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Make your research communication PERSONAL

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Researchers are typically trained to be efficient, precise, accurate, thorough, objective, and unbiased. Studies show that people tend to respect the expertise of scientists and to see professional and technical experts as highly competent. Unfortunately, they also see them as having “low warmth” — and it turns out that perceptions of warmth are important in building trust. How can you share your warmth and your multidimensional humanity with those outside your academic walls? Virginia Tech’s Center for Communicating Science helps researchers learn to make their communication more personal.

We humans get excited when we learn that we have something in common with another, and we lean in with curiosity when we hear about something that’s new and unusual to us. We feel warmth and connection when someone shows interest in us, listens carefully to us, and is willing to be vulnerable with us.

Try it yourself

Set yourself some “being personal” goals. Here are a few ideas:

  • Speak with a stranger, not necessarily about your research but just to be friendly. Allow yourself to be curious about someone else’s life and expertise. See where the conversation goes!
  • Let the people in your non-academic communities (extended family, church, hobbies, sports) know what you’re working on — not in lecture format, just a few words on occasion to let them know that you’re a researcher and that you love what you do. Become the trusted friend that they can turn to with science-related questions.
  • Share some “not science” aspects of yourself with research colleagues and embrace the idea that there’s more to them than their lab work.
  • Set aside 10 minutes to write about your core values. How do they intersect with or guide your research? The next time you’re frustrated by someone’s views that oppose your own, explore the possibility that you hold common values.
  • Do “The Many Whos I Am” exercise: Complete the sentence “I am ______” with as many different things as you can, as quickly as you can (“I am a mother. I am a scientist. I am a teacher. I am a knitter. I am a swimmer. I am a welder. I am. . . I am. . . I am. . .”). And then share those various aspects of yourself with others!

Learn more

Fiske, S. T., & Dupree, C. (2014). Gaining trust as well as respect in communicating to motivated audiences about science topics. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 111(supplement_4), 13593-13597.

Fiske, S. T. (2018). Stereotype content: Warmth and competence endure. Current directions in psychological science, 27(2), 67-73. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721417738825

Fiske, S. T., Cuddy, A. J., & Glick, P. (2007). Universal dimensions of social cognition: Warmth and competence. Trends in cognitive sciences, 11(2), 77-83.

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This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Award No. 2412389. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.