Comments on: Truth and/or clarity

By: Irishman

Irishman — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 20:11:11 +0000

One of the best science presenters I have seen is Steven Squyres. He came around doing results from the MERs. He was dynamic, exciting, and very clear. He really connected to the audience, that included a large percentage of non-specialists.

Having passion for what you do is good. Being prepared, knowing your material is important. Being able to convey it in non-technical language is priceless.

I recall being a newly graduated engineer talking about my job to friends and family. I quickly learned to cut out the acronyms and find common word descriptions to identify items under discussion. Those acronyms take time for me to pick up through constant use, they’re that much tougher on the non-initiated. Science speak is much like that.

By: Will M

Will M — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 19:35:32 +0000

I think that the successful speaker must tailor his information to his audience. If you are speaking to colleagues, you can be more technical than if you are speaking to a group which is comprised of lay people. However, all speeches benefit from humor, as all popular speakers of whatever stripe realize and utilize. And brevity is better than longevity; the ability to get a point across without putting the audience into a trance is prized. I think that many folks who give public addresses on topics related to or about science could learn a few tricks about effective presentations. I don’t think that these folks have to be especially charismatic; they do need to be well prepared and include humor within their topics. With preparation comes confidence and a command that will engender attention. These addresses could be treated like a stand-up comedy act but with only a fourth of the comedy displayed. I would guess that much of the science awareness level of a general audience today is at that of a high school student (at least I hope it’s that high); and to be entertaining while doling out science isn’t a bad thing.

By: David

David — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 19:09:45 +0000

MO Man

You lose:

http://depletedcranium.com/?p=63

By: ABR

ABR — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 18:54:06 +0000

aiabx,

Ein Skepticism is like ein Berliner except with sprinkles on top. But you may want to verify that for yourself.

By: aiabx

aiabx — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 18:42:31 +0000

>> Ich bin ein Skepticism.

Is that another kind of jelly donut?

By: Quiet_Desperation

Quiet_Desperation — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 17:54:24 +0000

>>> Iâ€™m curious, though (and this is not to criticize
>>> anyone), when did â€œchickâ€ go from being a sexist
>>> term to being okay, even cool?

Ask the Dixie Chicks.

It’s just a version of the Spanish word “chica”.

Maybe about the time “queer” in certain contexts became OK, as in “Queer Eye For The Straight Guy”?

It’s a way of denying a derogatory term its power. Instead of fighting it, you take it over and mainstream it.

>>> the â€œGerman Phil Plaitâ€

Ich bin ein Skepticism.

By: DrFlimmer

DrFlimmer — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 17:15:06 +0000

In Germany we have a guy I want to call the “Geman Phil Plait” and his name is Harald Lesch. He was/is on the TV with a TV show called “alpha centauri” and he is really talking about very difficult themes and he is talking about them in a very cool way nearly everyone can understand!
But as said he is one of the rare people who can do it. And I’m not sure how many people really know him. If more would physics and astronomy would be better understood in the public.