Let's Talk SciComm

This week we were absolutely delighted (and, we'll admit, a little starstruck) to sit down with Dr Kit Prendergast: native bee researcher, taxonomist, conservation biologist, science communicator and performing artist, better known to many as Bee Babette. Kit came to science through a blend of the arts and the sciences, and that mix of creativity and rigour has come to define her career. She fell for native bees back in 2016, drawn...

Perfectionism isn't all bad — it usually means you care deeply about your work. The trouble starts when it tips into paralysis and nothing ever makes it out into the world. In this short episode, Jen and Michael share how they've learned to hit publish anyway: separating high standards from a fear of being judged, asking what you'd tell a friend in the same boat, gathering people who'll remind you your work is good enough, an...

We're kicking off Season 20 with a guest whose career path we found completely fascinating. Forrest Shaw is a stand-up comedian and writer whose comedy career began after a decade working as a marine and environmental biologist in his hometown of Miami, Florida - a career that saw him study everything from manatees and sea turtles to seagrass meadows, coral reefs and water quality. So it's safe to say he knows his way around the oc...

Staring down a big deadline and suddenly overcome by the urge to tidy your desk, reorganise your bookshelf, or look up random facts? You're in good company. In this short episode, Jen and Michael (both fresh from some very big deadlines of their own) share how they get unstuck: treating procrastination as an emotional issue rather than a time-management one, being kind to yourself when you've (once again) left it late, holding onto...

This week we were thrilled to be joined by the wonderful Molly Patton - founder, sci-comm lead and producer at Miscible, a Melbourne-based science communication studio that has quickly made a name for itself for the way it turns complex research into visually striking, deeply engaging stories. Molly's path here is a fascinating one: a former biomaterials postgrad, she walked away from academia after watching the same three problems...

Been invited to talk about your research on the radio? Congratulations, and welcome to the world of "wild listeners." In this short episode, Jen and Michael explain why radio is unlike almost any other communication opportunity you'll get: your audience hasn't tuned in specifically for you, and they're very likely driving, cooking, or wrangling a toddler while you talk. Michael shares his practical tips for cutting through - short ...

This week we were thrilled to chat with the wonderfully interdisciplinary Dr Paul Mason: anthropologist, neuroscientist, medical researcher, and inventor of a dung beetle board game. Paul cheerfully describes his own CV as looking "like a pizza with the lot" (with, somehow, even the pineapple on there). Paul is also a musician, dancer and capoeira practitioner who began his studies wanting to get into brain research, before realisi...

"I'm happy to talk to different audiences, but I don't want to dumb down my research."

It's a phrase Jen and Michael both quietly dread and in this short episode, they dig into why it rubs them the wrong way. The problem isn't wanting to stay accurate; it's the assumption baked into "dumbing down" that your audience isn't intelligent. Jen and Michael reframe the whole challenge: it's not about simplifying your ideas, it's about simp...

Have you ever met an astrometallurgist? Neither had we, until we had the great pleasure of chatting with Dr Matt Shaw on this week's episode!

Matt's career genuinely sounds like it was pulled straight from the pages of a sci-fi novel, but it's very much grounded in real, cutting-edge science. He began as a metallurgist in the mining industry - extracting metals like gold from rocks, or as he describes it, "basically Minecraft, but i...

Ever feel like you don't quite belong, or that everyone around you knows what they're doing while you're just hoping no one finds out that you don’t? In this season’s first Listen To This Episode, Jen and Michael talk honestly about the imposter experience at work: why feeling like a bit of a fraud is more normal (and more useful) than you might think, and how to keep showing up anyway.

Sharing how you feel with friends,...

Welcome to a new season of Let’s Talk Scicomm - we’re thrilled to be back with you for Season 19! 

We can’t imagine a better way to launch the season than a chat with the brilliant Kirsty Costa, host and creator of the Weekend Birder Podcast. 

Weekend Birder is one of Australia’s most-loved science and nature podcasts, opening birdwatching up to anyone who’s curious. Kirsty works at the interse...

Email is essential, but it can also suck the life out of you. In this episode, Jen and Michael share their best advice for taming the inbox: write clear subject lines, put your call to action up front, and keep emails short so you reduce the cognitive load on the person reading.

They also discuss a brilliant piece of counterintuitive advice from Dr Jonathan O'Donnell: take longer to reply. Slowing down your responses to non-urgent e...

This week we were lucky enough to have an absolutely fascinating conversation with Dr Hannah Little. Hannah has been researching science communication for nearly 10 years, first as a Senior Lecturer in Science Communication at UWE Bristol and now in the Department of Communication and Media at the University of Liverpool. Previously, she did her PhD in the field of evolutionary linguistics at the Artificial Intelligence Lab at the ...

Disagreements are part of life, and science communication. Whether you’re talking about vaccines, climate change, or just what counts as the best breakfast, navigating differing views can be tricky.

In this episode, Jen and Michael explore how to approach disagreement in a way that’s respectful, productive, and human. Rather than trying to “win” or change someone’s mind outright, they suggest focusing o...

This week we had the pleasure of chatting with Professor Deb Bower. Deb is a Professor of Zoology in the School of Environmental and Rural Science at the University of New England, Australia. Her research focuses on the ecology, behaviour, and conservation of freshwater turtles. She investigates how altered river flows, invasive predators, and habitat modification influence turtle populations and population dynamics. Her work combi...

Question time can feel like the most unpredictable - and nerve-wracking - part of giving a talk. You’ve prepared your slides, rehearsed your key points… but what about the questions you can’t anticipate?

In this episode, Jen and Michael share practical strategies to help you approach Q&A with more confidence (and maybe even enjoyment).

They discuss why it’s okay not to have all the answers, how to respond...

In this weeks' episode we had a fascinating chat with Dr Tommy Leung who is a parasitologist interested in the ecological and evolutionary facets of parasitism. Their research covers a range of parasite-related topics including macroecological patterns of parasitism, parasite community composition, parasite-host interactions, and disease ecology. The aim of their research is to shed light on a ubiquitous but often overlooked aspect...

Being invited to speak with a journalist is both exciting and a little nerve-wracking. In this episode, Jen and Michael chat about how to approach media interviews with confidence while staying in control of your message.

They emphasise the importance of knowing your key points before you begin, while also being prepared for conversations to take unexpected turns. Michael shares a “walking the dog” analogy to capture thi...

Welcome to Season 18 of Let’s Talk SciComm! 

We’re excited to be launching our new season with a fantastic conversation with scicomm guru Emma Donnelly. Emma is a science communication specialist, leadership trainer and coach with more than 25 years’ experience helping researchers and technical experts translate expertise into influence.

She is Manager of Inspiring Victoria at the Royal Society of Victoria, wor...