Let's Talk SciComm

Email is essential, but it can also suck the life out of you. In this episode, Jen and Michael share their best advice for taming the inbox: write clear subject lines, put your call to action up front, and keep emails short so you reduce the cognitive load on the person reading.
They also discuss a brilliant piece of counterintuitive advice from Dr Jonathan O'Donnell: take longer to reply. Slowing down your responses to non-urgent emails breaks the cycle of constant back-and-forth, and gives everyone a bit of time back in their day.
You can find more great advice here:
https://hbr.org/2022/08/5-tips-for-writing-professional-emails
https://www.sunsama.com/blog/how-to-manage-email-overload
Transcript: https://go.unimelb.edu.au/us72

This week we were lucky enough to have an absolutely fascinating conversation with Dr Hannah Little. Hannah has been researching science communication for nearly 10 years, first as a Senior Lecturer in Science Communication at UWE Bristol and now in the Department of Communication and Media at the University of Liverpool. Previously, she did her PhD in the field of evolutionary linguistics at the Artificial Intelligence Lab at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium, and went on to a postdoc at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics in the Netherlands. Throughout her career, she has endeavoured to share her love for evolutionary linguistics as a science communicator herself with well-received appearances at, among others, the British Science Festival, TEDx and on BBC Radio 4. Her work as a science communicator influences her research, especially in terms of exploring how storytelling, comedy and science fiction can influence public perceptions and understanding of science. In her spare time does competitive speed puzzling, stand-up comedy, and is writing a popular science book about linguistics and aliens. She is a member of the UK SETI Research Network and the SETI Post Detection Hub hosted at the University of St Andrews. As you might be able to gather, Hannah is an amazing person to chat about scicomm (and communicating with aliens) with!
You can follow Hannah and find out more about her work here:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannah-little-3709371a2
https://bsky.app/profile/hanachronism.bsky.social
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoeXkCM2wSs
https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/humanities-and-social-sciences/research/blog/2024-posts/researcher-in-focus-hannah-little/
We mentioned this paper on cognitive biases in our conversation: http://doi.org/10.1177/09636625251387445
And here’s the storytelling toolkit for practitioners: https://livrepository.liverpool.ac.uk/3194747/1/Little_Storytelling%20Toolkit%202025_33MB.pdf
Transcript: https://go.unimelb.edu.au/5s72

Disagreements are part of life, and science communication. Whether you’re talking about vaccines, climate change, or just what counts as the best breakfast, navigating differing views can be tricky.
In this episode, Jen and Michael explore how to approach disagreement in a way that’s respectful, productive, and human. Rather than trying to “win” or change someone’s mind outright, they suggest focusing on creating space for alternative perspectives, and recognising when agreement may not be possible.
They discuss practical strategies like actively listening, acknowledging the other person’s viewpoint, and asking permission before offering your own. Just as importantly, they reflect on when a disagreement goes beyond ideas and into values or identity and how that shifts what a “good outcome” looks like.
You can find more great advice here:
https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_to_stay_open_and_curious_in_hard_conversations

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200930-how-to-politely-and-productively-disagree

https://theconversation.com/agreeing-to-disagree-is-hurting-your-relationships-heres-what-to-do-instead-252687

Transcript: https://go.unimelb.edu.au/ds72

This week we had the pleasure of chatting with Professor Deb Bower. Deb is a Professor of Zoology in the School of Environmental and Rural Science at the University of New England, Australia. Her research focuses on the ecology, behaviour, and conservation of freshwater turtles. She investigates how altered river flows, invasive predators, and habitat modification influence turtle populations and population dynamics. Her work combines spatial ecology, population ecology, and reproductive biology to inform conservation management. Deb collaborates closely with government agencies, conservation organisations, and communities to translate ecological research into practical strategies that support the long-term conservation of Australia’s threatened freshwater turtles. She has authored several children’s stories and she loves rhyming words. 

You can follow Deb and find out more about her work here: 
Instagram handle: @lazer_une
Media:
Turning the tide for turtles - ABC listen
Tracking the health of turtles in the Murray Darling | 7.30
Environmental experts, detection dogs team up to protect native freshwater turtles - ABC News

Transcript: https://go.unimelb.edu.au/ts72

Question time can feel like the most unpredictable - and nerve-wracking - part of giving a talk. You’ve prepared your slides, rehearsed your key points… but what about the questions you can’t anticipate?
In this episode, Jen and Michael share practical strategies to help you approach Q&A with more confidence (and maybe even enjoyment).
They discuss why it’s okay not to have all the answers, how to respond to challenging or “prickly” questions, and how a little preparation can go a long way. From planning for the questions you’re most worried about to strategically inviting the ones you want, this episode reframes question time as an opportunity rather than a threat.
Ultimately, Q&A isn’t a test, it’s a chance to engage, get feedback, and continue the conversation.
You can find more great advice here:
https://www.animateyour.science/post/how-to-answer-questions-after-a-research-presentation

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3059906/

https://patthomson.net/2011/09/03/answering-audience-questions-at-conferences/

Transcript: https://go.unimelb.edu.au/ms72