The new reality

Replacing analogue with digital and hybrid – unusual avenues in public relations

“Book a Scientist” is the name of a event series by the Leibniz Association. It involves interested parties discussing their favourite subject with a researcher for 25 minutes. “This is a nice format, especially during a pandemic, because it works wonderfully online — that’s what our institutes are telling us,” says Anja Wirsing of Forschungsverbund Berlin, one of Berlin’s largest non-university research institutions. Oliver Perzborn from the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) believes that the current pandemic is a catalyst for science communication that helps to quickly identify what works and what doesn’t. The two communicators agree that science and research thrive on exchange. They also agree that, during a pandemic, communicating them requires new ideas and unconventional formats.

Rarely has science received this much attention. The pandemic has not changed the fundamental claim of science communication. It’s mission still is to bridge the gap between scientific integrity and using clear language when addressing the general public. However, work processes, long-range planning, and opportunities for face-to-face exchange have now completely changed.

“We must find other ways to talk to people,” says Anja Wirsing. She is responsible for press work and public relations at Forschungsverbund Berlin (FVB). Researchers from FVB are giving online scientific lectures that are used to enhance science classes in schools. Given out annually to a young female scientist, this year’s Marthe Vogt Award was hosted digitally as part of the Berlin Science Week, while a podcast of the same name featured conversations about young the female researchers and their work. “If you attend a real-life event, you don’t just get up and leave,” says Anja Wirsing, “digitally, you can quickly go elsewhere — that’s something to consider when opting for a format.”

Oliver Perzborn is also aware of the fact that face-to-face events cannot be made digital without losses. The former trend researcher became the head of the newly created department for communication and marketing at the Federal Institute for Materials Research and Testing (BAM) last September. In addition to his career change, he now has to face a range of other challenges: Apart from a few face-to-face meetings at the beginning, Perzborn has been communicating with his team exclusively through a screen. The pandemic restricted everything that was personal. “Sitting together and having a meal is different from digital,” he explains. “But the pandemic also gave us the opportunity to question the status quo and try new things.” And also had some tangible advantages: Meetings and coordination are more efficient, and people are using topical or project-related chats instead of emails, which improves transparency. Finally, this new interconnectedness creates greater visibility and participation for everyone and a greater sense of community. “My task as the boss is to explore the opportunities that the new reality offers us and to make best use of them for our tasks as science communicators,” says the 52-year-old.

Despite the 150-year-old history of BAM, its many fascinating research topics and findings, and the new, digital communication channels it uses to address its target audience, the competition for attention during a pandemic is anything but friendly. The news situation is often monothematic and it is difficult to get proposals through that are unrelated to the pandemic. “The relevance of what we do, our research, is the key,” says Perzborn. He uses an English word to better get across what he means. He feels his work at BAM is “purpose-driven”, he says. It has a higher purpose. The BAM, he is sure of that, is an institution that has “purpose without end”. It is the main task of his team to bring this across in a modern way to target audiences and the media. “We have to make science palatable with clear and comprehensible messages. After all, we live in an era of bite-sized information.”

Anja Wirsing is open for experimenting with formats in science communication. Like Oliver Perzborn, she misses face-to-face exchanges. Communication, to her, has a lot to do with personal encounters. To fully experience science also means meeting the people that do it. Some of the formats and methods that are currently used will establish themselves beyond the pandemic. However, they will not replace face-to-face dialogue. “Nevertheless,” says Anja Wirsing, “we are used to improvising as communicators.

By Rico Bigelmann for Adlershof Journal

• www.fv-berlin.de
• www.bam.de