Meeting Abstract
Identifying strategies that generate increased individual interest may make all the difference in successfully influencing immediate and long-term public engagement with your research science. Interest, the expression of feeling or attraction, is one of the primary precursors to individuals taking action, increasing awareness, or changing behavior. In this session, we will share insights from an on-going study on the communication of scientific research by national park interpreters and its relationship to visitor interests. We are actively exploring how visitor interests are sparked or reinforced during conversations between park interpreters and visitors. Through observations and visitor interviews, we have investigated: (a) behavioral indicators of situational interest, such as curiosity; (b) interpreter’s strategies that appear to spark interest, such as visual images; and (c) visitor interpretations of how the interactions sparked or reinforced their own interests. By analyzing the observational data, we are able to suggest drivers of visitor interest, as well as what communication strategies may influence each individual. We believe there are two key factors that are important for influencing the dynamics of visitor interests: communication strategies and research/practitioner partnerships. We will use these finding to suggest ways research can be enhanced by investing in particular communication strategies to increase your research’s value and visibility.
