Hi!

Our October Comm Convo addressed a question that comes up a lot in our world: What does it actually mean to be an expert in biopharma communications, when we’re required to have a generalist’s breadth as well as technical depth?

We’re asked to speak science and shape strategy, usually without a straight-line path that teaches us both. Raven Baxter (Dr. Raven the Science Maven), Sébastien Desprez (Immunocore), and Jamie Weiss (Alnylam) joined us to talk about how they’ve built credibility, led teams, and figured out what expertise really looks like in practice.

Here are 10 takeaways from the conversation:

1. Leverage non-scientific authority with confidence. Authority is not just science. Your expertise in storytelling, audience insight, and strategic communication carries equal weight in organizational impact.

2. Reframe translation beyond language conversion. Your role is helping scientists engage and translate their work, not just converting technical content. Context and purpose matter more than vocabulary.

3. Build credibility through curiosity rather than knowledge. Replace pressure to know everything with united curiosity that makes your questions a strength, not a vulnerability.

4. Anchor every message in evidence. Build trust with scientific colleagues by ensuring you never communicate beyond what data supports. Evidence-based communication proves you value scientific integrity.

5. Cultivate relationships as your primary currency. Listening will get you anywhere. Investing in genuine connections provides access to the expertise and internal support you need.

6. Master the politics behind the science. Develop your "art of listening and persuasion" while showcasing wins internally. Advancing scientific communication requires both navigating organizational dynamics and making your bridge-building successes visible.

7. Balance generalist instincts with specialist partnerships. Assess whether challenges are fundamentally about science or communication strategy to determine when to leverage breadth versus depth.

8. Adapt your voice across expertise levels. Successfully tailoring communication style—from patients to specialists and everyone in between—requires recognizing that different audiences need different depths and approaches.

9. Build community through teaching and enthusiasm. You can't build community by shaming people for knowledge gaps. Create trust through shared passion while making complex concepts accessible.

10. Position scientific work as shared human progress. Frame communications to bridge the gap between research and public benefit, helping audiences see themselves as participants in scientific advancement.

Thanks to everyone who shared perspective and experience this time around. Stay tuned for details on November’s Comm Convo!

Lynnea

P.S. - For our Boston-area community members: Our partner MassBio is offering free tickets for T2B Pro members to their Patient Advocacy Summit on November 6th! Claim yours by replying to this email.

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