Hear how CFI humanizes their communications to generate buzz around a complex subject: funding research infrastructure.
How do you make infrastructure interesting? You tell the stories of the people using the infrastructure.
In this episode of Ampersand, we sit down with Elizabeth Shilts, the Director of Communications at the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI). Elizabeth shares her perspective on the evolving role of communication in advancing Canada's research and innovation ecosystem. From navigating complex narratives to fostering transparency and public trust, her expertise provides invaluable insights for changemakers and communication professionals alike. Tune in to discover how strategic storytelling can amplify impact and drive meaningful conversations in the science and research landscape.
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Caitlin Kealey: Welcome to Ampersand, the podcast helping good people be heard and comms people be better. I'm Caitlin Kealey, the CEO of Emdash.
Megana Ramaswami: And I'm Megana Ramaswami, Senior Strategist at Emdash.
Caitlin Kealey: On this episode, I sat down with the lovely Elizabeth Shilts, who is the Director of Communications at the Canada Foundation for Innovation, or as most folks know it, CFI.
Megana Ramaswami: For those that may not know, CFI is a non-profit that invests in research infrastructure at Canadian universities, colleges, and research hospitals.
So the CFI funds infrastructure, which is not exactly the most exciting topic in the whole wide world. No offense, CFI. So one of the things that we talked about was the importance of telling compelling stories. And we also talked about how Elizabeth's background in science journalism makes her uniquely suited for leading this comms team.
Megana Ramaswami: I don’t know, Caitlin, you know, this is the perfectly nerdy stuff that we love here at Emdash. So I can't wait to hear what else is on this episode. Let's get into it.
Caitlin Kealey: So we like to get started with an icebreaker question.
Um, it mostly just dates me and probably you in terms of how old we might be, but can you share a memory from your first computer, or maybe your first days on the Internet?
Elizabeth Shilts: Yeah, well, I know this will date me for sure. So I can remember, um, I did a, talk about this later too, probably, but I did a science degree.
And, uh, when I remember the first computer I used at university, I actually was doing all of my charts and tables and everything by hand, and I would use colored pencils to do, you know, to do most of the indicating of, of data lines and different things like that. And so it was such a great thing when I got to fourth year and they had a computer lab that was open to fourth year students.
And you could actually log in and have a computer to yourself for, to actually put all the data in and it would do all the charts It's, you know, just a boone because I didn't have to have my colored pencils anymore to do all my scientific, uh, my scientific diagrams. So that tells you how old I am.
Caitlin Kealey: 342. If you ask my children, my kids are like, what do you mean you don't like, didn't have a computer your entire life.
It doesn't make sense. I know.
Elizabeth Shilts: I know.
Caitlin Kealey: Um, yeah. So, I mean, it's obviously changed everything and we are a long way from illustrating our graphs with color pencils now.
Elizabeth Shilts: Yes.
Caitlin Kealey: Do you want to just touch on how you got started in communications?
Elizabeth Shilts: Sure. So there was a bit of a scientific, uh, scientific root. Um, so when I, when I was a kid, I just, I always loved creative writing, writing of any kind.
So I grew up sort of really enjoying writing. Uh, when I got into high school, I. Continue to like it, but also liked sciences. But when it came to choosing a university, I didn't, I couldn't really see what I would do with the science degree. So I decided to go into business. So I did 1 year at Western in their business school and decided I liked science better.
So I left, uh, left the business school and I took a biology degree. It was a degree in ecology and evolution. Loved it, but also at the same time worked for the student newspaper, and, uh, got to the end of my science degree and thought, I don't really know what I'm doing with this now.
Uh, but right around the time I was trying to decide what to do after university, my father was a geologist. And he was telling me one day that he was being interviewed by a science journalist at the Ottawa Citizen. And I thought, well, hey, that's, . That's what I want to do. I can marry my love for writing and my love for science into a job.
So I ended up going to journalism school, science journalism, and did a degree in science journalism, uh, at Boston University. When I graduated there, was lucky enough to get a job at Canadian Geographic magazine. So, worked there for 13 years. Writing, editing, doing a number of things.
And after 13 years, sort of felt like I needed to do something different. And saw this job opportunity, the CFI, Canada Foundation for Innovation, was hiring their first, uh, senior writer and editor. And I thought, well, I could do that. And it's a science organization and this makes sense. So I applied and I got that job.
