While scientists do much of their work alone—thinking, computing, pipetting, scanning, observing, recording, recoding, counting—we eventually present our work to different audiences. We present to other scientists in our field at small, closed-door meetings, expecting intense and detailed interrogation. We present to wider scientific groups at professional conferences where we must provide more background and context for our work. Sometimes, we present to a more general public, on radio or television, where translation from the jargon of our disciplines is what’s called for. The expectations from each audience are different and raise different questions.
Read more here.