You're struggling to communicate intricate R&D findings. How can you tailor your style for diverse audiences?

Absolutely, the content of your communication depends a lot on the audience you are focusing on. You need to gauge the interest of the audience, the information they would easily imbibe and also what they need to know and would benefit them. Digging into the technical granularity, providing a bird's eye view or capturing the market traction would depend on the kind of audience you are addressing.

To effectively communicate intricate R&D findings to diverse audiences, I start by understanding the background and needs of each audience. For non-experts, I simplify complex concepts using analogies and visual aids, focusing on the broader impact and significance of the findings. For technical audiences, I delve into the details, providing data, methodologies, and specific results. For instance, when presenting my research on microfluidic devices, I used detailed graphs and technical language for scientific peers but opted for simplified diagrams and broader explanations for non-specialists..

When presenting the results of a new cancer drug study: Fellow Researchers: Focus on the detailed methodology, statistical analyses, and scientific implications. Discuss the specific molecular pathways affected by the drug. Stakeholders: Highlight the potential market size, and the competitive advantage of the new drug. General Public: Emphasize the drug's potential to improve survival rates and quality of life for cancer patients, trying to shorten up on technical details.

Instead of saying, "The drug inhibits the activity of tyrosine kinases, which are enzymes that transfer phosphate groups to specific proteins, thereby modulating cellular signaling pathways," you could simplify it to, "The drug blocks enzymes that help cancer cells grow and divide, making it harder for the cancer to spread."

Use a well-designed visuals to show the effect of the new drug on cancer cell growth: Graph: A line graph comparing tumor size reduction over time between the drug-treated group and the control group. Chart: A pie chart showing the percentage of patients who responded to the treatment versus those who did not. Image graphs: An image sequence illustrating how the drug targets cancer cells, with clear labels, scaling and minimal text.

The Storytelling strategy is essential in communicating R&D findings. To inspire others, teach, influence, or engage, you should be telling or listening to a story, and encouraging others to tell a story. Capturing the behind-the-story of research outcomes and incorporating it into the research papers makes a meaningful impact on the larger audience and fosters engagement.

Frame the development of the new cancer drug as a story: Beginning: Start with the high unmet need for effective cancer treatments and the initial discovery of a promising compound. Middle: Describe the rigorous research process, including challenges faced and breakthroughs achieved. End: Conclude with the successful clinical trials, the drug's impact on patients' lives, and the next steps towards making it available to the public. By contextualizing the research within a narrative, you make the scientific journey more engaging, allowing discussions and relatable.

R&D delivery can also be aligned what problem currently faces the segment of audiences you are talking to, and how the findings best fit with the opening or setting of stage to engage the listeners.

I see this a lot in technical papers where several pages are consumed with equation derivations and matrix algebra. Equations go in the main body of the paper, maths go in the appendix. When papers and presentations are overly complex, it makes me wonder if the author/presenter understands the subject matter. People forget that the reader and listener are spending their time and do not like it being wasted. Both NASA and the APS have guidelines for technical writing and presentations. Lastly, posters tend to be awful, and effective poster layout can also be found on the internet. Remember, write your paper) presentation, then cut it by 30%.