How can dietitians effectively communicate ever-evolving nutrition science and guidelines while maintaining public trust? In this episode, food and nutrition scientist Dr Emma Beckett unpacks the art of communication, emphasising the importance of ‘sticky stories’ to make complex scientific concepts relatable and easy to understand. Using the humble egg as a case study for storytelling, Emma highlights strategies for addressing common misconceptions, including concerns about fat content, cholesterol and pregnancy safety, without triggering the ‘backfire effect’. We also explore how dietitians can effectively cut through misinformation on social media to empower clients with engaging evidence-based guidance.
Hosted by Brooke Delfino
Biography
Known as the “Dynamic Foodie” at FOODiQ Global, Dr Emma Beckett combines her diverse education and experience across food, nutrition, biomedical sciences, epidemiology, academia, industry and science communication to drive positive changes in the world through food. Her aim is to empower people to interpret food and nutrition information so that they can make informed choices without fear or judgment, and to empower health professionals to use the evidence-base to diversify and update their toolkits for use on the same mission. She has won several research and communications awards, including being named as a NSW Young Tall Poppy in 2017.
In this episode, we discuss:
- Why it’s important to acknowledge the journey of changing science
- How storytelling can make communicating scientific facts more effective
- Using anecdotes for their power of persuasion
- The backfire effect (and how to avoid it)
- The importance of starting new nutrition conversations
- Tips for better translating up-to-date nutrition science for better translating up-to-date nutrition science
Additional resources
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