And so that was part of the communications department. So I, I learned, you know, my background was in journalism, but I got to know communications better and how it worked and what it was about and ended up moving into the director position after I had been here for a few years. And I've been in that position ever since.
Caitlin Kealey: That's cool. I think you and I have a somewhat similar path because I fell in love with journalism and then eventually moved to communications.
Elizabeth Shilts: Yeah.
Caitlin Kealey: Um, and it obviously provides great background for, you know, the media relations piece of the communications world.
Elizabeth Shilts: Exactly.
Yeah.
Caitlin Kealey: Um, what makes you excited about doing comms for CFI?
Um, the, the bits that I know about CFI, it's not, it's not an easy place to communicate on behalf of given it's really science infrastructure.
Elizabeth Shilts: Well, yeah, yeah. So maybe for the audience a little bit about what the CFI is. I mean, I think the thing that excites me is trying to communicate about the value of what we do.
The foundation was started in the late nineties to try and curb the brain drain. We had a scientist leaving the country to go elsewhere where they were getting more money and had better, better, opportunities. And so the government started the CFI to fund research infrastructure, as you said.
So that's the labs, the databases, the equipment, everything, the state of the art stuff that researchers need to do their jobs. So when I took this job, I thought, "What a great thing”. I didn't even know it existed. And it makes, when you think about it, it makes sense. Researchers can't do their job unless they have that kind of equipment and lab space to do the job.
And it also serves to train students and, and give them those skills as well. So really what excites me is just trying to get that across to people is, how important this is. We have a super creative team here, um, who really work hard to get that message out as well.
You know, having been a writer and editor and now overseeing a team, it just, the team is so good at coming up with different ways of getting that message out. So we've got, you know, we've got a multimedia person who does video. We have started a podcast. We've got great writers and editors in both languages.
We've got marketing people who know how to get the message out. And it's just really fun for me to see how, you know, all these different people with all this great expertise is able to work together to get a message out about what we do and the impact that we're having.
Caitlin Kealey: So, I mean, you have a science journalism background. Do you kind of feel like the editor in chief of the communications department? Is that sort of how you approach the role or, you know, um, yeah, what do you apply from your past to this new role?
Elizabeth Shilts: Yeah.
Yeah, well, I definitely, I mean, that's in me. So I think, I think it's really, the way I approach how we communicate.
The person on my team who, uh, is the senior writer and editor now, she also has a science journalism background so that does help that we have the same sort of sensibility about these things. Uh, I think what I apply from science journalism is, um, the fact that, I mean, we fund infrastructure.
So how do you tell stories about infrastructure? Well, if you just tell stories about infrastructure, nobody's going to read them. If you tell stories about the people using the infrastructure and how that, how they, um, what they get out of that and what the outcomes of that research is. So that's how, you know, I think anyone who has taken journalism, science journalism or not, you know, knows that, that telling stories about people is what people want to read in the end.
I also think the stuff that we fund, the infrastructure we fund, and the research coming out of it is always quite complex, uh, to have that science journalism background. It allows me, reading the kind of material that we put out to take that lens of well, how do you translate this to people who may not know, understand or know a lot about that research?
So kind of trying to simplify the message a bit, but still have a message in there. That's uh, that's important and Facts facts are important when you're doing journalism. One of the first jobs I had at canadian geographic when I was there was as a fact checker and so I am trained and I was trained to To really make sure that everything that went into the magazine was accurate that names were spelled, right?
So attention to detail and sort of thing, I think is also important. I think having that kind of trickle down to the team and, and everybody, you know, understands that that's what we are putting out. We have to be factual in what we do. We have to be compelling in what we do.
Caitlin Kealey: And we have to tell stories about how our work is making a difference. How has it sort of framed your approach to media relations?
Elizabeth Shilts: Well, it's allowed me to have some contacts in that realm because, you know, there are people that I know who I knew from my previous career at Canadian Geographic.
It allows us to write news releases in a way too, that maybe are a bit more compelling to media. I think I understand what media might be looking for. So, um, again, we have our media relations person has a background within the media herself. So she also knows that, so I don't have to teach her too much.
Um, but yeah, I think just having those kinds of people who are trained, who had jobs in the, in those areas and knew, knew what people were looking for makes it easier to kind of pitch what we're trying to do.
Caitlin Kealey: Are you like one of those people like me where you edit everywhere you go? Like you edit menus when you read them and you get– write head– like write headlines in your head for fun.
Like.
