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Communicating Science to the Public
Speaker
Susan E. Aiello, PhD, DVM, ELS / WordsWorld Consulting,
Townsend, TN

By Katherine Feemster, MPH
As medical writers, we have a responsibility to our audi-
ences to provide scientifically sound and readily under-
standable information. That role is often a difficult one to 
navigate—not only is it fraught with potential pitfalls, but it 
is also one of enormous responsibility. Dr Susan Aiello gave 
a presentation focused on this responsibility at the AMWA 
regional conference in Fort Meyers, Florida, this past June. 
“Communicating Science to the Public” shed light on those 
intricacies and the importance of the role medical commu-
nicators play.
 To begin with, medical writers should ask themselves a 
series of questions:

• On a philosophical level: why can this be so hard? 

Well, we all have diverse backgrounds, with varying 

educations, interests, and needs. This goes not just for 

us as writers, but also (and perhaps specifically) for 

our audiences. What may be obvious to one is not nec-

essarily obvious to another.

• On a societal level: why is this type of communication 

important? Medical communicators help protect the 

public’s health. When done well, our work contributes 

to societal advancement and scientific education.

• On a personal level: why is it important for you? What 

are your goals? Do you work to educate others, to 

influence policy, and/or to advocate for change?

 The underlying theme for all these levels is trust—trust 
in our own abilities to provide accurate and valid infor-
mation in a clear, understandable way, trust in us by our 
audiences and clients, and trust in the science by the gen-
eral public. As the often-faceless go-betweens of the scien-
tific and medical communities and the general public, our 
ability to parse and describe is the foundation of the trust 
between these groups.
 To facilitate that trust, just like with the questions we 
must ask ourselves as we develop our projects, our audi-
ences ask themselves their own questions.

• The general public asks, “How does this affect me?”

• Policy makers and/or scientists ask, “Does this affect 
my work?” or “Should we fund this?”

• The media asks, “Is this newsworthy?”

 As we address these concerns, we should always 
remember that building trust between different groups and 
communities is essential.
 The first piece of advice is to know your audience. How 
are they, in general, most likely to approach the topic? Is 
there skepticism or open-mindedness? Are they perhaps 
predisposed to be hostile or accepting of the informa-
tion? The tone, the language, and the anticipated audience 
engagement are all 3 highly relevant aspects we can use to 
help guide our writing. We need to tailor our messages as 
much as possible toward the specific audiences.
 Second, a helpful hint (particularly when addressing the 
general public) is to “think in threes.” Consider the general 
parts of good storytelling, or even of something as simple 
and familiar as a knock-knock joke: an event or incident 
intrigues people, a conflict arises from that event, and then 
a resolution is achieved. Using a familiar and generally 
accepted pattern goes just that little bit further in helping 
audiences remember the information that is presented.
 To expand our audience reach, interacting with the 
media is sometimes a necessity, and one that involves its 
own skill set. You should make the assumption that if there 
is a way for the media to misinterpret the information you 
are providing, it is likely to happen. Reasons for that are that 
the media world moves very quickly, journalists have a vari-
ety of sources at their disposal, and news organizations in 
general are not good at covering long-term issues. To over-
come these hurdles, be sure to provide accurate, clear, and 
concise information. In short, get to the point as soon as you 
can. Try not to provide extraneous information that could 
either muddle the topic or be misconstrued in edited sound 
or video clips. The “thinking in threes” rule of thumb for 
general audiences is also helpful when speaking with mem-
bers of the media. Your points can be preplanned and even 
rehearsed (depending on your level of experience or com-
fort with public speaking). In any case, make sure to point 
out the big picture of the topic or research. And remember, 
if you don’t want to hear it, see it, or read it, don’t say it. 
There really is no such thing as off-the-record.  
 Remember that science changes over time; it evolves. 
Scientists accept this environment, but the general public 
often tends to view science and health news more often with 
nervousness and mistrust. Explain results clearly and cons-
cisely, and then present the possibilities of what comes next 
in order to build that necessary trust. That in turn makes 
medical writers more effective liaisons between the scien-
tific world and the general public.

Katherine Feemster is the owner and chief writer at The 
Green Fire Company, LLC.

EDUCATIONAL SESSIONS

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AMWAJournal.org     57Jam Session for Early- to Mid-Career Freelancers

Author declaration and disclosures: The author notes no  
commercial associations that may pose a conflict of interest in 
relation to this article.

