On Roller Coasters and Communication/Communicator Fit

I hate roller coasters.

When I was a kid, I was convinced that if I rode roller coasters enough, I would eventually like them.

Then, at the age of 18, on my alma mater’s annual takeover of Busch Gardens, I decided that if I didn’t like roller coasters by the age of majority, I was never going to like them. And then, I became that old person who sits on a lovely shaded bench while all of her friends endure 45 minutes in a sweaty, nudgy line, followed by two and a half minutes of hurtling through space.

All of this came to mind when I saw a recent Tweet comment:

In science communication, we often talk about fit between communication and audience. But what about fit between communication and communicator?

So, let’s say you hate delivering presentations. What are the options?

Option 1: Keep giving presentations. Eventually stop hating it. (i.e., Develop communication/communicator fit.)

This is what Zoltan is getting at with his comment (and my approach to riding roller coasters as a kid). And I think it’s a decent option for most students and early career professionals. Lots of new experiences can be scary, but with repetition you can build confidence and develop a personal approach that works well for you. Presenting may never be your favorite thing to do, but you can get to a place of decent communication/communicator fit.

Option 2: Keep giving presentations. Continue to hate it. (i.e., Proceed without communicator/communication fit.)

At some point, after you’ve given enough presentations (or ridden enough roller coasters), the situation has probably gotten about as comfortable as it ever will. And that comfort level may still be “abject terror.” If you keep giving presentations despite that, you’re not only making yourself miserable…you’re probably making everyone in your audience miserable.

Unfortunately, Options 1 and 2 seem like the dominant approaches in science and academia…develop the fit or proceed without it. This is especially true earlier in your career, when you need the lines on your CV to get a job, tenure, funding, or your supervisor’s admiration.

BUT (especially for folks with more flexibility or seniority) there are other options!

Option 3: Find someone else to give your presentations. (i.e., Switch out the communicator to achieve communication/communicator fit.)

There are people out there who really want to do presentations. The student or early career professional who needs the practice (or the line on their CV). The colleague who wants to network with conference attendees. The co-author who desperately needs a solo, 4-day trip to Palm Springs.

You can intentionally bring presenters onto your presentation authorship team.* Don’t think of it as foisting the pain onto someone else; you’re offering opportunities to people who will really appreciate (and maybe even enjoy!) them.

Option 4: Communicate in ways that fit your personality, style, and preferences. (i.e., Switch out the communication to achieve communication/communicator fit.)

Historically, conference presentations (along with journal articles and books) are science’s communication currency. They’re what get you hired, promoted, and funded.** But, those formats aren’t the right fit for many audiences, and they’re not the right fit for all scientists. Maybe you science would be best presented in a video, where you can re-record your script as many times as you need to and then share widely. Or maybe it should be presented as a poster, where you can chat one-on-one rather than talking at a crowd. Or maybe you could hand out informational magnets at a community event for practitioners and the general public.***

In the grand scheme of things, the most important outcome is that your message gets to your audience in a way that doesn’t cause trauma to either of you. If that can be through a presentation, great! But, if not, it’s OK to stay off the roller coaster and head to a botanical garden instead.

Need help developing a presentation or alternative research communication product? Data Soapbox can help! Contact us here.

*Or, in keeping with the roller coaster analogy, invite your kids’ adrenaline-lovin’ aunt or uncle along to the amusement park.

**Or, as one Tweeter commented…

***One of my favorite science-informed magnets is similar to this one, and it has a prominent place on our fridge.