At Firehead, we’re extremely proud of the exceptional quality authors we’ve gathered in our training centre. They are top names and thought leaders in their fields.
Anne Malinda is our Science Communication Fundamentals author. Anne is passionate about communication – she has Masters degrees in both Technical Communication and Science Communication, and brings a lot of knowledge and learning to the table.
What is this course about?
This course is designed to introduce you to the principles and practices of effective science communication. Whether you’re new to the field or looking to exercise your skills, this course will help you learn how to translate complex scientific ideas into accessible, engaging content for diverse audiences.
Why is this course important?
This course is important because it equips learners with the tools to translate complex ideas into clear, accurate, and engaging communication. In today’s world, where information overload and misinformation are common, being able to share ideas in a way that people can understand and trust is essential—not just in science, but in every field.
Anne has seen firsthand how miscommunication and misunderstandings in science, whether caused by jargon, bias, or a lack of clarity, can erode trust and spread misinformation with real consequences for health, policy, and society. Seeing such effects made it clear that more resources were needed to help communicators share information more effectively—embedding clarity, accuracy, and confidence into every message. So, she set out to develop a course that would equip them with practical skills to tackle these issues head-on.
Anne wants to provide learners with practical, transferable skills they can apply immediately—whether that’s adapting language for non-experts, analyzing audiences, or creating multimedia. Her ultimate goal is to help reduce miscommunication, make complex ideas clearer, and support more informed decision-making across all areas where science touches people’s lives.
This course can help learners see that the skills of science communication are not “extras” or ‘nice-to-haves’—they are core competencies that strengthen all communication and communicators, making messages more effective and impactful across disciplines.
How will this information help you five years from now?
The skills and practices learned through science communication are evergreen. Tools, platforms, careers, and industries evolve, but the fundamentals of reaching people through clear, accurate, and tailored communication will always remain relevant.
Five years from now, the skills from this course will continue to transfer seamlessly across roles and contexts. You’ll still be:
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- Identifying the right audiences for your content.
- Adapting your language for different groups.
- Choosing the most effective media format for your message.
- Spotting bias and misinformation in sources.
- Building trust and inclusion into your communication.
These aren’t just skills for today—they’re durable, adaptable practices that will strengthen your work for years to come.
Here’s a little bit about the author
Anne Malinda is a skilled communicator with a passion for technical, scientific, and medical communication. With a strong academic foundation, including a Master’s in Technical Communication from North Carolina State University and a Master’s in Science Communication from University College London, she brings both expertise and practical experience to her work.
She brings experience in both science communication, where she’s trained and practiced in multiple contexts; and technical communication, which grounds her in making complex information accessible and usable. That combination of experiences taught her how powerful communication can be when done well, and how damaging it can be when done poorly.
She’s contributed to a variety of journals and companies as a freelance writer and editor, focusing on enhancing clarity, consistency, and accessibility. She is dedicated to helping others succeed, whether by tutoring English Communication on Preply or working as an Instructor at NC State University, teaching Communication for Science and Research.
Here’s a little bit about our Science Communication Fundamentals course
Who is this course for?
This course is designed for learners who want to build a strong foundation in science communication—whether they are beginners exploring the field or professionals looking to refresh and expand their skills. This course is ideal for those who want to engage the public more effectively with science and develop the ability to translate complex scientific concepts into clear, accessible, and engaging content for diverse audiences.
What will you learn?
When you successfully complete this course, you will:
- Understand core principles of scientific communication: accuracy, accessibility, adaptability, clarity, inclusivity, context sensitivity, and participatory communication.
- Be able to navigate the various genres that comprise science communication.
- Recognize different audiences and tailor your content to make it accessible to everyday people.
- Know how to adapt specialized language for non-experts.
- Understand the fundamentals of research methods, to formulate research questions, evaluate sources, and select appropriate methodologies.
- Recognize multimedia formats in science communication and understand when and how to use them.
What this course does not provide:
- It does not provide step-by-step instructions in fact-checking techniques, such as reading primary literature, cross-checking data, or applying standards for scientific integrity.
- It does not explore codes of ethics, intellectual property, privacy, or legal constraints in science communication.
- It does not teach in-depth research methods, such as how to conduct systematic searches or synthesize findings.
- It does not teach professional-level mastery of production suites (e.g., Adobe Premiere, Illustrator, After Effects) or advanced editing/design workflows.
How will you learn?
Through video lessons, real-world examples, self-assessments, and hands-on activities, you’ll explore core concepts such as audience awareness, multimedia formats, inclusive language, and overcoming communication challenges, gaining the confidence and tools to communicate science clearly and responsibly to the public.
This is an asynchronous, self-guided course. It is made up of the following materials:
- Videos – short presentations from the course instructor that bring the topic to life (transcripts can be provided as an alternative learning format).
- Presentations – text and graphics that allow you to read and consider a variety of topics.
- Examples – real-world science communication samples in different formats (e.g., articles, infographics, videos) for you to review, analyze, and draw from during course activities.
- Activities – opportunities to engage with real-world examples by asking and answering questions in discussion boards, encouraging reflection, analysis, and peer-to-peer learning.
- Assessments – self-grading quizzes that assess your learning through multiple choice, multiple response, and true/false questions.
- Reflections – prompts designed to help you pause and thoughtfully consider the module content, encouraging self-assessment, personal connections, critical thinking, and deeper learning through written responses.
- Additional resources – more toolkits, guides, videos, and articles, to help reinforce key concepts, support different learning styles, and encourage further exploration beyond the course content.
- Bonus recordings – focused videos that expand on specific aspects of certain modules, offering additional insights, examples, or tips to support and enrich your learning journey.
- Download our free Science Communication explainer to get started.
- Check out the course here: Science Communication Fundamentals.
- View all of our career courses on firehead-training.net
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