Part 2: Lessons I learned during the pandemic

SciComm edition

Our excellent YLE copy editor is out this week. I think we will all live, but consider this your warning.

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If you asked me— a random epidemiologist— four years ago the biggest lesson learned during a pandemic, I would have never guessed my answer today: Scientific communication. Not only the need but the how and what.

That’s because I was never trained in it. Many (if not all?) public health practitioners are not. It isn’t a core competency in our field, which became painstakingly apparent during our biggest test. It lost decades of trust.

Here’s a list of lessons I learned over the past 3.5 years.

(In case you missed it, this follows last week’s post that covered “lessons learned” more broadly.)

Cartoon by Tom Dunne

The Need

• In Feb 2020, the WHO deemed the “infodemic” a top global health threat. Looking back, I couldn’t agree more.

• Misinformation is a huge challenge, but proactive communication is even more critical. We can’t just put out fires but need to prevent them. Take people along for the scientific discovery ride.

• Scientific communication needs to be separate from advocacy. That is if you want to break echo chambers.

• The best and most effective comms, particularly during emergencies, are those impervious to external pressures. This is rare to find.

The How

• Knowledge translation is an art form—a balance between nuance and understandability. Get out of the weeds but do not underestimate the public.

• People won’t listen to a concrete wall, nor should they. They deserve a face. A voice. Someone real and consistent. Give trust to take trust.

• Listening is different than hearing. Communication has to be bi-directional. People have millions of legitimate questions. Find them and approach from a place of empathy.

• Trusted messengers are everything. Pastors. Teachers. Clinicians. And, yes, even Trump. Translated knowledge should be diffused through massive grassroots networks.

• You will get things wrong. Own it.

• SciComm takes a ridiculous amount of time and energy. “A lie can go around the world before the truth gets its pants on.”

The What

• Figuring out what to talk about can be tricky, but figuring out what not to talk about is even more challenging.

• Anticipate needs, interests, and questions before misinformation enters the scene.

• Communicating uncertainty is a must. What do you know? But more importantly, what do you not know? And how are you finding the answer?

• Words matter. There’s a reason why you won’t find the word “misinformation” or “conspiracy theory” in specific YLE posts (like here or here).

• Under 1000 words. Bullet points. Bold. Headings. (The book Smart Brevity changed my perspective dramatically).

• Data without meaningful context are meaningless.

• Always furnish solutions. Include a call to action.

Bottom line

I’m sure communication specialists are laughing at this list; none of this is new. But it is new to me. It is also new to the field. And that was precisely the problem.

I hope the field can recognize the need and urgently implement change. If not, we have no one else to blame for losing trust but ourselves.

Love, YLE

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“Your Local Epidemiologist (YLE)” is written by Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, MPH Ph.D.—an epidemiologist, wife, and mom of two little girls. During the day, she is a senior scientific consultant to several organizations. At night she writes this newsletter. Her main goal is to “translate” the ever-evolving public health world so that people will be well-equipped to make evidence-based decisions. This newsletter is free, thanks to the generous support of fellow YLE community members. To support this effort, subscribe below: