Talking your audience’s language in Indonesia

Dr Intan Suci Nurhati, Research Center for Oceanography of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences – Author for Sixth Assessment Report, Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis @coral_oracle @lipiindonesia – Facebook,  @lipiindonesia – Twitter, @lipiindonesia – Instagram, LIPI – Linkedin, LIPI – Youtube

“Be a scientist in substance, but use the audience’s language in delivery. This means adapting your language in different ways for different audiences. For meetings with colleagues from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, I put myself in their negotiator’s shoes. Besides being a scientist who provides scientific checks, I would also offer strategies that help their interest in fighting climate change. They really appreciated this. I maintain a professional relationship during meetings and a casual relationship after hours, so they can comfortably seek my inputs whenever they need it. 

Similarly, when I was at a forum with CEOs and influencers organized by the National Geographic and The Economist magazine, I used their language to explain how paleoclimatology is similar to the stock market –  projecting future climate using paleoclimate is no different from choosing good stocks by understanding patterns in past market performance. I’ve even made my own instagram account (@coral_oracle) which is dedicated to science communication and is popular with the high school students that attend the National Science Camp that I speak at.

Photo credit: National Geographic Society

In all this, I’ve learned to take my scientist jacket off and understand my audiences’ needs from seeking my expertise.  In turn, my scientific direction has been shaped by questions raised by people I interact with, especially the media because of their ability to see the bigger picture.”