Workshops…

If you have any suggestions for workshop topics please contact Jim Daley at [email protected]. Workshops can held any time during the year.

Annual Meeting Workshop

February 7th, 2018 – 12:30 PM until 4:30 PM

Communicating your story: Science for the public

Workshop presented by the

Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science

By popular demand from the workshop last year, this year will expand on what was learned last year. The workshop goal is to help participants learn to communicate more effectively about science with people outside their field, including the general public, policy makers, the media, students, potential employers or funders, and prospective collaborators in other disciplines. Through discussion and practice, we will focus on fundamental skills — knowing your audience, connecting with your audience, and speaking clearly and conversationally about your work and why it matters.

Interactive Opening Plenary (2 hours)

General principles in how to craft short, clear, conversational statements, intelligible to non-scientists, about what you do and why it matters. Session consists of an interactive presentation and discussion on interpreting technical material using examples and analogies to illuminate unfamiliar concepts to your audience. The plenary will address problems and solutions in public interactions as well as peer-to peer communication. Participants will practice clarity in speaking to non-scientists about their work and may be actively engaged in improvisation exercises or explaining scientific material to lay people.

Distilling Your Message (2 Hours)

The combination of an interactive plenary and small group breakout sessions helps participants learn to speak clearly and vividly about their work and why it matters, in terms non-scientists can understand. Participants will practice finding common ground, speaking at different levels of complexity for different audiences, storytelling, and answering questions about their work. The plenary will address problems and solutions in public interactions as well as peer-to-peer communication.

More workshops pending…