- This discussion was inspired by this TED talk:
Talk Nerdy to Me - The participants were:
Kat Friedrich - news editor and reporter specializing in energy, engineering and sustainability
Tara Haelle - science and health journalist and photographer
Kirk Englehardt - director of research communications at Georgia Institute of Technology
Science Writers' Handbook - a publication by and for science media professionals - .@kirkenglehardt @sciwrihandbook Do you think telling personal stories helps science communicators? I see it often in TED talks.
https://twitter.com/katsciwriter/status/603369864582045696
— Kat Friedrich (@katsciwriter)Wed, May 27 2015 01:19:20 - .@kirkenglehardt @sciwrihandbook Also, do you think science writers who post personal info tend to develop more influence on Twitter?
https://twitter.com/katsciwriter/status/603370735462121472
— Kat Friedrich (@katsciwriter)Wed, May 27 2015 01:22:48 - @katsciwriter @sciwrihandbook I think telling personal stories helps all communicators. I use personal stories all the time when I present.
https://twitter.com/kirkenglehardt/status/603752050640445440
— Kirk Englehardt (@kirkenglehardt)Thu, May 28 2015 02:38:00 - @katsciwriter @sciwrihandbook Again, I think any communicator/writer/person who shares a bit of themselves will benefit. I'm not sure...
https://twitter.com/kirkenglehardt/status/603752245767905280
— Kirk Englehardt (@kirkenglehardt)Thu, May 28 2015 02:38:47 - @katsciwriter @sciwrihandbook ...if it would mean more influence, but it could mean more engagement - which is the reason we set up...
https://twitter.com/kirkenglehardt/status/603752470129582080
— Kirk Englehardt (@kirkenglehardt)Thu, May 28 2015 02:39:40 - @katsciwriter @sciwrihandbook ...these accounts in the first place. :-) Influence is a bit different though. I believe having...
https://twitter.com/kirkenglehardt/status/603752627961225217
— Kirk Englehardt (@kirkenglehardt)Thu, May 28 2015 02:40:18 - @katsciwriter @sciwrihandbook ...personality is what separates us from the bots - and we'll grow our networks quicker if we engage...and
https://twitter.com/kirkenglehardt/status/603752853149229056
— Kirk Englehardt (@kirkenglehardt)Thu, May 28 2015 02:41:12 - @katsciwriter @sciwrihandbook we are 'engaging.' (hope that makes sense.)
https://twitter.com/kirkenglehardt/status/603752915531083776
— Kirk Englehardt (@kirkenglehardt)Thu, May 28 2015 02:41:26 - @kirkenglehardt @sciwrihandbook I think I'd like to tell more personal stories as a science communicator too.
https://twitter.com/katsciwriter/status/603945512774062080
— Kat Friedrich (@katsciwriter)Thu, May 28 2015 15:26:45 - @kirkenglehardt @sciwrihandbook The main reason I do not share a lot of personal stories is that other energy reporters usually don't.
https://twitter.com/katsciwriter/status/603946062320119808
— Kat Friedrich (@katsciwriter)Thu, May 28 2015 15:28:56 - @kirkenglehardt @sciwrihandbook In the energy industry in particular, there is this impersonal style that a lot of people use.
https://twitter.com/katsciwriter/status/603946238627749888
— Kat Friedrich (@katsciwriter)Thu, May 28 2015 15:29:38 - @kirkenglehardt @sciwrihandbook I want to relate to my audience and be authentic, but I also want to be seen as professional.
https://twitter.com/katsciwriter/status/603946416369704960
— Kat Friedrich (@katsciwriter)Thu, May 28 2015 15:30:21 - @katsciwriter @sciwrihandbook Politically this can be difficult. Especially when you're trying to remain impartial. Taking positions...
https://twitter.com/kirkenglehardt/status/603995268460187648
— Kirk Englehardt (@kirkenglehardt)Thu, May 28 2015 18:44:28 - @katsciwriter @sciwrihandbook ...is tough. But sharing a picture of your pet, or a funny story about something that happened to you...
https://twitter.com/kirkenglehardt/status/603995382465622019
— Kirk Englehardt (@kirkenglehardt)Thu, May 28 2015 18:44:55 - @katsciwriter @sciwrihandbook ...would be less problematic and endearing.
https://twitter.com/kirkenglehardt/status/603995438035927040
— Kirk Englehardt (@kirkenglehardt)Thu, May 28 2015 18:45:08 - @kirkenglehardt @sciwrihandbook That's a good point. Some anecdotes are more work-friendly than others.
https://twitter.com/katsciwriter/status/604079915227615232
— Kat Friedrich (@katsciwriter)Fri, May 29 2015 00:20:49 - @katsciwriter @kirkenglehardt Great conversation. Also, some fields are more anecdote-friendly than others, like medicine....
https://twitter.com/sciwrihandbook/status/604311635537321984
— SciWriHandbook (@sciwrihandbook)Fri, May 29 2015 15:41:36 - @katsciwriter @kirkenglehardt ...A personal essay (a sidebar, maybe) on a medical problem that relates to the main story can be powerful...
https://twitter.com/sciwrihandbook/status/604312168494944256
— SciWriHandbook (@sciwrihandbook)Fri, May 29 2015 15:43:43 - @katsciwriter @kirkenglehardt ...But the hard part is achieving balance: sharing enough to resonate without detracting from the main point.
https://twitter.com/sciwrihandbook/status/604313229117034497
— SciWriHandbook (@sciwrihandbook)Fri, May 29 2015 15:47:56 - @sciwrihandbook @katsciwriter @kirkenglehardt Tongue-in-cheek and gentle self-deprecation re field might be personal. Ie, "yea, I admit
https://twitter.com/tarahaelle/status/604313652997574656
— Tara Haelle (@tarahaelle)Fri, May 29 2015 15:49:37 - @sciwrihandbook @katsciwriter @kirkenglehardt "I've driven to the convenience store I could walk to in 10 min" in story about emissions
https://twitter.com/tarahaelle/status/604313800561577985
— Tara Haelle (@tarahaelle)Fri, May 29 2015 15:50:12 - @sciwrihandbook @katsciwriter @kirkenglehardt (totally talking off cuff; I tend to make fun of myself w some of the topics I cover)
https://twitter.com/tarahaelle/status/604313893909962752
— Tara Haelle (@tarahaelle)Fri, May 29 2015 15:50:34 - @sciwrihandbook @katsciwriter @kirkenglehardt (but not in a way that would imply I'm not credible/reliable w topic evidence. Make sense?)
https://twitter.com/tarahaelle/status/604314011392425984
— Tara Haelle (@tarahaelle)Fri, May 29 2015 15:51:02
