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I asked a few members of the Scientific American Worldview editorial board about ways of improving the public understanding of biotechnology, and several themes emerged: Be direct and persistent. Own what you do, explain what you’re good at and why it matters to your audience. Don’t assume your audience knows about your product. . . Seek a receptive ear where people live and work and hang out online. Be proud of achievements and frank about failure, and root conversations about biotech in the familiar.
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Joe Damond, BIO’s senior vice president of international affairs, points out another circumstance that has made it harder for biotechnology to connect the dots: It is largely hidden from public view. “So much of it happens behind the scenes,” he says.
Occasionally, though, a biotech breakthrough literally ends up in people’s hands, and BIO and others need to do a better job of letting consumers know about these triumphs. “Coke has developed biodegradable plastic bottles that are biotech-engineered,” Damond says. . . . “anybody who buys a plastic bottle of Coke is affecting the environment in a positive way, but they probably have no idea.”
Read full, original post: Tech Messaging
