1.4  Summary

Communicating is an integral part of being a scientist. To communicate effectively, strive to convey a message (the so what), not just information (the what). Focus on your purpose, which is what you want your audience to do after reading what you wrote or listening to what you said. To this end, be audience-friendly — that is, identify what the audience needs or wants to learn.

Audiences are seldom homogeneous; audience members might be more or less familiar with what you will discuss in terms of both content (they might be more or less specialized) and context (they might be primary or secondary readers). Communication is more effective when it satisfactorily addresses the needs of a broader audience. In particular, a scientific paper should make sense — at least in broad terms — to anyone with a scientific background, both today and in the future. To reach this goal, strive to write or speak in a simple, straightforward way.

Effective communication bridges the gap between the knowledge and interest of the audience and the content of the document or presentation. When your audience is less specialized or less motivated, the gap is wider and bridging it is harder. When writing or speaking specifically for nonspecialists, remember to include the comparison points they lack. Mention relative values instead of or in addition to absolute ones, use analogies, provide visual representations (with an idea of scale), and so on. When writing or speaking for a strongly heterogeneous audience, include first what everyone is primarily interested in and later what only some of the audience needs or wants to learn. In all cases, beware of overestimating the audience's knowledge of your topic or field (a common mistake, in particular in conference presentations), yet always respect its intelligence.