When we work in scientific industries, or technical fields there are generally questions asked of us such as ‘What EXACTLY do you do?’, but when our career has taken many years to develop and learn about, with potentially years of education, exams, time and effort gone into getting to this point in your life, it can seem like a difficult question to answer in short, but it can be done. Remembering that people showing an interest in your work and what you do is a caring thing, and they are just keen to learn is a starting point.
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Remember How It Feels
Remembering how it feels to not have a clue about your chosen subject, and how confusing some of the terminology can be, will put you in a good place to be able to explain it in an easy to understand way. Talking about labelled deuterium compounds for bioanalysis research that you need to order on a regular basis without even explaining what that means can confuse people. So make sure you break it down and explain that there are certain compounds that need to be ordered for research purposes, and that they come in various forms for different jobs, can lead to a much better experience all round. You may even end up inspiring someone to learn even more about this further down the line if you explain it well!
Know Your Audience
If the person asking you questions is your 10 year old nephew then you will be explaining things in a different way, it is an opportunity to inspire of course, but it is also important that you explain it in an interesting and engaging way. Of course we want more children to show and interest in science and technology, and there are organizations that are geared toward doing exactly that, but if you share the information with them easily and in a fun way, you could start something amazing for them.
Be Kind
It can be easy to become frustrated what someone can’t understand what it is you do for a living, or even the reason why you would chose this, but remembering that everyone is different and that we all find joy in different things can really help you stay calm and understand that people are not trying to annoy you at all. There is a certain way of explaining things that can come across as unkind but making sure you allow the other person (or people) to ask questions and being patient can mean the world. It can also mean that you are leading by example, and showing others how to explain things and educate others at the same time. This is how many breakthroughs happen, and discussing ideas and explaining things you know to other people can only be a good thing. Working together gets things done, and sharing ideas helps us move forward in many areas. It’s at the very heart of success in fact.
Categories: Tips And Advice Stuff
