America is now a nation of foodies, obsessed with fine dining trends, buzzy restaurants, and binge-watching Bake-Off and The Bear, but it wasn’t always this way. In the early 1960s, American cuisine was dominated by convenience foods, and French cooking was seen as elitist and inaccessible. Then in 1963, an unknown middle-aged cookbook author named Julia Child launched a modest public access show called The French Chef. Was she the world’s greatest chef? No, but she was the most charismatic. Her passion, humor, and authenticity built trust with a skeptical audience, and that charisma transformed how Americans cooked and thought about food. The lesson? People trust people with charisma. In an era of rising skepticism and mistrust toward science, scientists don’t need a rebrand, they just need a little riz.
Fortunately, like cooking the perfect omelet, charisma can be taught. Even more fortunately, masterfully and discreetly placed SEO keywords (SCIENCE!) have brought you (COMEDY!) to the perfect place (SCIENCE COMMUNICATION!) to learn it. Our mission at Hello SciCom is to make science entertaining. We’re a team of science comedy writers who have worked with some of the best science communicators in the world – helping smart people explain their work through compelling science stories that increase engagement, public speeches, and more. Now, in the spirit of Julia Child, we’re distilling the secrets of charismatic science communication into this helpful recipe. And you don’t even have to do dishes afterwards!
First and foremost, charismatic people are authentic and confident, and those two qualities go hand in hand. “Just be yourself” isn’t helpful advice if you’re naturally shy or insecure, and faking confidence rarely works if people can tell you’re bluffing (which they usually can). So how do you become authentically confident? Start by remembering that you’re a scientist who’s spent years mastering your field. Unlike the loudmouths on social media or at Thanksgiving dinner who confidently spout nonsense, you actually know your stuff. So own it, you gosh darn superstar!
Carl Sagan understood this perfectly. He hosted Cosmos: A Personal Voyage and made frequent appearances on The Johnny Carson Show, always coming across as calm, sincere, and deeply confident – a man who clearly knew his sh*t and made his audience feel smart, too. His charisma came from clarity, not condescension, and that made him trustworthy.
Too much confidence tips into arrogance, and that’s where trust breaks down (see: most politicians and tech bros). Which brings us to the next ingredient…
A 2020 study by Van Zant and Berger found that how people speak is just as important as what they say. Van Zant and Berger called this “paralanguage.” Passionate communication, speaking with genuine enthusiasm and warmth, “make communicators seem more confident without undermining sincerity.” At Hello SciCom, we believe enthusiasm is essential, and no one embodies this better than Neil deGrasse Tyson. Whether he’s talking about black holes or science funding, he always sounds spontaneous, excited, and deeply engaged. Honestly, if you went out to dinner at Olive Garden, he’d probably be just as passionate about the chicken and shrimp carbonara. That sense of wonder is contagious.
Warmth matters just as much. According to a 2007 study from Fiske, Cuddy, and Glick, people trust warmth as much as competence – perhaps more so – a concept we call the “Don’t Be a Dick” Principle of Science Communication. Neil gives off grandpa-who-took-you-to-the-museum energy: he doesn’t just care about science, he cares about you caring about science. That mix of intellect, empathy, and personal connection? Pure charisma. Season your scicom with a little Care-Bear-with-a-PhD energy next time you speak, and your audience will feel it.
Comedy is a charisma cheat code. Sarah Adelman, stand-up comic, science researcher, and Lead Creative at Hello SciCom, has written about how persuasive humor can be, even compensating for other shortcomings. Case in point: my very real scientific study, How I Got My Now Fiancé to Date Me. You don’t have to be the most confident or outgoing person (or, in my case, have a proportionally sized head); a well-timed joke goes a long way. And for scientists, that’s great news, because when people expect you to be boring, even a small laugh can leave a big impression.
No scientist in modern history has blended comedy and science communication better than Bill Nye. Everybody now: “Bill! Bill! Bill! Bill Nye the Science Guy!”
But seriously, funny experiments, goofy songs, and manic energy helped Bill Nye capture attention and make science stick. He entertained us first, then taught us something real. Just like Jon Stewart and John Oliver use comedy to get people thinking about politics, we use humor to get people thinking about science, and you can be part of that movement.
If this image of Bill Nye doesn’t stir profound emotions in you and conjure images of a TV set being rolled into your classroom can we even be friends?
Emotional intelligence is the often-overlooked but arguably most essential ingredient of charisma. It means showing empathy and actually listening, and few science communicators exemplify this as well as Alie Ward. The Emmy-award winning science correspondent has cut her teeth in the TV world as part of successful shows like The Henry Ford Innovation Nation with Mo Rocca and CW’s Did I Mention Invention?, but she’s perhaps best known for her role as the creator and host of the podcast, Ologies.
The podcast premise is simple - an episode for every science, or “-ology” out there. Well over 400 episodes in, the success of the podcast can be largely attributed to a couple of key things. Firstly, a seemingly endless number of “-ologies”. Biology and geology are a good start, but who could forget about the other everyday favorites like ethnobotany, speleology (caves), and, of course, scatology (poop)? But perhaps even more important than hour-long dialogues on feces (we know, hard to believe), is Alie’s contagious curiosity and passion for learning.
The sheer volume of information that Alie Ward manages to convey pales in comparison to how well she is able to convey it, and to how many people. Each episode is made accessible to all audiences, through not only scientific research in the form of humorous asides, but through Alie’s genuine desire to level with and listen to her audience. Whether this Alie being careful to use proper pronouns, prefacing an aside with a, “don’t worry, I had to look it up, too,” or letting herself “geek out” without shame, each episode is a reminder that science can (and should) be challenging and enriching, without being intimidating.
This down-to-earth style of hosting has earned Ologies a spot on Time Magazine’s Top 100 Podcasts of All Time, as well as a community of loyal fans who have found connection with each other through a mutual love of science. We have a feeling that Alie appreciates the former, but cares even more about the latter.
Scientists must remember they’re humans first. So, lather your science communication with emotional intelligence like kosher salt on a T-bone steak. Or, if you’re Alton Brown, just lather your science communication with kosher salt.
Okay, we’re nearly there! We’ve whipped up an A+ science communicator with the confidence and authenticity of Carl Sagan, the passion and warmth of Neil DeGrasse Tyson, the creativity and humor of Bill Nye, and the emotional intelligence of Alie Ward. There’s just one ingredient missing…
Okay, yes, this one’s more of a gag. But let’s be honest, British people just sound more intelligent. Maybe it’s all those nature documentaries, or maybe Americans secretly crave the monarchy’s embrace. With the right accent, you might not need any other traits on this list… unless, of course, you veer into Bond villain territory.
Cultivating all these qualities might sound daunting, but you don’t need to do it alone. Reach out to us and let’s talk about how we might help you be your most authentic, passionate self! Every scientist has it in them to be a charismatic communicator, and we can take you there.
