Hi Sarah
I'm sure you'll be covering the toolbox of explanatory devices eg empathy, questioning, analogies, examples, addressing misconceptions, etc.
Important as these are, can I suggest that the researchers consider the following human issues before they attempt any explanations to the public (especially in face-to-face PE):
1. In public engagement there is one reality above all others - nobody *has to* listen to you.
Getting and keeping their attention must be your primary goal. The success of every other objective depends on achieving this imperative first. If you forget this or allow your personal interest or ego to blind you, even for a second, your communication efforts will be doomed.
2. Be prepared to sacrifice a little of yourself every time you engage them.
The sooner you accept that *initially* most humans are more interested in you than what your research has discovered, the better. You may find this shocking, painful and depressing. Get over it. Use it. Exploit the fascination people have with other people to draw them into why you find your research so interesting and important. Share some of your struggles with them.
3. Learning feels scary to your audience. Learning in public is even more scary for them.
Don't expect your audience to focus on your explanations before they begin to know, like and trust you as a person. Asking or answering a question involves them taking the risk of exposing their fragile understanding to ridicule. They need to believe that you're not going to abuse their vulnerability.
Now, in terms of "communicating complex results", "complex" is obviously a relative term, so I wasn't sure just how nuanced and abstract the ideas are which the researchers want to explain.
Because of the inherent (and largely hidden) challenges involved in explaining anything to anyone, as you know, the normal advice would be for novices at PE to restrict themselves to trying to explain one or two of the big ideas behind their topic at an accessible, introductory level. PE is usually the start of a journey rather than the destination.
Even for experienced communicators, this limited goal is so much more difficult than we dare think 😃
I hope these general tips are useful for the researchers, Sarah.
All the best with the training
Paul
--
Dr Paul McCrory
learn differently ltd
t 028 9446 3439
e [log in to unmask]
w www.learn-differently.com
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