, later kids? general public? What do you do different to start with what I had to put on?
Deborah Thomson11:16
Right? And I should say that my position? And the reason why I wrote this book was so unique, that you're not going to find it in many places, let alone have it published, because I wasn't a scientist going into Capitol Hill and to offices and talking to them about one health mentor. No, I was on the policy side, I was working in a senior senators office. And she was one of the most powerful senators of all of the US Congress. And I was one of actually, I was the only person with a true science background, like a professional science background. And I was working in policy. So what does that mean? I was constantly the person in the room receiving constituents, receiving lobbyists receiving people who want to move the needle in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, because I was the person with that background, including clinicians, like physicians, like human medicine, right, and veterinary medicine, and pharmaceuticals, all of that they all came to me. And oftentimes after the meeting ended, my colleague who was in the room with me, turns to me in, you know, after the constituent leaves and says, Deb, can you translate this for us? Why is this important to us? Why should we care? Why should we act? How should we act? Is this worth it? And I was thinking that happens so often that I need to make sure that the people who are taking that extra efforts to speak with influencers, politicians, legislators, whatever they are, can actually hit the target, right can actually make sure that they can convey their message in a way that can be used and useful for that influencer.
Marco Ciappelli13:17
So yeah, cuz the point is, why do you do that? Right, like a lot of people, I don't know, if you look in the past to it being knowledgeable, it was almost like part of being part of an elite of it was almost, and I'm thinking like, 18 100 1700, but I can go in the middle age where knowledge was really power. Now we say knowledge is power, because we need to have that knowledge. But at the time, if you own the culture, and the knowledge, you own everything else, so you don't want to share it. Right. So think, to Gutenberg and the press and the mobile press and all of that. But now, I mean, this can make the difference between passing a low protecting certain minority could be taken action could be getting funded, right. So some of maybe some some of these example why if somebody needs to be convinced to say, you know, I really, I know, I know, but I need to share it. show other people that I know,
Deborah Thomson14:25
honestly, Marco, even lobbyists who've been doing this for 30 years have read the book and they said, Holy cow, I've learned something, and I wish this existed at the start of my career. So it's an insider's perspective, that honestly, I don't know where else you could find it. Because I was trying to find that before starting this position on the hill and it didn't exist.
Marco Ciappelli14:50
But I've seen and I can go on Amazon right now I'm talking to you and if I put the art of science communication, there's a quite a number have books that come up some are more about the medical field. Some are, I don't know, rocket engineering rocket science. But do you feel like there is a common thread? That doesn't matter? What is your field? That's where you need to do to communicate?
Deborah Thomson15:16
Yeah, I feel like there are certainly some general principles for communication in this book, but also specifically for STEM advocates. But this book is truly unique. And I mean, even look at the cover, look, the diversity on the cover. And the perspective when you're looking at this is the audience. It's not the scientist, it's the audience.
Marco Ciappelli15:40
So the focus is on on the audience. So not telling people how to do it. But I feel like is it kind of like learning how to read your audience, and I'm connecting to our first conversation and change gears, switch gears, depending on who you're talking to?
Deborah Thomson16:00
That's exactly it, you need to read the room first, right? When I train interns with one health lessons, for instance, I say that one of the first things that you should do, if you want to be the strongest communicator is to close your mouth and open your ears and eyes. Yeah, that's by far the first thing, have them speak first. And then you can tailor your message to your audience want to understand your audience, right? When it comes to the politicians, the influencers of any which way they're influencing, it's important to also know certain things about their background, and that's also covered in the book.
Marco Ciappelli16:42
Can you give us some, you know, a couple of concrete tips or strategies that you do give in the book.
Deborah Thomson16:54
So I
Marco Ciappelli16:55
example that might be very relevant.
Deborah Thomson16:59
I talk about in the book, there's climate change, right, and how there is the manmade impact of climate change. Now, you can't just jump into talking about different isotopes of carbon 13, and 14, with non scientists let alone on chemists. People don't remember what isotopes are from high school or from junior high, for instance. But the take home message is that if you explain that scientists have a way to capture a particular part of carbon in the atmosphere or a gas in the atmosphere, they can identify its ultimate source, and they could see if it was decaying matter, or if it was living matter. And they can extrapolate if that was from originally fossil fuels, and so on. It's not just, you know, a general idea of sampling. And then oh, that comes from fossil fuels. No, there's an extra step that I think people need to understand. They do testing on it to then identify its original source.
