“I was outside my comfort zone – and it was great!”
Anne Gaml-Sørensen is a postdoc at the Department of Public Health, and recently she took on a major science communication challenge: At the Festival of Research, she was to present several years of research in front of a broad audience with no prior knowledge of the topic.
Science in society
The University Act requires that researchers, alongside their research and teaching, engage in disseminating their work through so-called knowledge exchange or research-based communication.
“Science in society” is a series of articles about Health researchers who apply their expertise in society in ways that go beyond traditional research communication and expert commentary.
On Wednesday, April 23, Stakladen at Aarhus University was transformed into a playground for curious minds, as researchers from all corners of the university invited the public inside for a day of speed talks, stands, and panel debates.
Anne Gaml-Sørensen was one of the researchers from Health who was to tell the audience about what goes on behind the yellow walls.
“Charlotte Boel, who coordinates the Festival of Research at AU, asked if I would talk about my research, which is about how sibling relationships can affect puberty. She asked if I would like to give a presentation,” says Anne Gaml-Sørensen.
The Festival of Research gives the public an opportunity to experience science up close. And for a researcher like Anne Gaml-Sørensen, it’s also a chance to train communication skills and meet the public face-to-face.
“I said yes immediately when I got the offer because that’s exactly what we as researchers are here for – primarily to do research, but also to share what we find out with the outside world.”
Turning research into a story
How does a child’s development get affected if the mother is stressed during pregnancy? Or if the child grows up without siblings?
These are the kinds of questions Anne Gaml-Sørensen investigates. She works at the intersection of epidemiology and reproductive health, with a particular focus on how psychosocial factors like stress, divorce, and sibling relationships during pregnancy can influence the child’s pubertal development and later fertility.
“We see in some cases that psychosocial influences have just as much or even more impact than biological factors like vitamin deficiency or medication intake,” she explains.
Normally, she gives presentations in English for scientific colleagues, so the challenge of presenting at the Festival of Research was a bit out of the ordinary.
“In classic scientific presentations, there’s a fixed structure: introduction, method, results, bias, etc. For the Festival of Research, I had to speak to an audience I’m not used to speaking to – and in Danish, no less. It required me to distill the key points down to the essentials and avoid diving into theoretical details, instead focusing on a narrative structure and highlighting the most central aspects of the story.”
About the Festival of Research
• The Festival of Research is a nationwide science festival where researchers communicate their research to the public in an accessible format.
• At Aarhus University, the event takes place in and around Stakladen with presentations, stands, panel debates, and tours.
• It is an annual event open to everyone – children, young people, adults, and seniors. The goal is to bring research closer to society and create dialogue between researchers and citizens.
Requires thorough preparation
Anne set aside two full days to prepare for the Festival of Research.
“I thought it could be fun to challenge myself technically and contribute an interactive element. I chose to use Mentimeter to actively involve the audience with a quiz element – it took some time to learn, but it was important to me to create interaction. At one point, though, I was nervous that I had bitten off more than I could chew with the technical stuff,” she laughs.
An important part of the preparation was also to present in front of her closest colleagues in the research group – and that provided valuable feedback.
“That was truly worth its weight in gold. I got feedback on everything from pacing to the sequence of my points – among other things, that I should start with the consequences of early puberty instead of saving that for last. It made the story more accessible and lively and gave me peace of mind,” she says.
The big day arrives
On the day of the Festival of Research itself, the presentation went off without major problems, although according to Anne Gaml-Sørensen there were a few disturbances along the way.
“The presentation itself went well, but along the way there were a couple of participants who commented loudly on things I said. You’re standing there feeling a bit vulnerable, even when you’re well-prepared, but luckily there was a kind student who made sure the audience calmed down,” she recounts.
The questions from the audience also showed great interest in the topic.
“There were both more general questions and some that were very specific to my results. Fortunately, I could answer most of them, but the questions ranged widely and definitely required me to stay sharp. I was outside my comfort zone – and it was great!”
Anne Gaml-Sørensen highlights several things she’s taking away from the experience:
“Firstly, I’ve learned that it pays to say yes to tasks outside your comfort zone, as it can be a great way to grow both personally and professionally. Secondly, I’ve tested new communication tools, both technically and in terms of content. And thirdly, the audience’s interest in the presentation confirmed to me how important it is that we as researchers make our knowledge accessible to the public.”
She emphasizes that she wouldn’t necessarily have signed up for the Festival of Research if she hadn’t been encouraged to.
“It’s a good reminder that sometimes we need a little push to take on challenges,” she says, and continues:
“My best advice to other researchers who are communicating their research in unfamiliar settings is: Try out the presentation on someone beforehand – colleagues, family, friends. It’s incredibly valuable to get feedback on both content and delivery.”
Contact
Postdoc Anne Gaml-Sørensen
Aarhus University, Department of Public Health
Phone: +45 40868183
Email: ags@ph.au.dk