By Sheeva Azma
Sure, you love Taylor Swift for her music and smart-girl persona…but did you know she can teach you important SciComm lessons?
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Dear reader…sure, you love Taylor Swift for her catchy rhythms, insightful lyrics, and smart-girl persona…but did you know you can apply her music to improve your SciComm?
I guess it should be obvious from the title of this article (and the above Midnights reference) that I’m a total Taylor Swift fan – yes, a Swiftie. I love that she doesn’t hide being smart, and that she doesn’t listen to her apparently many critics. It’s hard for me to believe she has any haters, since I love her so much!
Taylor Swift is a great match for SciComm because of her brainy lyrics, knack for detail, and her persona as that smart, creative, literary cat lady…so relatable to many women in science. As a lyricist, Swift has a way with words that I seek to replicate in my own life.
I’ve actually learned a lot from Swift about being a creative person.
It’s no secret that Taylor Swift is a marketing, business, and communications genius – and people have definitely noticed. The Public Relations Society of America posted an entire blog on PR lessons one can learn from her. Cision talks about her prowess at album launches. You can even gain some important Taylor Swift business lessons from the University of Utah Eccles Business School.
I Googled around, but didn’t find any other science communicators out there talking about SciComm lessons they have gleaned from Taylor Swift (though a scientist has already named a type of millipede after her)…
…hence, this post.
Here are a few SciComm truths I’ve learned from Taylor Swift. I’m sharing them here so you can use them, too! Keep reading…it’s nice to have a friend, fellow Swiftie.
1. Creativity + adaptability is a winning formula.
Remaining adaptable is a form of creativity in itself. Taylor Swift shapeshifts between different themes, musical styles, and so on in her various eras of music. She’s living proof that being versatile and not limiting your creativity works. Learn about 10 different forms of SciComm that you can apply according to your skills, interests, and SciComm goals.
2. Don’t let ideas pass you by.
Don’t waste inspiration. Have you seen the “73 Questions with Taylor Swift” segment with Vogue Magazine? She talks a bit about her creative process in the interview, which took place in April 2016 at her home in Beverly Hills, California. When Taylor Swift gets an idea for a song, she uses her smartphone’s notes app to jot down a few lyric ideas, or the voice recordings app to lay down some bars of a song melody idea. Pretty convenient!
Taylor Swift doesn’t let ideas pass her by. Why should #SciCommers?
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As creatives, we get ideas all the time, and it’s tempting to just let them all float away from us, but when we do so, we waste inspiration. Don’t be limited by what you think creativity and inspiration “should” look like. Go with the flow and take inspiration as it comes. Don’t box yourself into the mindset of being creative certain times of day, because oftentimes, creativity can’t be forced. (By the way, as we’ve previously blogged, brainstorming and sleep can also be useful parts of your creativity toolkit.)
3. Seek community.
Whether you’re at a Taylor Swift concert or trying to explain science to a group of non-scientists, community building is important. At the core of community building is connecting with people and creating a shared experience.
Taylor Swift is a master at community building – and it shows.
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Taylor Swift is a natural at community building. She has some of the most dedicated music fans out there. Someone who is a “Swiftie” is likely to do things like make bracelets and dress up thematically according to Swift’s different “eras” of album releases. They may even critically analyze her songs (and rap to them) on YouTube.
Science is performed by people, for people; that’s why community-building for public discourse of science is so crucial. Communicating science outside of academia is crucial to secure “the role of science in shaping our society and individual lives and instilling public trust in science,” writes Kelly Tabbutt for Fancy Comma.
4. Don’t forget branding.
As a freelancer, you are your own brand, so own your uniqueness. (We’ve previously blogged about branding for SciCommers.)
I love Taylor Swift’s brand because it is unmistakable and focuses on what really sets her apart from other performers. In her graduation speech to the New York University class of 2022 (where she picked up an honorary PhD in Fine Arts), Taylor Swift briefly touches on her brand:
“I’d like to thank NYU for making me technically, on paper at least, a doctor. Not the type of doctor you would want around in the case of an emergency, unless your specific emergency was that you desperately needed to hear a song with a catchy hook and an intensely cathartic bridge section. Or if your emergency was that you needed a person who can name over 50 breeds of cats in one minute.”
Watch her commencement speech or read the transcript.
5. Small details make a big difference.
Lastly, be detail-oriented. It’s important to be precise and accurate in SciComm. Taylor Swift prides herself on the level of detail in her art. As public relations and strategy company Matter writes, every detail of a Taylor Swift song, whether the lyrics or music, is satisfyingly complex. So, too, are her well-choreographed concerts featuring elaborate outfits, many outfit changes, and details down to uber-decorated, even bejeweled, microphones.
Mind the small details in your SciComm. Oftentimes, the beauty of something lies in the detail and nuance. Don’t gloss over the details of a scientific explanation because you think people won’t understand them. Go the extra mile to add detail and richness to your work, whether it’s working hard to connect with your audience, explain things without being condescending, or using novel methods to communicate science (or something else).
You’re not on your own, kid
Are you a scientist enchanted by SciComm? Be fearless. Managing SciComm alongside science research can be delicate, but you’re not on your own, kid.
Long story short, Fancy Comma has a reputation in the SciComm space. We know all too well the challenges of communicating science effectively – after all, we’ve written books on the topic.
Become a SciComm mastermind with our free resources on science communication, science copywriting, and science policy. We also provide SciComm mentoring and training. Stay stay stay and check out our blog for insights on writing, science communication, marketing, policy, and more. Question…? Get in touch!
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