The Conversation is an online news outlet written by researchers, working together with professional journalists. All content is published as open source and the website’s articles reach a total audience of 10 million readers – every month. Associate Professor Sverre Spoelstra is one of the LUSEM researchers who has chosen to write for The Conversation.
Sverre Spoelstra has written several items for the The Conversation. The most recent was published on 6 February, with the title “How valuable is Elon Musk’s ‘charismatic’ leadership? That’s the 56 billion dollar question”. In the article, he comments on a recent verdict where CEO billionaire Elon Musk was denied a US$56 billion pay deal from car manufacturer Tesla.
“My research suggests that charismatic leadership seems to be enjoying a renaissance, having fallen out of fashion over the past two decades,” Sverre Spoelstra writes.
We took the opportunity to congratulate Sverre Spoelstra on the publication, and ask him a couple of questions about his experiences writing for the Conversation.
Why do you as a researcher find it interesting to write for The Conversation?
“Not everything I do as a researcher is equally interesting for a broad audience (and I’m perfectly fine with that!). But occasionally, I find myself working on something that could resonate with a wider audience. In such cases, it’s great to collaborate with a journalist as I would struggle to find that audience alone.”
What have you gained by writing for them?
“Apart from reaching other audiences, writing for The Conversation has helped me in developing my writing skills. By collaborating with a journalist, you also gain the perspective of a journalist. It makes you realise that academic writing can often be so much improved.”
What should others think about, when for example pitching an idea or writing with an editor in the process?
“It's important to think carefully about how to link your work to broader societal interests or ongoing debates. While some research naturally finds audiences outside of the academic community, most research will require some reframing or further development to establish this connection. Other than that: keep it simple!”