Marco Ciappelli18:09
Otherwise, it just sounds like it's magic, right? Like, C Clarke. When I say it is complicated enough, it may sound magic to people, but it's really not magic, although I think science is magic in its own way. But you know, that's a different story. You know, when I spoke about here about quantum computing, it's a good example. You know, I talked to professor there, our teacher of quantum and I have no I know very little I, but I'm like, Look, I'm here, I'm the one that you I'm the right person to be a social science communication. You know, guinea pig with me, right? But I'm assuming with kids, it's I love that idea of experimenting, really, with kids, because you don't get any false feedback. Right? I think that's, that's incredible. You said something at the beginning that kind of made me think about how do you put this into the student path to become the experts and sprinkle communication in there, because there are certain it's a college path where of course, communication is a little bit more key than other but now we are at the point where we are all influencers. We are all going to podcasts. We're all talking about these two people that are not necessarily your peers. So that that's where you make that big difference. So how do you see the colleges and all the curriculum responding to this need? You see it happen? Are you thank you, we're not there yet.
Deborah Thomson19:56
Oh, we are absolutely not there yet. But I see a path forward What I see as just simple questions scattered throughout the day in the class of a scientist, or a week or a semester, ask yourself, how would you explain this to your next door neighbor? How would you explain this to your grandmother or grandfather, to your child, whoever it is, can you do it? And then I'll give you an example of my path towards improving my communication skills. I was, oh, this is about 15 years ago, even though I have done music and I was used to being on stage in that capacity. I was drastically afraid, like, I could not get on stage. If I was going to speak. I was beyond fearful stage fright. If I had to speak if I had to play music, it would have been totally fine. Okay, so I go to veterinary school, I learn all of the medical jargon. I speak with veterinary students, veterinarians, I speak with medical students and physicians. That's my world. I do an internship at 90 hour workweeks in the clinic. That's my world. The thing is, whenever I was speaking with pet owners, I was having a lot of difficulty conveying the reason why I needed to do certain tests to benefit the animal. And I was thinking, Why? Why am I not? I know all this stuff, but how could I just not? Get it out? Right? How could they not understand what I know? Right? What I ended up doing was I joined something called Toastmasters. I don't know if you're familiar with Toastmasters. But it's advertised as a public speaking club. It's in over 111 countries. But it's more than that. It's a communication club. I joined Toastmasters because I wanted to become a better veterinarian. I wanted to speak on behalf of my patients who were silent, right? My patients are covered in fur scales, feathers, whatever it is, but they can't talk. So how can I become a better communicator, I practiced a lot. I practice two hours every week for seven years. So I was a Toastmaster for seven years. And with that, I was able to not only improve the health care of my own patients, because I could convey why certain things need to be done. Right? And open up the conversation with pet owners of would this work for your family? Would this not work? What can work, right? And that way can build trust as well between the clinician and the family of the patient. But that's ultimately why I started in science communication before that I was teaching but that's not you already know your kids, you know, you already know your students or 30 students that in my mind wasn't truly public speaking, that was just leading a group of students to improve their English skills or their musical abilities or whatnot. But once I joined Toastmasters, then I truly figured out Oh, that's what I need to do in order to move the needle. And then years later, I go to Capitol Hill, and I'm on the receiving end of these poor communicators. And so in this book, I'm combining life as an educator, speaking with the public and speaking with legislators that
Marco Ciappelli24:05
different people can get different perspectives here from from your, from your experience, because again, it's so let's go back to the basic right communication. It is it can be a one way channel but most of the time it's a two way channel. So it's a one way it's a one way channel when you're I don't know I'm picturing like an old radio program where people couldn't call in and you're telling a story or reporting a news or whatever and you have absolutely zero feedback until maybe the day after when you're like, Wow, you did a great job or Wow, that really sucked because we have no idea what you're talking about. But now communication is quite different. I mean, especially when you say you're in a room with someone we're on video I can see you reacting moving online, my mind making any sense here and then I can see your, you know, your eyes and all of that. But you said something also about the fact that teaching for you maybe wasn't really public speaking. But may I argue that even if you're talking to your neighbor, you, you're still public speaking? I mean, you're still trying to make your point? It's I don't know, I mean, am I going somewhere with this? Like it would improve every aspect of your life? Not just the moment that you're actually speaking in public? Like, let's define public mapping?
