This projects support a series of annual one-week long workshops to learn and to practice how best to communicate complex scientific information about climate science to non-specialist audiences. The novel twist of this project is found in that the communication skills would be practiced in the context of the courtroom setting.
The courtroom setting is highly organized and regimented and provides real challenges for scientists to effectively communicate complex technical issues in a manner that is useful to the parties in a dispute. The project offers a chance to train scientists in not what to say about science but how best to say whatever their professional judgment leads them to say.
The workshops will not seek to dictate the scientific conclusion to be presented because the workshops will require that both sides of the issue at hand in the climate practicum exercises be represented. Participants in the workshop will be exposed to both sides of the dispute underlying the practical exercise since as an expert witness they could be called to testify by either side and examined by either side as well.
The goal of the project is not to make judgments as to what scientific evidence is best but to practice communicating science in an unfamiliar setting that helps build capacity within the scientific community in effective communication.
Each workshop will initially involve thirty climate scientists as participants and a faculty of attorneys, other scientific experts, journalists, and communications professionals that will help the scientists present written and oral testimony in a manner that allows listeners to understand the information provided by the scientific expert. Participants will receive coaching and feedback on their written documents and oral presentations thus allowing them to experiment and practice what works best. In general, the aim of the workshops is to demonstrate the merit of learning-by-doing training and the open exchange of scientific and legal approaches to communicating scientific data and its interpretation and explanation.
The primary broader impacts involve providing a novel educational and practical experience in communicating and synthesizing complex science and technical issues to a variety of audiences including non-specialists.
Scientists play a special role in helping policy-makers and others understand important scientific information. The challenge for many scientists is to communicate their science effectively in various forums, including litigation and legislative hearings. When communicating their science, scientists must be careful not to advocate for one position or the other but must be able to convey the meaning as well as the quality and accuracy of their work. They also must understand the complex scrutiny that they are under when they testify at trial or participate in public policy discussions. In response to the growing opportunity for scientists to inform public policy and educate decision makers in various legal forums, we developed a unique training program for scientists to learn how to effectively communicate their science. From 2011-2014, the Expert Witness Training Academy ("EWTA") held 1-week training workshops each August at William Mitchell College of Law, an independent law school in St. Paul, Minnesota. The Expert Witness Training Academy The goal of the EWTA was to help scientists become better communicators and educators regardless of whether they ever become an expert witness. Each workshop included scientists as participants and a faculty of judges, attorneys, and scientific experts who train the scientists to communicate effectively in a variety of forums. Participants in the workshops were selected across a breadth of professional experiences in the sciences. The workshops trained scientists to become familiar with the legal processes relating to expert testimony. The workshops provided a forum for scientists to learn how to communicate technical scientific data, interpret data, and extrapolate from data in court and other forums, without compromising the integrity of the research. Eighty-six scientists participated in the EWTA workshops 2011-2014. The EWTA developed numerous supporting materials and online training resources that are available to past participants of the workshops. (see http://web.wmitchell.edu/expert-witness-training-academy/). The EWTA workshops are grounded in extensive research and experience in educating adults to be clear and effective communicators. Limited enrollment ensures that every participant receives one-on-one instruction and coaching. The Workshop Design The workshop methodology applies two core assumptions: 1) scientists learn best by doing rather than just listening and observing and 2) scientists more fully understand the role of expert witnesses by learning about and laying the role of lawyers. Learning by Doing -- Role-Playing Expert Witnesses and Lawyers Rather than using lectures and PowerPoint slides, participants in EWTA workshops actively participate with hands-on, interactive exercises. Participants play various roles in an elaborate simulation, assuming the role of experts in various mock legal proceedings, including a legislative hearing, depositions, arbitration, and a fully jury trial. Along the way, participants receive feedback from the faculty and watch video of their individual performances. Participants are coached extensively on how to communicate their science in these various arenas while learning the nuances of explaining scientific information to lay audiences. During the week-long workshop, the EWTA enables participants to experiment and practice what works best for them. In the EWTA workshops, participants not only practiced and played the role of expert witnesses but also performed the role of attorneys. Through role-play and practice of fundamental lawyering skills, participants see the logic and perspective of the lawyers, judges, and jurors in various forums and develop a deeper understanding of effective communication. Scientists may know about trials from television or personal experience, but they may not be aware of the complexity and breadth of the use of experts or the roles and purposes of other legal proceedings, including pretrial motions, arbitrations, negotiations, and congressional and public hearings. For example, they may not fully understand the rationale behind a lawyer's line of questioning until they have been asked to be the lawyer developing that line of questioning. By honing their presentations at a mock legislative hearing, participants practice making clear, understandable statements to lay audiences, judges, and elected officials, a key skill for their potential post-workshop roles as expert witnesses. Results At the conclusion of each of the four workshops, participants completed a comprehensive evaluation of the EWTA program. In every category in the evaluation, the EWTA workshops were successful and received high ratings. Participants overwhelmingly said they would recommend the workshop to their colleagues (see Table 1). The combined overall rating for the four workshops held in 2011-2014 was 6.6 out of a 7.0 (80 of 86 possible respondents). The evaluation results demonstrate that the process of helping scientists communicate more effectively requires hands-on, experiential learning activities. There is value in learning and practicing lawyering skills while simultaneously developing the craft of being an expert witness in legal settings. Through the EWTA, participants are better equipped to understand and appreciate the perspectives of major players in the courtroom and in public policy debates.
