Earlier this year the Centre for Research on Environmental Decisions at Columbia University published a guide to The Psychology of Climate Change Communication. My favourite bit is a table of 'words with different meanings to scientists and the general public'. Here are some of them (science term first, followed by non-science interpretation):
Uncertainty = Not knowing
Error = Wrong, Incorrect
Bias = Unfair and deliberate distortion
Positive Trend = A good trend
Positive Feedback = Constructive criticism
Theory = A hunch, opinion, speculation
Manipulation = Exploitation
Values = Ethics, money
Scheme = Conspiracy
While this is probably something of a caricature of how people interpret these words, there's an important message in here for climate change communication - don't assume that people interpret specialist terminology in the same way you do!
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