Deborah Thomson25:38
Yes, yes. And I see where you're going with that. I think, nowadays, compared to 10 years ago, even there's been an interest increased interest in improving communication skills within organizations, and within family units, and within, you know, relationships of any kind romantic, or, or platonic, right. But I feel like perhaps our culture, our society has changed a little bit in that way. So in that regard, yeah, I can see what you mean, when you say when you're speaking with your neighbor, is that really public communication? Or I think it's, it comes down to opening up opening up a respectful and comfortable environment, so that you can have open and honest conversations and learn from each other.
Marco Ciappelli26:42
Well, the reason why I want to go there is because I feel like you, you don't need to be someone that need to speak in public, to a mass to a mass in a mass media, on a radio, on a podcast on TV or on a stage. But what I'm trying to say is like, I think that reading a book like this, it could improve everybody's relationship, no matter what. You go to the grocery store, you have that two minutes conversation with the cashier, you may come out as brilliant, funny and knowledgeable about something or you can come away with, you know, I was just staring on my phone with my head said, Don't talk to me, because I'm not in the mood. But it's your choice. Right? At least you have that tool to do that. And the reason why I'm saying this is because you said you, you did it, because you could talk one on one with your, with your patient. So when you're in that little room at the vet, and I go often because I got three dogs, it's not really in public, but you're one on one there. So that improves what you were doing.
Deborah Thomson27:54
It truly improved. What I was doing on an every day, honestly, every half an hour period. Oh, look who wants to join. Hello, join. But I feel like those lessons learned started years, years years ago. And then I still apply the same principles today in clinical medicine because I still do clinical medicine in addition to the nonprofit.
Marco Ciappelli28:29
Before we make a call to action for the book, I do have a question because I'm a big fan. I mean, I love storytelling in every possible way, from Disney to the stereotypes, you know, to archetypes to metaphors that you can use to tell a story. And when you watch a movie, for example, that's that's what we do. You know, the way you tell a story. Star Wars is the same way you tell a story. The Grimm Brothers, it's still like that. ups and down. It's about to end. But so is that a good advice to tell people that when they talk even about I don't know what they ate today for lunch? To think about it as, am I telling a story? Am I starting somewhere? Am I getting there? Or I might have? Am I overcomplicating by thinking that why? What's your advice that
Deborah Thomson29:33
stories are incredibly powerful, right? I mean, that's just part of human nature. That's how we have grown throughout the many, many, many generations that we have, you know, as a human race as experienced, right. So, I think it's very important to understand not only in importance, but also understand how How to harness the energy that goes into a story and make sure that the take home of that story is powerful. Something that makes people think and remember the story long after you're done with the last word.
Marco Ciappelli30:18
I remember you're not overthinking it.
Deborah Thomson30:22
No, no, no, not at all right. But I remember working on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, and there were some really powerful personal stories. And some of them actually came from teenagers or children who came into the office with their, with their parents, and with their nonprofits, and I still remember them today.
Marco Ciappelli30:50
Why do you think you remember those and not? Other? I'm just assuming some stick with you more than than other? And the reason why I'm asking you this is because I think that there is the story. And there is the way you deliver that story. So do you talk about the delivery as well, in this book, I'm assuming when you do this Toastmaster, a lot is about taking the right powers and using not only you know, their body language, and me being Italian here, I can do this. For people listening, I'm actually being Italian with my hands. And and so do you think that you remember certain stories just because they're really better story or because they were given to you with more passion and maybe more? I don't know, with a better delivery. But the core of the story maybe? Maybe got highlighted. But other story, maybe deserve that too. But they didn't make it through?
Deborah Thomson31:50
Well, Marco, that's why it's an art. Yes, you're not just reading the words on the page, you're feeling the message, right? And communication, I could just, you know, I could just read an instruction manual. Sure. That's communication. Or I could be reading poetry. And I could be bored out of my mind, or I could be really into it. Right? It comes down to not only what you're saying, but how you're saying how you make the other person feel. And does that extra last step? Does that lead to action? That's your goal, lead to action?
