Let’s practice communicating our science on Thursday, August 6th 2020 at 2pm on Teams!
No matter the field of study or stage in our career, we could all improve our science communication skills.
Practice and Learn:
- See how others are communicating science effectively in three minutes or less.
- Practice your pitch with a specific audience in mind ranging from someone without a science background to a post-doc job you’re trying to land.
- Learn tools that will help you build your research into a compelling story.
- Discuss importance of science communication and some of the barriers we experience.
How can I participate?
Attend (but not present a pitch)
Just be a part of this thing.
Come and give your take on presentations, or discuss challenges you experience when communicating science.
We’d love to hear your perspective!
Present a 3 minute pitch!
Choose an audience and think about what you’re hoping to convey to your audience. i.e. if you are explaining your research to a parental unit with no science background, you’re going to want to avoid jargon and emphasize how it matters in the grand scheme of the world.
Make a 2-4 slide presentation on it. Avoid bullet points and too many words. Say it in compelling images. Audience members can’t read and listen at the same time.
Alternatively, you can choose to give an oral presentation with no visuals, in which case paint us a picture with your words.
After each presentation we will go around and provide feedback.
If you wish, you can opt in for a second round of feedback after incorporating what you learned during the workshop. Email me at lindsay.winkenbach@colostate.edu
Science communication resources
- AAAS Communication Toolkit
- website with lessons and tutorials
- Dean, Cornelia. Am I Making Myself Clear? A Scientist’s Guide to Talking to the Public.
- for purchase
- Burroughs Wellcome Fund – Communicating Science: Giving Talks
- PDF available
- Olsen, Randy. Don’t Be Such a Scientist: Talking Substance in An Age of Style. Washington, DC: Island Press, 2009.
- OpComSciCon: Annual communicating science workshop for graduate students (Harvard University)
- There is a Rocky Mountain West chapter of ComSciCon that will be holding a virtual workshop in fall
- Science Communication Resources for Scientists, by Marine Biological Laboratory at The University of Chicago
- Website with a plethora of resources categorized for different styles of science communication
- CSU VPR 3 Minute Pitch Fellows
- Multiple cohorts of CSU graduate students giving three minute pitches targeted to a general audience.
- Includes explanations of the statistical concept referenced in the comic