People often confuse their research findings with a “message.”  To reach your audiences effectively, you need both. In preparation for a recent training workshop we tracked down this NPR story that was not only topical, but a perfect example of pairing a message with research.

First the research findings on the relationship between bisphosphonates, drugs like Boniva for osteoporosis, and a rare fracture of the thighbone provide the necessary news hook, an accurate and factual summary to capture immediate interest. 

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I’m a football fanatic. Superbowl Sunday is the ultimate fan experience—and it’s even sweeter if your team lands in the big game.  Unfortunately like me, my Washington Redskins enjoyed the game from their living rooms.  But no matter where your allegiance lies, there’s more to the Superbowl than the game itself.  Sure, the commercials are fun. But ever notice the hours of storytelling that lead up to the game?  They’re stories about the history of the teams, background of the coaches, growing pains and successes from the star players, celebrity fans weighing in—all told to lure you in and hold your attention.  This is like anything else.  Stories make people feel invested.  They answer the “why should I care” question and drive your point home, about a person, a place, new research…yourself.  Don’t forget that there’s power in it, and it’s a great way to bring your audience in…if only for a moment.  Check out these stories from the NFL for a sample.

A colleague sent over this post from The New York Times' Dot Earth blog.  As she pointed out, it echoes what we've heard from reporters who have been dismissed by impatient scientists for not being well-versed in a specific topic.

Here’s what must be the shortest post ever on Realclimate.org, filed under the heading reporting on climate:

Overheard in the newsroom: Reporter doing a phone interview: “Please slow down, professor. You’ve been researching this topic for a decade. I’ve been researching it since lunchtime.”

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Every morning I wake up to NPR's Morning Edition and listen while I get ready for my day.  I usually remember a story or two by the time I get to work, but not specific quotations.  This morning, however, there was a discussion between two former solicitors general, Walter Dellinger and Paul Clement, about the recent court ruling that the provision in health reform requiring most Americans to buy health insurance is unconstitutional.  In the discussion Clement argues the Obama Administration will have to show how health insurance is different than any other product.  This is an essential first step to saying the government can require Americans to purchase health insurance.  Clement explains,

"The challenge for the government is that if you can force somebody to buy healthcare, on the rationale that you are essentially forcing them into the commercial market, would that same principle apply to every other commercial transaction?...[The Administration has] trouble articulating a limiting principle, they certainly have tried and tried to describe the health insurance market as different from other markets, but I think that is the challenge for the government."

Dellinger's entire response is clear and concise.  He makes a great comparison to Medicare, but what captured my attention this morning was an analogy he drew.

"...Here's why it's different from any other product.  If I don't buy a flat screen television and it turns out my team  makes the Superbowl, I can't run into some store and say, 'You have to give me a flat screen television.' When in our country, under the Emergency Medical Treatment Act and our culture, we do provide people with healthcare, we just make someone else pay for it.  And that's a fundamental difference between this and any other requirement to purchase a product."

In message training workshops, we often talk about the message that is so compelling and memorable that it gets the busy parent to look up from the meal they're preparing or the diaper they're changing and really take note of the news that is playing in other room.  For me, this was one of those messages.