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Mỹ Lệ Ducharme's picture

Mỹ Lệ Ducharme

Vice President
When not helping her clients develop strategic communications plans and strengthening their partnership opportunities, Mỹ Lệ enjoys catching up with old friends on her Facebook page, trying to understand the world of a D.C. teenager as a mentor, and traveling the world seeking new adventures and experiences. Her latest adventures took her to Tahiti where she was the only adult among a group of 8-year-old boys learning to surf in the gentle waves of the South Pacific. She credits her travels for introducing her to Twitter. In fact, she was sitting in front of the Taj Mahal when she sent out her first tweet. Before joining Weber Shandwick, Mỹ Lệ worked at the Smithsonian Institution researching ancient climate change and leading their science communications and partnership development efforts. She thanks her alma maters, Smith College and Harvard University, for their academic nurturing.

History

Member for
46 weeks 3 days
Jun 16

Does the news media do a terrible job educating the public in science?

Mỹ Lệ Ducharme

According to a Pew Research Center for the People & the Press 2009 report, a substantial percentage of scientists say that the news media have done a poor job educating the public.

What can the science community do to help?

On Monday, I gave a presentation at the 2010 Summer Policy Fellows Colloquium sponsored by the American Meteorological Society to help answer that question. The colloquium brings together mid-career scientists who are interested in using their science backgrounds in policy and communications. They were from organizations like UC-Berkeley, Princeton University, University of MI, Stanford University, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Consortium for Ocean Leadership — to name just a few. 

While discussing the role of the science community in communications, I noted that there were two things happening that made it increasingly necessary for scientists to speak to the public about matters regarding science data and information.

First, sustainability concerns are on the rise. This is largely driven by federal agencies and consumers who are demanding that private entities factor in environmental impacts and other risks as part of their bottom line reporting. Second, corporations and nonprofits realize they need to do a better job of educating their audiences and presenting a credible voice around complicated issues they care about such as food security and nutrition, health and safety, and environmental conservation.

All these efforts require greater communication and understanding of scientific information to help inform and educate policy makers and the public and accurately report on risks and impact. Who are the best messengers for this information? After teachers and members of the military, scientists are among the most credible messengers. That same Pew Research Center report noted that 70 percent of the American public has a high regard for scientists.

With such a high level of support from the public, organizations need scientists and the science community to help tell the story.
 

Jun 11

Everyone has a bit of Hungarian in them

Mỹ Lệ Ducharme

That’s right, we’ve all got a bit of Hungarian in us, according to András Szörényi, First Secretary, Public Affairs, Embassy of Hungary, who was one of the speakers at this week’s monthly lunch meeting of the Capital Communicators Group (CCG).

“Really?!” I questioned in good humor, as I reflected on my Southeast Asian heritage wondering where, along genetic lines, my Hungarian ancestry might have come in. The statement was entertaining and was a great tactic for capturing our attention about Hungary. As part of his presentation he talked about some of the Embassy’s key communications strategies which include highlighting the pervasiveness of Hungarian ancestry to help increase the country’s visibility.

The second speaker was Kasper Zeuthen, Senior Press and Media Officer, European Union Delegation to the U.S. and he provided a few key insights into some trends occurring with the European media:

  1. Increasingly, the more receptive media outlets for securing stories are trades and smaller niche publications versus the larger, national, top-tier outlets;
     
  2. The decrease in the number of journalists makes it increasingly more difficult to meet or brief reporters and build relationships because they’re so busy; and
     
  3. Social media is becoming a resource center as more and more reporters request that he Tweet his press releases.

Not surprisingly, we nodded our heads in collective agreement. We all agreed with Kasper’s insights: organizations should focus on the most strategic media targets, identify alternative ways to build media relationships and maximize the use of social media to publish your stories.
 

May 20

Does everyone want an informed public?

Mỹ Lệ Ducharme

The quick answer is yes, we all want an informed public. In a thriving democracy, having an informed and educated citizenry enhances our understanding of complex issues that, in turn, can result in sound policies. Answering that question is the easy part.

But some of the most difficult questions are “How do we inform the public?” and “What do we want to say?” These questions were discussed at a recent “Climate Change Education Roundtable” hosted by the National Academy of Sciences. With almost unanimous agreement among scientists on the effects of climate change but a public whose understanding and support is gradually dimming (according to a Pew report), the real challenge is how to communicate complex and controversial issues to key audiences. As communications professionals, we address these challenges everyday on behalf of our clients.

So, what were the communications “takeaways” from the discussion? The group agreed on several key strategies that communication experts would support:

  1. Make your messages relevant to your target audiences – a single message does not resonate with all audiences; find different ways to tell the same story.
  2. Communicate uncertainty and acknowledge it – for science-related issues, it’s important to let your audiences know that not even science is a perfect science.
  3. Include a diversity of messengers in your communications efforts – this will show broad support. Teachers, scientists and experts from civil society and academia may be great messengers.
  4. Customize content for use across various delivery channels (e.g. print media, social media, website, etc.) – use your content in new and interesting ways but customized for different delivery methods.

What will be interesting to see is how organizations put these concepts into action in communicating climate change. Let us know if you’ve applied other strategies that have successfully facilitated communications on a complex or controversial issue. 

 

Mar 17

Gaining an Edge on Sustainability Reporting

Mỹ Lệ Ducharme

Companies and organizations can stay ahead of the game by adopting a new integrated reporting format proposed in “One Report: Integrated Reporting for a Sustainable Strategy,” the latest book from Robert Eccles, senior lecturer at Harvard’s business school.

Nonprofits that connect the dots between mission, outcomes and more efficient operations may attract more funding over the long term.

According to Eccles, by publishing a comprehensive, single report, companies can communicate a single and consistent message to their many audiences while clearly demonstrating the linkages between financial and non-financial performance. In a single report, investors, consumers and internal audiences are able to see how the company integrates their business operations, financial results and sustainability work into a single, long-term vision for the company.

How does a company successfully integrate their reporting? Eccles outlines the following key strategies:

  1. Engage leadership throughout the organization – Ultimately, the CEO has the responsibility of ensuring all information is accurate; however, leaders throughout the organization need to coordinate, ensure fidelity of data, communicate goals and objectives and help carry the message to all stakeholders.
  2. Invest in innovation to measure non-financial performance – Companies will need to invest in consultants, advisors and measurement tools to help develop a system and methodology for measuring non-financial performance.
  3. Utilize the Web to supplement report information and engage stakeholders – Eccles points out that a key ingredient to enhanced reporting is using online communications platforms (e.g. blogs, podcasts, commenting tools, etc.) to solicit feedback and allow for two-way conversations. It also allows companies to distribute additional information, resources and data that is too exhaustive to publish in paper format.

In a survey of nonprofits, Eccles mentioned that more than 75 percent of those surveyed welcomed this new approach. It’ll be interesting to see where this trend leads in both the corporate and nonprofit sectors - whether you’re implementing or advocating for sustainability initiatives.

For non-profits this is a good trend. Effective tools that openly and transparently communicate your value to your donors, members and other stakeholders could mean increased opportunity for funding.

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