Marco Ciappelli32:36
No, I love I love that. I think it's a, there is a lot of thinking here that it will be left once we once we say goodbye to the audience. I'm I'm hoping. And that's why I have this conversation. I have every podcast. If we leave people thinking for a couple of minutes about what we talked about and say, Hey, I could do this, I can look more into that in the way that I talk in the way that I talk about things. And and maybe another thing is why you need to choose the right topic that you're passionate about. I mean, there may be people that call actor you can get Morgan Freeman probably reading you the ingredients on a bottle of whatever any would sound very interesting. I don't know if he's gonna win a Pulitzer or any other other other prize or an Oscar for it, but I'm sure it will grab the attention. But those are other skills that we're talking about. So talking about that, who do you think should read this book? I mean, my opinion is everybody could read it. But am I am I wrong? Am I just being very kind and very promotional here? Or do you think that when you wrote these you had a specific target in mind? What do you wrote it for?
Deborah Thomson33:55
Well, certainly everybody has the right answer, right. But honestly, I know that this book has been bought for hundreds of scientists who are going into policy each year by AAA as though the American Association for the for the Advancement of Science, super long title tripoli is is the way to say
Marco Ciappelli34:19
I could easy,
Deborah Thomson34:20
right? But this book is actually in the welcome package for them when they become workers who are throughout the executive branch of the United States government. So working at the US Department of Agriculture, the National Institutes of Health, the Environmental Protection Agency, you know, wherever they're working, they have this book, but also those scientists who had the position that I have had working on Capitol Hill with Congress, so they also have this book. I Um, any, any university that has a policy, department's public policy, health policy, whatever, whatever policy it is, this book would, would serve you well. Last but not least, anybody who's interested in STEM science, technology, engineering, mathematics would benefit from this book. Because Lord knows what we do. And stem can get very complicated very quickly. And if we only speak within our niche field, how far can we actually go with this knowledge? Right? We have to make sure that we're not relying on a third party, professional science communicators to deliver our message, we need to enable ourselves and empower ourselves to deliver the message.
Marco Ciappelli35:55
Yep, I want to actually end this conversation by thinking how much we could improve our society by making more digestible and understandable what goes behind the scene. I mean, not everybody needs to be a quantum scientist, not everybody needs to be a veterinarian, clinician or surgeon or whatever. I mean, everybody, there is a reason why you have to study more. But if you're less grasp what is about I think we could we could easily fight back against misinformation against manipulation of information, fake news, fake everything. And I know I'm going a little bit on what my terrain is, which is to say allergy, but I think it's all connected, you know. So, again, you're doing this for STEM. But this applies to literally every other possible discipline, because it could be a lawyer that explain you regulation in a way that you understand that. And they'll just say, well, it like it's like this, because it's like this one. So what, right, so I say knowledge is power. So I am actually quite interested in in actually reading this and see what I get out of this. And so let's do a little a little reminder here, the title of the book where they can find it. And of course, once this is all done, there'll be notes when we publish this, so you can actually click and go check the book, learn more about Deborah. But to finish this, I'm gonna give you the stage. And please do your close for me close for me, I don't want to come back.
Deborah Thomson37:49
Awesome. Thank you. The book is entitled The Art of science communication. And the subtitle is actually sharing knowledge with students, the public and policymakers. It's available on Amazon. And, and I feel like Marco is right. Honestly, this is appropriate for anybody who wants to get their message out there beyond their niche field. So thank you, Marco, for having me on this wonderful podcast. Oh, it's always
Marco Ciappelli38:21
a pleasure. So you can come back anytime you want. And as far as people listening right now, this was an audio signals podcast, where we often talk about books, but we also talk about podcasting and mass media and anything that actually I'm interested in. Sometimes it's just me, sometimes it's Shawn, and myself. And usually there's a good fascinating guest, one or two sometimes that tell us good story. And of course, this was a good story, the art of science communication, I said I was not going to come back, but I am because I have to tell you, subscribe. Share this story. If you liked it, I'm sure other people would enjoy it. And yeah, buy the book. Why not? Then you can come on the podcast and be a great communicator. Better than me, by the way, that's for sure. So, Deborah, thank you so much. Thank you everybody, for listening. And we'll be back with another story really soon.
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