Using the Message Box Workbook

Overview

Teaching: 15 min
Exercises: 30 min

Questions

• How can I better communicate my work?

Objectives

• Use the Message Box tool to help you describe your work in clear and concise points that are most relevant to your chosen audience.

Instead of re-inventing the wheel, I’ve found an organization that’s dedicated to helping scientists effectively communicate their work, and I’m pointing you there. It takes some time and dedication to work through their materials, but you will definitely benefit from the investment.

The following link will take you to a site dedicated to working through The Message Box (Compass Science Communication, Inc., 2017). This is a free tool that can be helpful to start talking about your science in a way that resonates with your audience. This is really helpful when writing grants, as funders have different objectives when deciding which projects to fund. As a grant writer, it’s up to you to know what those objectives are, and to write about your project in a way that makes sense to them. See examples of how other researchers are using the workbook, and practice working on your own message box.

The Message Box Workbook

Key Points

• The human brain can take in 3-5 pieces of information in at a time

• Identify your audience, and determine what matters to them

• Learn to articulate the Issue, the Problem, the So What?, Solutions, and Benefits in your work