Storytelling and Framing
What are the strengths of narrative storytelling?
Coherent structure, emotionally appealing
An hourglass structure refers to _______ (opening, body, end).
Board opening, detailed body, broad ending.
What is the rule of thumb about writing sentences, according to Theodore Bernstein?
One idea, one sentence
How would you define a metaphor?
Analogical projections of ideas to situations in which they do not literally apply.
What are the roles of visuals in STEM communication?
Clarity and readability; persuasion; professional image; efficiency
How is narrative different than logical-scientific communication?
Logic-scientific communication: context-free, aims to provide a general truth.
Narrative: context-specific, provides a reasonable depiction of the individual experiences.
When is it a good idea to use a chronological structure?
When your message contains history, and the audience prefers linear reading.
What is a good range of readability based on the Gunning Fog Index?
10 - 13
What are the pros of using metaphors?
Expressiveness, cross-disciplinary boundaries
When should you use a histogram or a pie chart?
Histogram: for comparing discrete categories
Bar chart: displaying portions of a whole
What are the three communication environments that framing can help deal with?
Competition for attention, Political polarization, and politically induced status quo biases.
What is an inverted pyramid structure (opening, body, end)?
Putting the important message at the top, use the body to elaborate, and use the end for additional information.
What are the three sources of unneeded words that you may consider avoiding in your writing?
Needless abbreviation, needless capital letter, needless slash.
What are the key tips for using metaphors?
Remember, they are just tools, not truth; define metaphor properly.
What does "psychic numbing" mean?
We engage most closely with stories of an individual—the detailed plight of one refugee attracts more sympathy than a larger story of eighteen refugees, never mind tens of thousands.
What is the definition of framing by Entman?
To frame is to select some aspects of a perceived reality and make them more salient in a communicating text, in such a way as to promote a particular problem definition, causal interpretation, moral evaluation, and/or treatment recommendation.
What are the three things that a good heading conveys?
A brief message, presents the right scope, collaborate well with other headings
What is the difference between "countinually" vs "countinously?"
Continually: happens repeatedly over time with interruptions
Continuously: happens without interruptions, nonstop.
What do we mean when we say that using metaphors may risk oversimplification?
It reduces complicated concepts to simplified objects.
What does it mean when we say "bringing it home" when we use numbers in STEM communication?
What are the limitations of using framing in STEM communication?
1. Effective framing does not necessarily mean ethical.
2. Does not guarantee attitude change
3. May overlook other important aspects.
How do you improve the flow of your writing?
Match the last sentence of a paragraph with the first sentence of a paragraph.
Why should you avoid using synonyms?
It can be easily turned into antonyms.
Oversimplification is about simplifying complex concepts, and reification is to make it harder to recognize other aspects beyond materials
Why does using percentage proportions to tell numbers work better when you tell large numbers?