Strategic Science Communication

This guidebook is essential reading for all professionals in the field.

Informed by decades’ worth of agency experience, Bernard Gauthier prepares aspiring public relations professionals to think strategically about communication and to plan and implement effective campaigns. Strategic Communication in Canada is grounded upon a simple yet comprehensive framework called the CARE model, which teaches readers how to strategically select goals and objectives that bring about change, identify and engage key audiences, determine their strongest resources as well as those needing improvement, and scan the external environment for opportunities and threats. Brimming with examples from the Canadian context, this highly accessible text demonstrates how to develop a communication strategy, from building an action plan and amassing content, to implementing the campaign and evaluating the results. Easy to follow, this step-by-step guide to strategic planning features practical advice and study tools such as learning objectives, key terms and concepts, questions for critical reflection, and an original, detailed case study of a successful campaign. This insightful read is essential for students in public relations, marketing communication, and business strategy.

Science is an essentially cooperative, critical, and dynamic enterprise. Were it not for the continuous creation and improvement of special forms of communication, argumentation, and innovation, all of them suitable for its three key features, scientific knowledge and progress could hardly be achieved. The aim of this volume is to explore the nature of science communication in its several functions, modalities, combinations, and evolution - past, present, and future. One of our objectives is to provide an overview of the richness and variety of elements that take part in performing the complex tasks and fulfilling the functions of science communication. The overall structure and criteria for the choice of topics: 1. The origin and target of a communication episode - its source(s) and addressee(s). 2. The media of communication employed. 3. The thematic field and content types. 4. The distinction between aspects of science communication (e.g., media, texttypes, domains, communicative maxims) and aspects of research on science communication (e.g., the contribution of different research traditions to the understanding of science communication). 5. The history and dynamics of science communication (past, present, and future), both in an empirical perspective (e.g., the development of the research article) and a systematic perspective (e.g., what are basic types and mechanisms of change in science communication).

This edited volume reports on the growing body of research in science communication training, and identifies best practices for communication training programs around the world. Theory and Best Practices in Science Communication Training provides a critical overview of the emerging field of by analyzing the role of communication training in supporting scientists’ communication and engagement goals, including scientists’ motivations to engage in training, the design of training programs, methods for evaluation, and frameworks to support the role of communication training in helping scientists reach their communication and engagement goals. This volume reflects the growth of the field and provides direction for developing future researcher-practitioner collaborations. With contributions from researchers and practitioners from around the world, this book will be of great interest to students, scholars and, professionals within this emerging field.

For over 30 years the science on climate change has been clear: it is happening, we humans caused it, and it puts all our futures at risk. Global warming can still be reversed, or at least the worst prevented, if we act in time. However, despite valiant efforts by scientists, activists and science reporters, little meaningful change has occurred. This is largely the result of well-funded professional strategic communication efforts by vested interests. They have been highly successful in achieving their central goal: protecting the profitable status quo by creating gridlock to slow down meaningful action on climate change. Strategic Climate Science Communications: Effective Approaches to Fighting Climate Denial analyzes some of the communication strategies employed by deniers and the psychological mechanisms behind how they work. Several experts offer specific counter-strategies to change the conversation and foster meaningful societal change on global warming. The book helps environmental journalists to build up resistance against being manipulated by highly effective public relations techniques often successfully used against them. It can also help scientists and activists to become more effective communicators. An effective strategy is best countered by even better strategy.

This edited volume reports on the growing body of research in science communication training and identifies best practices for communication training programs around the world. Theory and Best Practices in Science Communication Training provides a critical overview of this emerging field. It analyzes the role of communication training in supporting scientists’ communication and engagement goals, including their motivations to engage in training, the design of training programs, methods for evaluation, and frameworks to support the role of communication training in helping scientists reach their goals. Overall, this collection reflects on the growth of the field and provides direction for developing future researcher–practitioner collaborations. With contributions from researchers and practitioners from around the world, this book will be of great interest to students, scholars and professionals within this emerging field.

Strategic communication is becoming more relevant in communication sciences, though it needs to deepen its reflective practices, especially considering its potential in a VUCA world — volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous. The capillary, holistic and result-oriented nature that portrays this scientific field has led to the imperative of expanding knowledge about the different approaches, methodologies and impacts in all kinds of organisations when strategic communication is applied. Therefore Strategic Communication in Context: Theoretical Debates and Applied Research assembles several studies and essays by renowned authors who explore the topic from different angles, thus testing the elasticity of the concept. Moreover, this group of authors represents various schools of thought and geographies, making this book particularly rich and cross-disciplinary.