“If you can't explain it to a six-year-old, you don't understand it yourself.”
(Attributed to Albert Einstein, but with no citation)
At university you learn to write in academic style, but writing - and communication in general - for a lay (i.e., non-academic) audience is becoming increasingly important. This type of communication is where you explain your subject and its wider impact to an audience who are not specialists in your field.
Being able to communicate with a wider audience is a good skill to develop. But, in addition to this, it also makes you more aware of how to communicate clearly, which then helps to improve your academic writing and speaking as well.
The most successful communication with a lay audience requires that you have a deep understanding of your subject plus its implications for the wider world. So, this kind of writing or presenting is an opportunity for you to demonstrate your intellectual development.
This Mini-module will present:
