Charles Tan

Hi! I’m Charles Tan and I work for the Victorian Government as a policy officer on circular economy, waste and recycling matters. I took Science Communication over three years ago and I apply learnings from the subject across all facets of my life.

Jenny taught me how to communicate with a purpose, and to communicate so I’m being heard. This means taking time to understand my audience, what’s important for them, and adapting how I communicate so I present information that is useful for the other person.

In my role, I write and speak to senior government officials, businesses, community members, researchers, and many others. All of them want different things from government and I’m faced with a new communication challenge every day. Science Communication has given me the skills and confidence to overcome these communication challenges and to break complex topics into nuggets of information that gets to the point. Most importantly, I’ve learnt to have fun doing it!

I feel comfortable in my own voice now and I’m sold on the benefits of good communication. Oh! Did I mention that these skills translates very well into the virtual workplace many of us are in today?