Real-Life Communication
You are an animal behaviorist working for a university. You are
surfing the Internet one night and you come across an article from Archer
Daniel Midland, a large animal farming consortium.
The article says
that pig farmers are suffering record lows in production because the pigs
are not gaining enough weight for market. If this trend continues, it will
be economically devastating for the industry.
After reading the article,
you think this is a great area in which to conduct research. You look at some
past research and find out that no one has really dealt with this area of
study. There are still a lot of issues for you to research on this topic.
You want to commence a study on the issue immediately, but experimentation
is a long and sometimes very expensive process, so you have to find someone
to fund your experiments.
You go to see the dean of agricultural sciences
and ask him to lunch. Over a hot meal and some small talk, you express your
idea of doing formal research on the pig weight loss issue. You express to
him the plight of the pig farmers, and how your research will help them and
the whole pig farming industry. You tell him that more research is needed
in order to solve the problem facing the pig farming industry.
He agrees
with you and says he will present your request for a research grant to the
academic senate, which is responsible for allocating research grant money.
The next day, you are in your office doing a crossword puzzle when your phone
rings.
You pick up the phone and it's the dean. He informs you
that the senate likes your idea. But before they will give you a research
grant, they want you to present your application in writing.
This is
why, according to animal behaviorist Wayne Goodey, communication skills are
important. You need a "lucid, clear style to communicate what you found to
people employing you or people who want your information, such as organizations
that want to distribute your reports out to farmers and caretakers of animals."
In
the grant application form, they want you to write a proposal outlining what
you are trying to prove, what you want to do and what the criteria are for
these experiments.
You've already decided upon the scientific
methods you'll apply in the study. You'll compare the behavior of
pigs in the wild and in captivity, study the psychology and physiology of
pigs and, if necessary, perform blood and tissue tests. You'll apply
all of these methods for the same goal -- to explain why the pigs are losing
weight on production farms.