People are much more than an academic degree, and an academic degree does not relate to how “dumb” or “smart” someone is. Nor does it mean someone deserves more or less respect or consideration.
I’m still surprised how often I hear scientists frustrated after trying to communicate their results to policy-makers or to the non-scientific public and then saying: “I swear I dumbed things down and they still wouldn’t get it”. And that “dumb things down” comes out with a certain sense of pride. But that’s not helping anybody.
People are not dumb
You have probably been studying your specific topic for some years. Think back to when you started your undergrad studies. At some point, someone explained some things to you that you had never heard before. It blew your mind. It changed your world. Probably something someone once taught you made you choose the path you’re on today. But at one point you did not know these things. There has been a long learning process for you to know what you know today, and not everybody has taken the same path as you.
People are unfamiliar with things scientists are familiar with. Familiarity. That’s the difference, not “the smarts”. Instead of “dumbing things down”, just explain the key concepts that will help you transmit your message.
Explain the concepts that the audience needs to know to understand your goal or call to action – you do not need to explain an entire field. Don’t “dumb down”, just explain!
Emotions matter
You might have heard some version of this quote already: “They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.” The second and last piece of advice I’ve received that I want to pass on to you today is this: do not address your audience in a way to make yourself feel or sound smarter, but make it your goal to make everyone in the room feel smarter.
We might lose some hope for adults every now and then, but deep down, we’re all curious primates that love to learn new things. Who doesn’t like to feel smart?
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