Effective Communication in Conservation with Ben Christ

Communication is huge in conservation and wildlife biology careers. People tend to only think of the species, ecosystems, or research that scientists work on, but this research is always communicated in some way – to other scientists, the public, and/or various stakeholders.In this interview, I sit down with Director of Facilitation and Planning at Impact by Design, Inc., Ben Christ. Ben was an undergraduate researcher when I was getting my Ph.D. at the University of Missouri and he talks about his trajectory from science into working directly with people at Impact by Design. Impact By Design is a nonprofit consulting agency that provides training and capacity building to other nonprofit organizations so that they can increase their effectiveness and maximize impact. They specialize in nonprofits working on conservation, animal welfare, and environmental advocacy. It’s Ben’s job to bring together different sectors within a nonprofit or across nonprofits and their stakeholders to get specific outcomes.Ben provides some great perspective on the things you need to think about when brining people together. These messages are especially important to hear now because we have a diversity problem in wildlife biology and conservation. One of the ways that we can help is by learning how we can hear others more. Specifically we talk about:How Ben’s plan to go to graduate school broke down, but it was a blessing in disguiseHow and why Ben made the transition to consulting from scienceThe importance of communication in conservation and the many ways things can go wrongHow to run effective meetingsHow to make people feel comfortableHow to encourage underrepresented voices and make sure they are heardThinking beyond scientific research in conservation and wildlife workand MORE!For full show notes click here.Get a free chapter of my book “Getting a Job in Wildlife Biology: What It’s Like and What You Need to Know” here: https://stephanieschuttler.com/getting-a-job-in-wildlife-biology-book/Want to learn about cool animals, conservation, and get tips about careers in wildlife biology, science, and more? Subscribe to my channel: https://www.youtube.com/StephanieSchuttler and join my email list: https://stephanieschuttler.com/ I’d love to meet you. Connect with me on social media:Twitter: https://twitter.com/FancyScientistInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/fancy_scientist/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fancyscientist/Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/fancyscientist/pins/I go live in my Facebook group every other Wednesday at 12 PM EST to answer a wildlife biology question. Join me! https://www.facebook.com/fancyscientist/ Join the “Getting a Job in Wildlife Biology” Facebook group to connect with other aspiring wildlife biologists, post your questions and get free advice: https://www.facebook.com/groups/gettingajobinwildlifebiology