Understanding how you are heard and finding your authentic voice

The document discusses the complexities of climate change communication, noting the blurred line between science and advocacy. It presents four potential roles for scientists—pure scientist, science arbiter, issue advocate, and honest broker—to help them determine how to communicate their research findings to the public and policymakers.

• Climate change communication lacks a single consensus on its goals, with potential purposes including the clearer presentation of science, building public engagement regarding societal risk, or providing information for policy makers.
• Scientists may struggle with the distinction between communication and advocacy because scientific research often has explicit policy implications.
• Scientists can adopt one of four roles when communicating: the 'Pure scientist' who conducts research; the 'Science arbiter' who determines what information decision-makers need; the 'Issue advocate' who pushes for specific policy responses; or the 'Honest broker' who provides all science-supported options for others to decide.

APA

Climate Outreach (2017). Understanding how you are heard and finding your authentic voice. https://climateoutreach.org/helix-finding-your-voice/

Chicago

Climate Outreach. Understanding how you are heard and finding your authentic voice. 2017. https://climateoutreach.org/helix-finding-your-voice/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Outreach |title=Understanding how you are heard and finding your authentic voice |date=24 October 2017 |url=https://climateoutreach.org/helix-finding-your-voice/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climateoutreach2017understanding, author = {{Climate Outreach}}, title = {{Understanding how you are heard and finding your authentic voice}}, institution = {Climate Outreach}, year = {2017}, month = oct, url = {https://climateoutreach.org/helix-finding-your-voice/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }