Understanding Audience in Science Communication

Many #datavisualization, #dashboard, and #datastorytelling mistakes can be traced back to this simple problem: taking a presenter rather than an audience perspective. 🙋🏻 When designing data charts 📊, are you designing them with the audience in mind? I’ve often found that data communicators expect their audience to see the data from their perspective without evaluating their visuals from the audience’s viewpoint. They assume that what works for them will also work for their audience. This approach can be a recipe for disaster if you don’t know your audience very well. Before rushing to present some data, you should learn as much about your audience as possible. 👉 Knowledge level: How familiar are they with the topic or data? 👉 Relevance: How relevant or meaningful is your data to them? 👉 Context: What background information or assumptions are they missing? 👉 Data literacy: Will they be able to make sense of your charts? Once you've gained this understanding, you can attempt to design the data charts in a way that makes the most sense for your audience. It's also valuable to ask for feedback from colleagues or audience members beforehand to test your approach and fix potential problems. A common excuse I hear from data professionals is that they don’t have time to tailor their content to each audience. While it’s true that you might not be able to do it all the time, it is crucial to do it as much as possible. If you don’t make time to take an audience-centric approach, you will continue to be “busy” without driving meaningful outcomes. This type of shortsighted mindset makes you vulnerable when leaders begin to question what value you’re providing. What has helped you maintain an audience-centric perspective when designing your data charts, dashboards, and data stories?

It’s not just what you say that matters - it's how your audience is wired to interpret it. Social Judgment Theory (developed by Muzafer Sherif and Carl Hovland) helps us understand why certain messages resonate while others fall flat. → The Anchor Point: Your Audience's Core Beliefs Your audience’s core beliefs act as their personal anchors - deeply held convictions that are difficult to sway. Your goal is to: - Understand these anchor points. - Align your messages with where your audience stands. (See example below) → Latitude of Acceptance: The Sweet Spot Around these anchors is a range of ideas your audience is open to - this is the Latitude of Acceptance. Messages in this range are more likely to be welcomed or at least considered. Your goal is to: - Identify and explore ideas within this latitude. - Avoid pushing beyond what they’re willing to accept. (See example below) → Latitude of Non-Commitment: The Grey Area There’s a neutral zone - the Latitude of Non-Commitment - where your audience is indifferent or undecided. It’s the “meh” area where your message might not inspire action but doesn’t provoke resistance either. Your goal is to: - Gently guide your audience from this neutral zone toward your desired outcome. - Link neutral concepts back to their core beliefs. (See example below) → Latitude of Rejection: The No-Go Zone The Latitude of Rejection is where your message faces resistance or outright dismissal. Push too hard, and your audience will double down on their original beliefs. Your goal is to: - Approach with caution and find common ground. - Gradually shift perceptions by focusing on shared values. (See example below) → Ego Involvement: The Wild Card Ego involvement is the wild card. The more an issue is tied to someone’s identity, the narrower their Latitude of Acceptance becomes. This means crafting your message with extra care. Your goal is to: - Respect and acknowledge their self-concept. - Frame new ideas as enhancements, not challenges, to their identity. (See example below) So, how can you ensure your brand’s message resonates? Start by understanding where your audience’s anchor points are. 1. Anchor your content within your audience’s core beliefs. 2. Aim for the Latitude of Acceptance to gently nudge opinions. 3. Be aware of the Latitude of Non-Commitment as a space for subtle persuasion. 4. Avoid the Latitude of Rejection unless you're prepared for resistance. 5. Approach ego-involvement with care by framing your message as a way to enhance their identity, rather than challenge it. Effective branding isn’t about shouting louder - it’s about speaking in tune with how your audience naturally thinks and feels. When you align your message with Social Judgment Theory, you connect with them on a deeper level.

 Understanding Who They Really Are If You want to connect, engage, and inspire action, you need to go deeper than surface-level demographics. It’s not enough to know what your audience does or where they hang out. You need to understand who they are at their core. Here’s what you should dive into: 💁♀️ Personality Are they analytical thinkers? Dreamers? Practical doers? Speak their language. If they’re numbers-driven, show data. If they’re creative, paint a picture with words. 💁♀️ Hopes & Fears What’s their biggest dream? What keeps them up at night? Great messaging shows them you get it, and positions you as the guide to their desired future. 💁♀️ Beliefs What do they value? What do they stand for, or against? Align your message with their worldview, and you’ll create trust faster than you can say “authentic connection.” 💁♀️ Values Do they prioritize freedom, security, innovation, or community? Show them how your product, service, or idea supports what they care about most. When you understand these four things, your content doesn’t feel like marketing. It feels like a conversation with someone who really gets them. 💡 Pro Tip: Don’t assume ➡️ Ask questions ➡️ Engage in conversations. ➡️ Listen. Your audience will tell you everything you need to know if you’re paying attention. What’s one thing you’ve learned about your audience that changed how you connect with them?

The shift from “What do I want to say?” to “What do they need to hear?” changes everything. The biggest mistake communicators make is assuming we know what our audience needs to hear before we’ve truly listened to them. That’s not strategy - that’s gambling with your message. As a result, we are solving our own understanding and priorities, instead of the audience’s actual pain points. Here is the approach that actually works: 1. Start with curiosity - Have conversations with your audience about their challenges and goals 2. Build your message on their reality - Not your assumptions about what should matter to them 3. Test often - Share communications, ask questions, watch reactions closely 4. Adapt based on what you learn - Your audience will tell you what resonates It’s the difference between broadcasting and connecting. Between hoping your message lands and knowing it will. Don’t Assume. Listen. Test. Adapt. Image credit: Pejman Milani

We improve mutual understanding and engagement by tailoring our communication to match our audience’s preferences and expectations. Adjusting our style, tone, and content helps us craft messages that resonate more effectively, making it easier for others to connect with, understand, and act on our ideas. For example: - Concise Communication: For someone who prefers straightforward information, focusing on clear, simple statements is often the most effective approach. Adding extra details or background information can dilute the message and make it harder for them to focus on the main points, potentially reducing engagement and clarity. - Detailed Communication: On the other hand, if our audience values thorough information, providing only high-level points may leave them feeling underinformed. These individuals may need context, supporting data, and detailed explanations to feel confident in making informed decisions. Skipping these elements could make the message feel superficial or incomplete. The same principle applies to adjusting the level of directness and formality to fit the audience. By aligning our communication style with our audience’s specific needs and preferences, we create a more open, engaging environment, encourage meaningful interactions, and reduce misunderstandings.

Under the microscope, tissues and cells look complex and beautiful. But without context, their story can be hard to follow, much like the science behind them. That’s why I’m so passionate about accessible science communication. In biotech and life sciences, breakthroughs like gene editing and cell therapies are extraordinary. But if they’re hidden behind technical language, we miss the chance to inspire, build trust, and show their real-world impact. At Thermo Fisher Scientific, I’ve seen how storytelling can unlock that understanding. We tell stories about the researchers, patients and innovators behind science to bring discoveries to life, use formats like podcasting to make complex topics approachable to spark curiosity beyond the lab, and social media to turn small scientific details into moments of wonder for a broad audience. The communicator’s role is to help people see both the beauty and the meaning behind the work so that people can feel connected to it. The most successful science communicators are shifting their focus from complexity to clarity. 💡 They translate research into stories that resonate with non-scientists. 💡 They highlight the why behind innovation, not just the how. 💡 They use plain language without sacrificing scientific accuracy. When we make science more accessible, we don’t dilute it. We amplify it. And in doing so, we bring more people into the conversation, which is where real impact begins.

In sports science, generating high‑quality evidence is only part of the equation. Equally important, and sometimes overlooked, is how that evidence is communicated. The way we translate findings shapes whether insights are understood, trusted, and applied effectively in real‑world environments. Effective science communication isn’t about simplifying complex ideas, it’s about making research usable. That means tailoring messages to the needs of coaches, athletes, support staff, and decision makers, using clear language, relevant context, and thoughtful framing. Visuals, summaries, and structured conversations can bridge the gap between research and practice. Good communication also involves recognising the audience’s perspective: what they already know, what they need to know, and how they are likely to use the information. Infographics, visualisations, summaries, and structured conversations help bridge the gap between research and practice. When sports scientists communicate well, data and research becomes more accessible, more actionable, and more impactful. Read more on the Global Performance Insights blog:

