Online Program

Building Your Audience: Crafting a Voice to Communicate Statistics to the General Public (304122)

Keywords: communication, audience, writing, voice

As a quantitative researcher, the ability to communicate effectively to a variety of audiences is an invaluable skill. And while many in the statistics community are well-versed in the language and abilities necessary to communicate within this group, finding your voice for an external audience generates immense value for your work. Better communication allows for a greater ability to explain ideas and methods to collaborators, granting organizations, and even fellow quantitative researchers.

In this talk, I address the necessary steps to craft a voice outside of the research community, and tips on how to make that communication valuable in your career. The process starts with identifying an audience, whether that's tied to policy, data science, visualization, or any other field adjacent to the quantitative sciences. Then, I introduce different ways to address an audience, and the different streams one can develop to better connect with those interested in their work. And finally, I discuss ways to continue building your target audience, how to diversify the streams to reach them, and ways to promote that work as a relevant part of your career.