12:25 p.m.
Dear IUFRO Meliaceae Working party:
Below is IUFRO Spotlight #70. Other Spotlights can be found at:
http://www.iufro.org/media/iufro-spotlights/
Regards,
Sheila Ward
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: IUFRO Headquarters <office(a)iufro.org>
Date: Wed, Jul 31, 2019 at 6:51 AM
Subject: IUFRO Congress Spotlight #70 - Explaining forest research findings
to non-scientists: Some tools and ideas to facilitate
To: Dear IUFRO Officeholder <mahoganyforthefuture(a)gmail.com>
[image: IUFRO Spotlight]
IUFRO Congress Spotlight #70 - Explaining forest research findings to
non-scientists: Some tools and ideas to facilitate communication
*IUFRO Spotlight issues up to September 2019 will primarily focus on the
XXV IUFRO World Congress that will take place on 29 September-5 October
2019 in Curitiba, Brazil.*
*Individual Congress sessions will be highlighted in order to draw
attention to the broader Congress themes, the wide variety of topics that
will be addressed at the Congress and their importance on a regional and
global scale.*
*Visit the Congress website at http://iufro2019.com/
<http://iufro2019.com/> or https://www.iufro.org/events/congresses/2019/
<https://www.iufro.org/events/congresses/2019/>.*
Explaining forest research findings to non-scientists: Some tools and ideas
to facilitate communication
PDF for download
<https://www.iufro.org/fileadmin/material/publications/spotlights/congress-spotlight70-explaining-forest-research-findings.pdf>
[image: Photo showing child with smart phone in a forest. By Анна Куликова
from Pixabay (edited).]
By Анна Куликова from Pixabay (edited)
Communication has been defined as the process of passing information and
understanding from one person to another. But, to be effective, the
information passed must be in a language and terminology that the person or
persons receiving it will understand.
"While the rigor of science and the underlying data can be appreciated by
other scientists, wider communications demand more than a peer-reviewed
publication," said Jennifer Hayes, Director, Science Application and
Communication, United States Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research
Station and Deputy Leader of the FAO-UNECE Forest Communicators Network.
"The general public want to know why they should care; and decision-makers
want to know what the data means and how they should interpret the findings.
"If you can successfully get your message across about why your research is
important, it makes everything so much easier – whether it be successfully
getting stakeholder buy-in, informing sound forest management decisions, or
sharing good reasons to continue funding your research," Ms. Hayes said.
Ms. Hayes is the session organizer for: *Delivering and communicating
forest science for people and a greener future* at the IUFRO World Congress
in Curitiba, Brazil this fall.
For scientists, she said, in terms of communicating more widely, there can
sometimes be fear of dealing with the media, or fear of colleagues'
reactions to their interviews, or a lack of time – or interest – in
carefully honing messages and, in some cases, there is simply an apathetic
attitude toward communication.
"Our session hopes to address multiple aspects of these obstacles and
issues. We will hear from scientists – 10 of them – who are successfully
communicating their research and learn from their experiences (e.g. climate
simulation experiences in Kenya). We will deep-dive into some specific
communication tool use and from this will see how some of those tools might
be applied to other topics (e.g. augmented reality).
"And, we will look at how we are helping inform the next generation about
the importance of forests and forest management," she said.
"As communicators, we're working with scientists to co-produce knowledge
about best practices – figuring out what works for a given audience," she
said. "We are trying to create an informed public that knows at least a
little bit about how forest science relates to the world around them, and
this is where many tools can play a role.
"If, for example, we are looking to help a small, rural landowner help
improve a food forest's productivity, we might possibly find a visual flow
chart, an in-person consultation, or a publication most useful," Ms. Hayes
said.
"On the other hand, if we're trying to share a message widely about science
findings that predict wildfire potential for a season, we might use social
media, press conferences, webinars, or email blasts."
One of the challenges is that a lot of people in the general public don't
even know where to go to access science, or they don't have the time to
sort through hundreds of publications on a topic. So synthesizing and then
creating easily understandable communication that highlights findings is
crucial.
"I think one critical skill is for scientists to be able to use simplified
(non-technical) language so they can summarize, in 30 seconds or less, why
what they do is important," Ms. Hayes said.
"I suggest to the scientists I work with that they ask a neighbor or a
relative who does not work in natural resources to listen to their summary
and see if they understand it.
"Then they have the listener repeat back what they heard. Usually the
person paraphrasing it back does it in a shorter amount of time than the
researcher and, they only hold onto and repeat back what – to them – is the
most important information. It helps the scientist see what resonates, and
what needs work.
"Obviously," she added. "This won't work for all forest science. But we
are
seeing a rise in popularity of info-graphics and text-over videos and short
snips. That's because they are accessible and people can view them anywhere
from their phones in short segments that do not require a lot of their time
to digest."
She pointed out that "the public sees some of what happens related to
forest management as ‘bad' for forests, when in fact it is good for forests
and the species that depend on them. Research can help shift perspectives
by providing scientific proof of how activities positively, negatively, or
neutrally impact forests – this information can then be used to help shape
policy."
"We hope participants will learn practical skills, get ideas for techniques
and approaches they can use, and create a network of others interested in
better communicating their research. They should feel empowered to get out
there and interact with the public and non-scientists about their research
and why it matters," Ms. Hayes concluded.
*There will also be a Congress sub-plenary session on forest communication
on 1 October with Ms Hayes as one of the speakers.*
*See you at the IUFRO 2019 World Congress*!
Visit *http://iufro2019.com/ <http://iufro2019.com/>* * Look out for
*#IUFRO2019
<https://twitter.com/hashtag/iufro2019?f=tweets&vertical=default&src=hash>*
on Twitter and *XXV IUFRO World Congress 2019
<https://www.facebook.com/events/1881111872132294/>* on Facebook
------------------------------------------------
*IUFRO Spotlight* is an initiative of the International Union of Forest
Research Organizations. Its aim is to introduce, in a timely fashion,
significant findings in forest research from IUFRO member organizations
and/or involving IUFRO officeholders to a worldwide network of decision
makers, policy makers and researchers.
*The findings reported here are submitted by IUFRO Member Organizations.
IUFRO is pleased to highlight and circulate these findings to a broad
audience but, in doing so, acts only as a conduit. The quality and accuracy
of the reports are the responsibility of the member organization and the
authors.*
Suggestions for reports and findings that could be promoted through *IUFRO
Spotlight* are encouraged. To be considered, reports should be fresh, have
policy implications and be applicable to more than one country. If you
would like to have a publication highlighted by *Spotlight*, *contact:
Gerda Wolfrum, wolfrum(at)iufro.org <wolfrum(a)iufro.org>*g>*.
The International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) is the
only worldwide organization devoted to forest research and related
sciences. Its members are research institutions, universities, and
individual scientists as well as decision-making authorities and other
stakeholders with a focus on forests and trees. Visit:
https://www.iufro.org/
------------------------------------------------
*IUFRO Congress Spotlight #70 published in July 2019 by IUFRO Headquarters,
Vienna, Austria. Available for download at:
**https://www.iufro.org/media/iufro-spotlights/
<https://www.iufro.org/media/iufro-spotlights/>*
*Contact the editor at office(at)iufro.org <wolfrum(a)iufro.org> or
visit https://www.iufro.org/ <https://www.iufro.org/?id=104>*
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