2015 AAAS Annual Meeting (12-16 February 2015)

February 12 - 16, 2015

Demanufacturing Doubt: A Strategy for Compelling Science Communication

When we talk about science, we often assume that people are generally uninformed, or worse, misinformed; if we could just explain the facts clearly, then everyone would accept what we already know to be true. Unfortunately, that’s not how science understanding works. Research consistently shows that simply giving people more information does not persuade them – it may even polarize them, depending on how that information threatens or affirms their values and social identity. During this workshop, attendees will learn to identify the core values of four archetypal worldviews and how they influence perception, reflect on how their own values that may influence their communication style, and develop a strategy to enable more compelling communication.