How the world engages with science — new global data from 68 countries A new study in Science Communication analysed 71,922 respondents across 68 countries to understand how people encounter and discuss science (HT Niels G. Mede). • Social media are now the main source of science information in 53 of 68 countries, overtaking traditional news outlets almost everywhere except Northern and Central Europe. • People in low-GDP countries engage more frequently with science online than those in richer nations — exposure to science-related content on social media is significantly higher in countries like Bangladesh, Kenya, and Indonesia. • News media remain dominant in Nordic and German-speaking countries, where professional journalism and public broadcasting are strong. • In collectivist cultures (East Asia), citizens are less outspoken about science in daily life, whereas lower education correlates with higher outspokenness worldwide. • People with limited internet access tend to engage more through museums, public talks, and protests related to science. The research highlights how economic and cultural factors shape the global “information diet” of science and why strategies for science communication must be tailored to local media systems, literacy levels, and civic traditions.

Brands grow when customers feel understood. Not when founders feel expressive. Speaking clearly is not the same as being understood and being understood is not the same as being remembered. Most founders can define their Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). You look at industry, revenue, title, geography, needs, and on paper, it sounds clear. But defining your audience and connecting with your audience are two different worlds. One is a spreadsheet exercise. The other is a psychological discipline. Anyone can describe who they want to reach. Very few learn how to speak in a way that person actually understands. And this is where brands, especially founder-led brands, quietly lose momentum. Because the real fight in communication is always the same: The fight between what we say and what they hear. We think we’re being clear. We think our message is straightforward. We think our intentions are obvious. But human nature works against us. We are all wired for self-reference. Our minds are constantly thinking about our goals, our challenges, our worldview, our urgency. It’s the default condition of being human: we speak from our perspective, not theirs. And because we speak from our perspective, our communication naturally centers us: our product, our features, our ideas, our story. But customers don’t hear from our perspective. They hear from theirs. They interpret through their fears, their ambitions, their priorities, their understanding. That gap, between intention and interpretation, is where most messaging is lost. To bridge it, information is not enough. It requires something deeper: Audience obsession. The willingness to step out of your internal world and enter theirs. The discipline to communicate from their lens, not yours. The humility to accept that what feels clear to you may be noise to them. The curiosity to understand how they think, decide, and interpret meaning. It requires a rewiring of thinking, a psychological shift from self-expression to audience resonance. If you want your audience to listen, truly listen, you must: ↳ speak their language ↳ reflect their worldview ↳ articulate their priorities ↳ acknowledge their constraints ↳ resonate with their aspiration And here’s the part people underestimate: Customer obsession is not just about products. It begins with communication. When your messaging aligns with how your audience thinks, your brand becomes easier to trust, easier to remember, and easier to choose. So define your audience - yes. But don’t stop there. Learn to see the world the way they do. Speak from inside their perspective. Build communication that resonates with their identity, not your assumptions. Because in the end: You don’t win by describing your product clearly. You win by entering the customer’s mind so precisely that your clarity becomes their clarity.

During industry coffee chats I often get asked what “audience experiences” is. It’s not new: I was a reader services intern at CosmoGIRL! a dozen years ago. But the services offered have changed with the audience needs. So what do we do? We consider the full journey people take when they need information, find it, and take an action. That may start on social or Apple News or in chats. That might mean an open newsroom, restaurant guides on coasters when you’re already out on the town, or keepsake info on prom photos. Your first touch point might be a print out we’ve handed to community centers. Eventually then it weaves back to our owned-and-operated where we use data, UX and audience listening to rethink the atom of the article page. What atom of information enhances understanding? That might mean a PDF you can save and print, an SMS sent to you if you can’t digest a full article, an immersive video experience when you want to really watch something. How can we help further? Do you want a notification send to your phone or inbox? Do you want key points summarized because you’re short on time? Do you want to chat with the expert author? Finally we consider the impact. Will you visit us again? Will you remember the authors name? Will you take that information into your own social circles? And we weave that information back into the content created next. It may have been letters to the editor when I was a reader services intern, and paywall science during my time at WSJ but access and experience will always be paramount to connect with audiences.