Communicating science: a handbook

Abstract

Part 1 Introduction: why communicate? science and public how not to become an expert - avoiding expert-ese, filling knowledge gap. Part 2 Writing: outlets and opportunities - news, features, books, book reviews style and subtance - a scientist's guide to style, shock of new, word pictures, good for a laugh?, form and function, beginnings and endings, rewriting words and sentences - jargon, short and sweet, word chemistry, sentence structure, punctuation numbers - quantities, probabilities illustrations - pictures, graphs, printing and publishing working with publishers - editing, on nature of proofs, writing an index. Part 3 Speaking: sit and prepare - planning a talk, a plan in action, making notes, practice makes...better stand and deliver - conquering nerves, speaking out, gesture and posture, deliveries, bad habits, coping with questions, encore! visual aids - show and tell, slides, overhead projectors, flip charts, blackboards, films, video, demonstrations. Part 4 Meeting the media: interviews for press - preparing for an interview, main event, information services, aftermath television - taking to air, accepting invitations, studio, interview radio - finding stories, speaking for listeners, you and your audience.