In my previous column, I suggested reasons for communicating beyond our professional audiences and provided some tips to guide scientists, engineers and mathematicians when taking such steps. Having a clear message, practicing the message and keeping it consistent are points that bear reminding and repeating. Here, I wish to extend some of the ideas, while talking more about specific audiences. We intuitively know the differences among a plenary address, a shorter talk in a topical session and a poster presentation delivered at the same professional meeting. A plenary speaker often has the luxury of developing a richer history and background to her remarks than does someone presenting a 15- to 20-minute talk on his latest research results. Even a clear message might vary somewhat from audience to audience while staying true to its essence. One can imagine speaking or writing to different groups and changing the organization of a message, reducing the number of key points or highlighting certain aspects. Print and broadcast media take different forms.
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