Amy Cook

Translating technical environmental reports into stakeholder presentations

Environmental scientist. I write a lot of technical reports. They're rigorous, well-evidenced, and completely inaccessible to the decision-makers who need to act on them. The translation gap between scientific findings and policy action is real and significant. Good science sits unread because it's not communicated well. I've started using AI to help me create two versions of every significant report: the technical document (written by me, no AI) and a stakeholder summary (AI-assisted). The process: I summarise the key findings in plain language to Claude and ask it to help me structure a 2-page briefing that clearly states what we found, what it means, and what action is recommended. Simple, visual, decision-ready. I've started getting more follow-up from stakeholders. People who previously didn't read my reports are now engaging with the findings. One government department implemented a recommendation within three months of receiving a briefing — something that would have taken years through the normal report pathway. The science hasn't changed. The communication has.