Author contact: kfeemster@greenfirecompany.com 

Jam Session for Early- to Mid-Career Freelancers 
Session Moderator
Jennifer Minarcik, MS / Principal, Jennifer Minarcik 
Biomedical Communications, LLC, Moorestown, NJ

By Suzanne Morris, DVM, MWC
About 15 freelancers and freelancers-to-be gathered at the 
AMWA 2022 Southeast Regional Conference in June to share 
their early freelance career experiences. Some of the partici-
pants had just decided to take the freelance plunge and were 
eager for tips on setting up a new business whereas others 
with more experience were wanting to share lessons learned. 
Session facilitator Jennifer Minarcik, MS, started the discus-
sion by divulging some of the assumptions she had when she 
first started her freelancing career. She spoke to the misper-
ception that freelance medical writers are all in competition 
with each other by pointing out the diversity of medical writ-
ing genres represented by the session’s participants.
 Acknowledging that the varied nature of freelance med-
ical writing lends to camaraderie rather than competitive-
ness among freelance medical writers led to a discussion 
of networking. Although making connections with other 
freelancers may not translate to immediate work, network-
ing can develop leads, elevate a freelancer’s marketplace 
presence, and unearth other benefits. One of the more valu-
able of these benefits may be finding a good mentor. The 
more experienced session participants extolled the bene-
fits of mentorship in guiding their early freelancing careers. 
But how does a new freelancer go about finding a mentor? 
Those who had who have benefitted from mentorship 
described a relationship which naturally developed from a 
networking connection.
 Another early career misstep Minarcik discussed was the 
compulsion to take on every project, and the consequent 
erosion of the work-personal life border. Minarcik and the 
other more seasoned freelancers agreed that project selec-
tivity fosters a reasonable work schedule and, potentially, 
better clients. Because part of cultivating a work-life balance 
entails supporting work hour productivity, the discussion 
then turned to productivity strategies. For example, creating 
a schedule with built-in time to respond to distractions like 
emails supports productivity during work hours. Protecting 
work time also may require establishing boundaries with 
clients by responding to clients only during set work hours 
or at set times during the week.

 The conversation turned to some of the other nuts-and-
bolts of running a freelance business. As with most free-
lance medical writing discussions, the topic of contracts 
arose, albeit briefly. The take-home message for new free-
lancers was to carefully review contracts, particularly with 
respect to payment parameters. Some of the freelancer 
participants who were just forming their businesses asked 
for advice on insurance and accounting. The responses 
from the more seasoned participants were mixed—few had 
insurance, and several used accounting services and soft-
ware. But the consensus was that some form of accounting 
assistance was very helpful.
 Inevitably, the discussion turned to what may be the 
most daunting aspect of freelance medical writing or free-
lancing in general: marketing. The importance of presence 
online, particularly on platforms like LinkedIn, was dis-
cussed at length by several seasoned freelancers. For intro-
verts averse to overt self-promotion, a less intimidating 
approach may be simply posting about topics of interest, 
which creates an online presence and can garner attention. 
Another strategy was to investigate companies associated 
with relevant forms of medical writing on LinkedIn and 
make connections with their employees. Whether to solicit 
potential clients through email was a point of debate, with 
the more experienced freelancers advising that if done, it 
should be targeted and could backfire by annoying the tar-
geted client. The discussion of marketing repeatedly circled 
back to value of networking, which can be done online and 
in person through, for example, AMWA events. And in keep-
ing with its overriding theme, this AMWA session ended 
with participants exchanging their business cards.

Suzanne Morris is the owner of Concrete Medical Writing, LLC, 
in St. Petersburg, FL.

Author declaration and disclosures: The authors note no  
commercial associations that may pose a conflict of interest in 
relation to this article.

Author contact: Suzanne@concretemedicalwriting.com 

Public Relations in Medical Communication
Speaker
Katrina R. Burton, BS / Public Relations Program Director

By Lisa Kuhns, PhD
According to the Public Relations Society of America, orga-
nizations and their publics use public relations as a com-
munication strategy to build relationships that are mutually 
beneficial. Medical communicators help educate the public 
by sharing relevant health information through their own 
writing, and those with a marketing and public relations 

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