How Science Executives Can Communicate in Chaotic Times

Op-Eds are more than PR.

Every leader in the sciences today is under pressure. Clear thinking and thoughtful communication are crucial, but harder in practice. So I want to offer a different way of looking at that tried-and-true medium for executive communication: the Op-Ed article.

Op-Eds are immensely valuable tools for any science executive who needs to build relationships, deliver for their people, and help others navigate a shifting landscape.

Here are just three ways they can do that:

1. Op-Ed writing turns your raw ideas into your best thinking. 

As an executive, wondering if you need to be insightful is like wondering if your surgeon needs a steady hand. This is one thing that makes Op-Ed skills so valuable: Once you understand the process of developing an Op-Ed, you have a repeatable way to refine your ideas and contribute your best thinking to public conversations when it matters most. 

2. Op-Ed writing puts your best thinking in service of others.

Whether they’re running a startup or a Global Fortune 500 company, this is the biggest mental shift we help C-suite executives make: naturally, they see their own products or services or their company itself as the obvious solution to whatever problems they’re in business to solve. But writing an Op-Ed that sounds like a press release is the fastest way to see it rejected when you go to get it published. 

When you learn how to go into “Op-Ed mode,” it becomes a practice that shifts your mind to spin off insights that help your market, your stakeholders, or broader society on an even deeper level. Fiction writers say Show, don’t tell. In the same way, Op-Eds are valuable for executives because they require you to show you’re a leader, versus telling people you are one.

3. Every Op-Ed gives you a durable asset for achieving your objectives.

Here’s what you create when you publish an Op-Ed: A) a differentiated point of view on an important issue when it’s most timely, B) shared in a clear, compelling format that’s both substantive and easy for people to absorb, C) in a credible publication you earned. 

This makes every Op-Ed a strategic asset executives can use to open doors, spark real conversations, cultivate relationships, and create opportunities.

I love nothing more than helping clients turn scientific knowledge into valuable insight–and then putting that insight to work. I’ve honed Etalia’s unique approach over more than 20 years of helping CEOs, CSOs, Directors and Surgeons General, and other leaders in science to surface their insights and create real-world impact.

For more about how to make an impact with Op-Eds, check out Etalia’s companion guide.

To explore how our approach could work for you, schedule a call.