Real-Life Communication
Communication skills are important if you want to pursue a career
in biogeography. Consider environmental consulting.
"Environmental
consultants have to do written reports," says Margaret North. She is a biogeographer.
"Frequently, if the company is a small company, every person employed will
at some point have to formally present and defend the report in a public hearing."
You
have finished your environmental assessment of a bog. Now you have to present
and defend your findings in a public hearing.
Your boss has asked you
to create an opening statement. You are very nervous, since public speaking
is not one of your strengths. From your first impression of the audience,
you can tell this is a hostile crowd.
As you stroll up to the podium,
you can feel your heart pounding away in your chest and beads of sweat forming
on your forehead. Your throat feels dry and you think you might be losing
your voice.
You stayed up all night working on your opening statement.
You want to assure the public that a proposed housing development will not
cause harm to the rest of the bog, which is going to be protected as a park.
These
are the facts you have to include in your opening statement:
- You studied the whole bog.
- You spent a week mapping the bog and taking samples of all of the vegetation
and animal life.
- You cataloged all the animals in the area.
- Your conclusion is that the bog is strong enough to sustain development.
Write your opening statement.