Elizabeth Shilts: Pretty much. I was, I actually have to tell you and you, you could probably relate to this. I was reading the New York Times yesterday and I found a typo and I was just like, it was very satisfying.
Caitlin Kealey: It's like the ultimate holy grail.
Elizabeth Shilts: Exactly.
Caitlin Kealey: So you've talked a lot about your team and it sounds like you have a great team.
Is there a kind of content or is there a campaign that, you know, you enjoy working on or that you think is worth noting in terms of, like, what CFI has been pushing out lately?
Elizabeth Shilts: Yeah, definitely. I think, and I hope my team would agree with this, but I think, uh, so for the past number of years, starting in September, October, kind of every year we we have launched a promotional campaign that highlights some aspect of what we do.
So that reflects a piece of our mandate.
So we have in the past, looked at a number of aspects of our mandate and tried to tell stories around that.
So we usually get examples of 3 or 4 or 5 people who personify the, the message that we're trying to get across. and typically we either look at a campaign on how the, the research that we enable impacts Canadians or we look at how it impacts the researchers that we're funding and the people that work in the labs.
So those are the, those are the campaigns that I really like to work on because we all work together to find the people who can be, you know, the faces of our campaigns. We have marketing people who look at all the different channels that we can use. We look at how we can use the campaign to address different audiences that we have in different ways. And, I think it's an interesting and multifaceted way that we can get across a piece of our mandate every year. And, uh, for example, we're just about to launch our new campaign this fall, which is focusing on the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs.
So it's looking at how the skills that people get when they're working in labs that were funded by CFI, you know, they get those skills and they have gone on to start businesses that are creating new jobs and, and building new businesses for Canada. So it's been interesting to look at these people and how they, you know, how they worked in the labs and how they actually are have turned that into something that's ongoing business, which is really neat.
So that's what we're about to launch this fall. But we've done other campaigns on, you know, early career researchers. We've done campaigns on, um, working with the private sector and various things like that.
Caitlin Kealey: So, so you're using sort of basically, if, if I was to summarize, you're putting a human face and using storytelling to show impact.
Elizabeth Shilts: Yes. That's a nice way to put it. That's a much more succinct way to put it, yes.
Caitlin Kealey: But I mean, it's only because I was at an event yesterday where they were talking about storytelling and the importance of human faces and like, you know, it's the, it's the, you know, the thing that sort of helps, especially when I assume you are, communicating complex messaging it's, you know, the way to tell a story, right?
Elizabeth Shilts: Yeah. Well, that's yes. Like I said, with the journalism background, you know, I think that's what you have to focus on the people. If we just talked about the infrastructure, it wouldn't get too far. But I think in these cases, the stories of the people and how they got to where they are, just. quite compelling
Caitlin Kealey: So, I mean, we've talked about all the good things, so what are some of the challenges, uh, because again, infrastructure, research funding, you know, none of it's super duper sexy.
Elizabeth Shilts: Yeah.
Caitlin Kealey: Um, so how do, how do, how do you make it a little more interesting? How do you overcome those challenges?
Elizabeth Shilts: Yeah. Yeah. I think the biggest challenge for us is really, you know, CFI works in a very complicated, complex research and innovation environment in Canada. So we're one player of many players in this environment. So I think the challenge for us can really, can be… decision makers, the MPs, the elected officials who provide the funding, to us and others, it's, it's trying to figure out how, people who are not in that environment can, fully understand what we do, and, how the work that we do impacts Canadians, essentially.
So, I think, with all these players in the environment, we all are, are working towards the same goal. We want to support research and innovation in the country, and we want to do it so it serves, um, the needs of the community and so that it does bring benefits to Canada. So I think at CFI our job is really to demonstrate how we fit into that whole puzzle and to show what, what value we bring to the country and how it really complements the other organizations that are, that are working in that space. And so, how do we go about doing that? Ye strive to have really clear communications directed at those decision makers. And so that's through meetings that we have, different events that we hold, communications materials that we strive to get to them.
And it's also really working with the other players in the environment. So that's, um, it's other funding agencies that do similar things, groups, and universities and colleges that receive our funding as well. So we work with them to try and deliver the same sort of message to these decision makers so they understand the importance of, of the value of the environment, the research and innovation sector in general, and also, you know, better understand what each one of us does.
Caitlin Kealey: I mean, yeah, it's a huge ecosystem. So with, you know, probably many harmonious wants and needs, but also some conflicting, you know, there's only, there's only so much pie. So you're also probably vaguely competing, which I'm sure no one says out loud very often, but I, I get to, cause I'm not, I'm not, I'm not in that game anymore.
