CSPC 2018

Organized by: NIVA Inc. - Sean Young-Steinberg

Hi there Ms. Scientist, that looks like some interesting work you are doing there - but please help me
understand: what does it really mean, who is implicated, and why should Canadians care? So, Mr.
Researcher, you say those are some important results, but how can this information be put into use if
it is just sitting there, buried in a journal article that policy makers or other stakeholders won’t read,
nor comprehend? How do we put this in an accessible form that will motivate audiences to act on it?

The billions of dollars spent each year in Canada on scientific research and development generates a
tremendous volume of critical new knowledge and information. This includes gaining a better understanding of the world we live in, innovative new technologies that improve our quality of life, and ways to reduce the impact humans are having on the planet. While these efforts all have great merit on their own, without the capacity to effectively transmit this knowledge to the people who are in a position to make decisions or change their behaviours, little to no action will ever come of it.
Mobilizing scientific knowledge, whether from discovery to decision making, findings to funding, or from research to regulation, is no easy task. A key element for engaging, informing, and motivating target audiences is developing high-impact messaging that is clear, simple, and relevant. This approach also includes “knowledge brokering” as a means to bridge these two worlds to ensure that the right information is available to the right people.

More broadly, science communication is essentially distilling complex information into to its key
elements, and translating them into accessible plain language and visual representations that are tailored to specific audiences, to ensure they understand the message you are trying to deliver. These communications must be developed with a deep appreciation of the needs and motivations of a given audience. The use of narratives and storytelling are also key tools to engage and bring an emotional connection to your readers, and for communicating complex subjects to policy-makers and the general public.

With all this being said, there can be significant barriers and challenges that prevent knowledge mobilization and science communication activities from effectively delivering information to the right people at the right time so it can have an impact. What are those barriers, and how can they be overcome? What are some examples of success and failure in this regard? This session will explore how knowledge can be better mobilized and communicated to move people (including policy makers) to action, enable well-informed decisions, and bring it into active use. Successfully making the connections between research/expertise and policy/practice is critical to achieving desired outcomes and this includes building relationships, trust, and understanding between knowledge creators and users.