Communicating Science to Non-Scientist Audiences: A Skills Development Workshop
Application form: http://goo.gl/OSvwJg
Application deadline: Friday, April 18th
Has someone ever asked you "So, what do you do?" and you found yourself stumbling through a response? Do you see eyes glaze over when you excitedly chatter about your methodology? Do you wish that general interest articles about science were actually accurate?
Communicating science to an audience of non-scientists requires a very different skill set than giving a successful talk at a conference or exchanging ideas with colleagues. Science & Engineering Policy At Caltech (SEPAC) will be hosting a science communication workshop on campus on Friday, May 9th to help students learn how to articulate their research in a compelling and accessible way to non-scientific audiences. By developing a specific set of skills and a systematic methodology, scientists can vastly improve the effectiveness of their communication with a lay audience.
As experts in their fields, researchers are uniquely qualified to explain the implications of their work to a broader audience so that sound science can be taken into account in decision-making ranging from public policy through corporate governance and individual choices. Participants of the workshop will develop and practice skills to distill their research into key talking points and effectively communicate those points to audiences such as policymakers, investors, the media and the public. The workshop will be led by instructors from the Communication Partnership for Science and the Sea (COMPASS), an organization of science-based communication professionals dedicated to strengthening the interaction between scientists and policymakers.
Admission is free, but space is limited. Registration is open to Caltech undergraduate and graduate students. To reserve a space, a $25 deposit is required, which will be fully refunded after attending the workshop. Applications are due Friday, April 18th, and participants will be notified Tuesday, April 22nd with instructions on sending the deposit.
Tentative Workshop Schedule:
9:00am Check-In & Breakfast
9:30am Introductions
10:00am Why bother?
10:15am Bridging the worlds of science & policy
11:00am Break
11:15am Message Box intro
11:45am Message Box practice
12:30pm Lunch
1:30pm Message Box practice
2:00pm Finding your voice – elevator speeches
2:45pm Wrap-up & evaluation
3:00pm Reception
This workshop is made possible with the generous support of the Moore-Hufstedler Fund for Student Life, the Graduate Student Council and the Linde Center for Global Environmental Science.