The Complexities of Accurately Communicating Science

The way we convey ideas matters, simple as that. And, as we’ve learned from our J-school days or from workplace mentors or from years of trial and error, there’s a big difference between the baseline skill of communicating and the strategic skill of storytelling. 

Sure, communicating probably gets the point across but is the audience motivated to act or inspired or enlightened? Do they want to retell the content to a co-worker? Do they understand why the ideas matter? 

Likely not, because “just” communicating is a one-way exchange without the benefit of an all-important narrative arc that creates context and establishes an emotional connection. If we want to be effective information conveyors, then the ability to tell stories must be a primary skill.