Escape from the Ivory Tower: A Practical Guide for Scientists Who Want to Make Their Science Matter

"No one understands scientists the way Nancy Baron does. This book helps connect the worlds of science, journalism, and policy in very entertaining and insightful ways. If you care about linking science with action, this is the book to read."--Pat Matson "Scientific Director of the Leopold Leadership Program " "In our age of information overload it is easy for research to disappear without trace. If you want yours to get noticed, read Nancy Baron's excellent guide."--Callum Roberts "Professor of Marine Conservation, University of York " "At last! The definitive manual on communicating science effectively in an era of environmental change--Baron's book provides the practical tools to make a difference."--Diana Wall "Director, School of Global Environmental Sustainability " "Nancy Baron has been helping scientists talk to the media and to their public patrons for a decade...Her extraordinary leadership has changed the lives of young scientists; here she has produced a book that will help both senior scientists and their students...to deal with journalists, interviewers, the Rotary Club, and even Congressional committees."--Donald Kennedy "Editor of Science magazine 2000-2008, Commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration " "By challenging scientists to find and use their own voice, Nancy Baron has done more than anyone in the last decade to raise public awareness about our imperiled oceans. Her fingerprints can be found on nearly every preeminent paper and salient symposium. Not since Sir Peter Medawar published the classic Advice to a Young Scientist has so much wisdom been shared so concisely. Whether you are a scientist or writer, young or old, you don't have to read this book--unless you are committed to saving our blue planet."--Larry Crowder "Director, Duke Center for Marine Conservation " "Nancy Baron is a master of the art of science communication. Escape from the Ivory Tower is essential reading for scientists who want their work understood by the public and decision makers."--Natasha Loder "science and technology correspondent, The Economist "

Most scientists and researchers aren't prepared to talk to the press or to policymakers - or to deal with backlash. And many researchers have the horror stories to prove it. As Nancy Baron points out, scientists who decide they want to inform those outside their own research arena and help guide public discourse need to learn a new set of skills. No matter what your scientific specialty is, writes Baron, the keys to success are thinking clearly, knowing what you want to say, understanding your audience, and using everyday language to get your main points across. Developing these skills is the object of this book. According to Baron, scientists, journalists and policymakers represent three very different cultures. Speaking effectively to journalists and policymakers - the people who make scientists' findings available to the general public - requires scientists to learn a new language. In this clear and understandable guide to 'communicating science', Baron explains to scientists how to engage an audience, how to tell why a particular finding matters, and how to describe research in an interesting way. She explains to journalists how to develop the same skills for explaining science. The book includes case studies from journalists and from some of the more than 4,000 scientists Baron has trained in communication workshops. Many of her trainees have gone on to become well-known spokespeople for science-related issues. The book is accompanied by an interactive website maintained by Baron herself.