Rita J. King has a new post on the Science House blog about Alan Alda's work teaching improv to scientists to help them better communicate their craft:
For over a decade, Alda has hosted Scientific American Frontiers. After interviewing over 700 scientists, he rejects the myth of the lone mad scientist in a lab coat. Scientists want to communicate their passion and work with the public, he contends–but they need to learn how.
He didn’t know much about science at the beginning but was “extremely curious in a freewheeling, completely improvised way.” Mostly, he would listen and ask questions, trying to get at the heart of the issue: How can scientists communicate with each other when words often mean different things within different fields, much less with the public at a time of rampant anti-intellectualism?
Clarity, vividness and personal anecdotes create a connection with the audience.
[Science House: "The Public and Science: A Blind Date" by Rita J. King]
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