Um, but so how do you balance sort of. the need for clear, compelling messaging with the complexity of the issues. And, you know, I know we've touched on it, but is there like, is there a secret sauce to that?
Elizabeth Shilts: Well, you hire really good writers. I think we're very lucky in that respect. We have two very good writers and editors on our, on our team.
Ones that can really get to the crux of an issue and in few words and also be creative and compelling at the same time. We've initiated a clear language initiative across our organization, just to make sure that the work that we actually do and the funds that we put out that calls for proposals and everything, we have to make sure that all of those are accessible to the people who are actually applying for our funding.
Um, but also that serves us well when we're communicating to people who aren't embedded in research. Our own communications needs to be accessible as well. So, we, we approach all of our communications in that way. Uh, and I also have, you know, over the past year, I do it myself, but also, you know, been talking to the team about it.
It's really to get out of our internal speak. We're so embedded in the day to day work of what we do. We make big assumptions when we communicate what we communicate. And I think it's taking that step back and sort of getting rid of jargon where it's possible, but also thinking when you're reading something, if I knew nothing about the CFI, would I get what I'm talking about here?
And that's really hard to do because you're, you know, you work in an environment where everybody knows what's going on. So you really have to put yourself in the, in the shoes of the audience you're trying to reach and write as if you don't know anything about the CFI.
So I think that's sort of one of the things we do. One of the approaches we take to, to really make sure that that language is understandable by all sorts of people.
Caitlin Kealey: Okay, you've piqued my interest, a clear language initiative. I mean, obviously, that's something that scientists and researchers could use and definitely need.
I mean, I'm the child of two historians and I guarantee you that there are words that I'm often like, what? Sorry.
Yeah.
What's that concept? Um, you know, I think that's really great that you're being a leader on it, but like, have you got a list of guidelines, like, words that we don't use?
Like, how are you sort of implementing that across the organization?
Elizabeth Shilts: Yeah, so we've done it, you know, in little pieces and, and, um, it's, it's a continuous learning, I think, for everybody. We have style guides that have some of that guidance written into it. In the past couple of years, three, four years, I guess, we have actually brought in someone to do training for people on staff.
So that's our communications team, as well as people–we have many masters, PhDs, very talented, smart people–working on our funding programs. And so many of them have also taken that just to be able to, you know, when we approach our funding opportunities, to be able to write in a way that's, that's maybe not bogged down with, uh, jargon that would be used in a research environment.
So we've had training opportunities. We're about to embark on some of that again in the new year. So it's, it's really just trying to reinforce those, all of those kind of clear writing rules that are out there, I think, and and trying to reinforce that it's not dumbing down language. It's making it clear.
That's what we try to get across to people. And I think other teams in the organization have been quite receptive to that. And I think it makes it, it actually makes it easier to write if you write with some of those principles in mind.
Caitlin Kealey: Yeah, for sure. And clear communications is like, that's what we all aspire to is people being able to understand what we're trying to communicate.
Elizabeth Shilts: Yeah.
Caitlin Kealey: Um, so I want to leave it on the, if you had one piece of advice, uh, for someone who wants to excel in science communication or research communication, uh, what's your piece of advice for them?
Elizabeth Shilts: I think in communications in general, I think it's just to pursue an area or an organization that you feel passionate about.
I think you have to work for an organization that you believe in the mandate, that you can get behind. And I really feel strongly about that because it then allows you to communicate authentically, and it allows you to really, get messages out that you believe in, in a way that you can help others believe in.
If you're working for a place that you don't believe in the mandate, I can't even imagine how you start to write messaging around that. I've talked about how my background is in science and I've always worked in sort of science organizations and it's really served me well and it makes it easy for me to talk about that stuff and be feel strongly about it and excited about what we do, I think as well.
And so that's, that's the advice that I'd give someone who is starting in this, just find a place that does something that you really can take to heart.
Caitlin Kealey: Well, that's it for this week's episode of Ampersand. Thanks for joining us.
For more comms and design tips, sign up for our newsletter at emdashagency.ca and follow us on your favorite podcasting app so that you don't miss our next episode. Ampersand is hosted by Megana Ramaswami and me, Caitlin Kealey, and it's produced by Elio Peterson. This podcast is a project of Emdash, the small agency focused on big impact helping progressives be heard.