Lessons from Lawyers that Scientists Need: PhD Candidate Amy Hudson's Op-Ed Published in EOS

Feb. 6, 2019

PhD Candidate Amy Hudson (left) of SNRE and the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research has co-written an op-ed along with Tamee Albrecht (PhD Candidate, Geography). The article, "Being Persuasive: Lessons from Lawyers That All Scientists Need," was published in EOS. 

Hudson and Albrecht discuss their experience at the Expert Witness Training Academy at the Mitchell Hamline School of Law, where they participated in a mock trial and learned about strategies that lawyers use to communicate in the courtroom. The strategies they discuss include speaking to your audience's values, leading your listeners with the facts, considering it a performance, and maximizing impact through repetition. Hudson and Albrecht make the case for how these strategies can help scientists communicate the importance of their research, particularly for those who are studying urgent phenomenon like climate change.

Read the article in EOS to learn more about the strategies and how scientists can apply them.

Slideshow Image Credit: Matt Utecht, Mitchell Hamline School of Law