WEBVTT 00:00:01.261 --> 00:00:03.783 Five years ago, I experienced a bit 00:00:03.783 --> 00:00:07.119 of what it must have been like to be Alice in Wonderland. 00:00:07.119 --> 00:00:09.782 Penn State asked me, a communications teacher, 00:00:09.782 --> 00:00:13.122 to teach a communications class for engineering students. 00:00:13.122 --> 00:00:15.728 And I was scared. (Laughter) 00:00:15.728 --> 00:00:19.399 Really scared. Scared of these students with their big brains 00:00:19.399 --> 00:00:23.106 and their big books and their big, unfamiliar words. 00:00:23.106 --> 00:00:26.311 But as these conversations unfolded, 00:00:26.311 --> 00:00:29.219 I experienced what Alice must have when she went down 00:00:29.219 --> 00:00:33.396 that rabbit hole and saw that door to a whole new world. 00:00:33.396 --> 00:00:36.007 That's just how I felt as I had those conversations 00:00:36.007 --> 00:00:38.756 with the students. I was amazed at the ideas 00:00:38.756 --> 00:00:43.722 that they had, and I wanted others to experience this wonderland as well. 00:00:43.722 --> 00:00:46.353 And I believe the key to opening that door 00:00:46.353 --> 00:00:47.643 is great communication. NOTE Paragraph 00:00:47.643 --> 00:00:50.527 We desperately need great communication from our 00:00:50.527 --> 00:00:53.586 scientists and engineers in order to change the world. 00:00:53.586 --> 00:00:56.476 Our scientists and engineers are the ones 00:00:56.476 --> 00:00:59.642 that are tackling our grandest challenges, from energy 00:00:59.642 --> 00:01:02.647 to environment to health care, among others, 00:01:02.647 --> 00:01:05.809 and if we don't know about it and understand it, 00:01:05.809 --> 00:01:08.817 then the work isn't done, and I believe it's our responsibility 00:01:08.817 --> 00:01:11.768 as non-scientists to have these interactions. 00:01:11.768 --> 00:01:14.928 But these great conversations can't occur if our scientists 00:01:14.928 --> 00:01:18.162 and engineers don't invite us in to see their wonderland. 00:01:18.162 --> 00:01:23.641 So scientists and engineers, please, talk nerdy to us. NOTE Paragraph 00:01:23.641 --> 00:01:26.128 I want to share a few keys on how you can do that 00:01:26.128 --> 00:01:30.203 to make sure that we can see that your science is sexy 00:01:30.203 --> 00:01:32.803 and that your engineering is engaging. 00:01:32.803 --> 00:01:36.536 First question to answer for us: so what? 00:01:36.536 --> 00:01:40.491 Tell us why your science is relevant to us. 00:01:40.491 --> 00:01:43.121 Don't just tell me that you study trabeculae, 00:01:43.121 --> 00:01:47.018 but tell me that you study trabeculae, which is the mesh-like structure of our bones 00:01:47.018 --> 00:01:51.631 because it's important to understanding and treating osteoporosis. NOTE Paragraph 00:01:51.631 --> 00:01:56.137 And when you're describing your science, beware of jargon. 00:01:56.137 --> 00:02:00.013 Jargon is a barrier to our understanding of your ideas. 00:02:00.013 --> 00:02:03.089 Sure, you can say "spacial and temporal," but why not just say 00:02:03.089 --> 00:02:06.515 "space and time," which is so much more accessible to us? 00:02:06.515 --> 00:02:11.663 And making your ideas accessible is not the same as dumbing it down. 00:02:11.663 --> 00:02:14.440 Instead, as Einstein said, make everything 00:02:14.440 --> 00:02:17.874 as simple as possible, but no simpler. 00:02:17.874 --> 00:02:20.647 You can clearly communicate your science 00:02:20.647 --> 00:02:23.334 without compromising the ideas. 00:02:23.334 --> 00:02:27.279 A few things to consider are having examples, stories 00:02:27.279 --> 00:02:28.984 and analogies. Those are ways to engage 00:02:28.984 --> 00:02:31.166 and excite us about your content. 00:02:31.166 --> 00:02:37.479 And when presenting your work, drop the bullet points. 00:02:37.479 --> 00:02:41.332 Have you ever wondered why they're called bullet points? (Laughter) 00:02:41.332 --> 00:02:43.700 What do bullets do? Bullets kill, 00:02:43.700 --> 00:02:46.012 and they will kill your presentation. 00:02:46.012 --> 00:02:50.191 A slide like this is not only boring, but it relies too much 00:02:50.191 --> 00:02:53.918 on the language area of our brain, and causes us to become overwhelmed. 00:02:53.918 --> 00:02:57.822 Instead, this example slide by Genevieve Brown is 00:02:57.822 --> 00:03:00.704 much more effective. It's showing that the special structure 00:03:00.704 --> 00:03:04.368 of trabeculae are so strong that they actually inspired 00:03:04.368 --> 00:03:07.223 the unique design of the Eiffel Tower. 00:03:07.223 --> 00:03:10.903 And the trick here is to use a single, readable sentence 00:03:10.903 --> 00:03:13.955 that the audience can key into if they get a bit lost, 00:03:13.955 --> 00:03:17.233 and then provide visuals which appeal to our other senses 00:03:17.233 --> 00:03:19.647 and create a deeper sense of understanding 00:03:19.647 --> 00:03:21.286 of what's being described. NOTE Paragraph 00:03:21.286 --> 00:03:24.136 So I think these are just a few keys that can help 00:03:24.136 --> 00:03:27.658 the rest of us to open that door and see the wonderland 00:03:27.658 --> 00:03:29.874 that is science and engineering. 00:03:29.874 --> 00:03:32.323 And because the engineers that I've worked with have 00:03:32.323 --> 00:03:36.123 taught me to become really in touch with my inner nerd, 00:03:36.123 --> 00:03:39.076 I want to summarize with an equation. (Laughter) 00:03:39.076 --> 00:03:43.321 Take your science, subtract your bullet points 00:03:43.321 --> 00:03:46.099 and your jargon, divide by relevance, 00:03:46.099 --> 00:03:48.546 meaning share what's relevant to the audience, 00:03:48.546 --> 00:03:51.337 and multiply it by the passion that you have for 00:03:51.337 --> 00:03:53.560 this incredible work that you're doing, 00:03:53.560 --> 00:03:56.338 and that is going to equal incredible interactions 00:03:56.338 --> 00:03:58.812 that are full of understanding. 00:03:58.812 --> 00:04:02.274 And so, scientists and engineers, when you've solved 00:04:02.274 --> 00:04:07.370 this equation, by all means, talk nerdy to me. (Laughter) 00:04:07.370 --> 00:04:13.443 Thank you. (Applause)