Science and Storytelling? You Bet it Works

Today one of the most pressing issues facing scientists is the inability of the scientific community to communicate with the wider society. Formulating an effective way of transmitting scientific ideas to those with no prior understanding has eluded scientists for centuries. However it seems that the answer can be found in an art form, which predates science by thousands of years. The art form in question is storytelling.

The issue with science today is that it can't explain itself to the general public. What this means is that science isn't able to "tell the story of science" (Kukaswadia, 2013) . Just like the latest novel you've read science has its beginnings, its middle bits and sometimes, particularly with research projects, an end. So why then is science not communicating through the medium of a story? It’s probably because most scientists don't realise that their personal journey is a story. Tell a member of the public about your research or hypothesis and they most likely wont understand or remember it. Present it like a story however and even if they don't understand it they will remember it. There is a certain tangibility associated with a story, which can transcend the factual contents of the story itself. Furthermore it can make the information transmitted more understandable through relatedness between the common and the scientific. By presenting scientific ideas as a story it forces science to level it's contents to that which can be understood by the common person. This is why it will undoubtedly help to extend the communication abilities of the community.

According to Nancy Duarte "the most effective presenters use the same techniques as great storytellers" (Duarte, 2012) and this is particularly relevant to science. Good science communicators can make complicated ideas simple without losing the intended meaning. 

A perfect example of this is the scientific series 'Cosmos', a carry on from Carl Sagan's original production. This show has received such critical acclaim because "If you listen to the creators of Cosmos you will hear the words Story and Storytelling uttered frequently" (Raynolds, 2014). This production team has managed to take topic such the birth of the universe, refraction of light and atomic particles and made them interesting, relevant and fun. Here is seen the execution of storytelling with science at its best. One does not need know anything prior. It raises the concept that if the scientific community as a whole could do the same then understanding of scientific concepts would be greatly extended beyond the community itself.

Scientific communication will be greatly enhanced and opened up to the general public through the medium of storytelling. Its use will be a critical factor in the long-term public interest with science and helping to inspire the scientists of the future.

 Sources:

DUARTE, N. 31/10/12 2012. Structure Your Presentation Like a Story. HBR Blog Netwrok [Online]. Available from: http://blogs.hbr.org/2012/10/structure-your-presentation-li/ [Accessed 1/5 2014].

KUKASWADIA, A. 24/6/13 2013. Science and Storytelling: The use of stories in science education. Available from: http://blogs.plos.org/scied/2013/06/24/science-and-storytelling-the-use-of-stories-in-science-education/ [Accessed 1/5/14 2014].

RAYNOLDS, G. 11/3/14 2014. More storytelling lessons from "Cosmos". Presentation Zen [Online]. Available from: http://www.presentationzen.com/presentationzen/2014/03/more-story-lessons-from-cosmos.html [Accessed 1/5 2014].

Image: http://astronaut.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/LR-Cosmos-Logo.jpg