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Why Strong Audience Connections Matter Now More Than Ever
For an audience to attend to, engage with, and act upon a message, they must trust the communicator. Strong audience connections build and strengthen trust. When communicating about science, those audience connections matter. Now more than ever.

Barbara J. Mayfield, MS, RDN, LD, FAND
9 hours ago3 min read


Master Virtual Meeting Moderation: 8 Proven Techniques for Success
The role of moderator in a virtual setting includes many distinct responsibilities. This post describes these and covers 8 strategies for moderating in a virtual setting.

Barbara J. Mayfield, MS, RDN, LD, FAND
May 303 min read


How do you deal with difficult audience members? With positivity and respect.
Maintaining composure and positivity and demonstrating respect go a long way in handling every type of difficult audience situation. This post explores how to deal with different types.

Barbara J. Mayfield, MS, RDN, LD, FAND
May 166 min read


Want an attentive and engaged audience? Be fully present.
This post shares an excerpt from Communicating Nutrition: The Authoritative Guide about audience management and the importance of being fully present.

Barbara J. Mayfield, MS, RDN, LD, FAND
May 93 min read


How do you answer “stupid” questions effectively? Don’t call them stupid!
This post describes how to respond to questions that are often labeled “stupid.” It shares an excerpt from Chapter 36, updated to reflect answering questions in person, virtually, and in writing, such as on social media or responding to comments online.

Barbara J. Mayfield, MS, RDN, LD, FAND
Apr 184 min read


How do you answer questions effectively when you don’t know the answer?
This is the question everyone dreads. Nutrition communicators will never know the answer to every question, but they should know how to answer most questions related to the content within the presentation or article the communicator is being asked about. Preparing ahead of time and anticipating potential questions should eliminate the potential for having to say “I don’t know” very often. In this post, we will explore how to effectively respond to questions when we don’t know

Barbara J. Mayfield, MS, RDN, LD, FAND
Apr 114 min read


How do you answer questions effectively? With 6 smart steps.
No matter the way a question comes to us, answering effectively is best accomplished by following six smart steps.

Barbara J. Mayfield, MS, RDN, LD, FAND
Apr 45 min read


How can I be an effective communicator? With genuine courtesy, grace, and respect.
This post is the second in a series examining the qualities and skills needed to be an effective communicator, including genuine courtesy.

Barbara J. Mayfield, MS, RDN, LD, FAND
Jan 174 min read


Can a communicator manage misinformation? Yes! Here's credible help.
Misinformation is wrong or misleading information. In this post, we will explore a helpful strategy for managing misinformation.

Barbara J. Mayfield, MS, RDN, LD, FAND
Nov 15, 20243 min read


Is your communication CLEAR? Yes. When we practice these 5 principles.
CLEAR is an acronym standing for 5 principles of clear communication. This acronym was developed by Dr. Rene Roberts, MD, MS, FAAFP.

Barbara J. Mayfield, MS, RDN, LD, FAND
Jun 14, 20242 min read


Is your communication CLEAR? Yes. When we leverage visual aids.
Communicators benefit from using visual aids because information is conveyed more efficiently and effectively than with words alone. Visual

Barbara J. Mayfield, MS, RDN, LD, FAND
May 17, 20243 min read


5 Tips for Using Behavior Change Theories
This post summarizes the main points from our series on using behavior change theories with 5 brief tips.

Barbara J. Mayfield, MS, RDN, LD, FAND
Apr 26, 20243 min read


Want effective audience engagement without technology? Try mini whiteboards.
Audience engagement is essential for effective communication, especially in presentations. As described in Chapter 20 of Communicating...

Barbara J. Mayfield, MS, RDN, LD, FAND
Dec 8, 20232 min read


3 Steps to Jump-Start Your Journey to Communication Excellence
Honestly answer this question: How often do you “communicate nutrition” in your current work setting? Is it… Daily? Weekly? Monthly?...

Barbara J. Mayfield, MS, RDN, LD, FAND
Nov 17, 20233 min read


Is it possible to dispel misconceptions and misinformation? Yes. With authority.
Is the public confused about food and nutrition? Can it be challenging to differentiate between what is fact and what is fiction? Yes,...

Barbara J. Mayfield, MS, RDN, LD, FAND
Nov 10, 20233 min read


When experts don't know the answer how does an authority respond?
“Why don’t nutrition experts ever agree?” “Why do nutrition experts keep changing their minds?” Do you hear those complaints? I do. I can...

Barbara J. Mayfield, MS, RDN, LD, FAND
Oct 27, 20233 min read


Need funding? Follow these 5 tips to succeed at grant writing.
How do you fund your projects, research, operating budget, and more? If you answered grants, you are familiar with the stress of seeking...

Barbara J. Mayfield, MS, RDN, LD, FAND
Oct 6, 20234 min read


What creates effective communication? Be professional… always.
What creates effective communication? This series of posts shares 8 key principles. Here are the first seven: Communication is relational...

Barbara J. Mayfield, MS, RDN, LD, FAND
Aug 25, 20233 min read


What creates effective communication? Educate AND entertain. Be Edutaining.
What creates effective communication? In this series of posts, I am proposing 8 principles. So far, we have covered the first four:...

Barbara J. Mayfield, MS, RDN, LD, FAND
Aug 4, 20233 min read


What creates effective communication? Design it with and for the audience.
How would you answer the question, what creates effective communication? Would you include the principles we’ve covered thus far?...

Barbara J. Mayfield, MS, RDN, LD, FAND
Jul 21, 20232 min read
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