Announcements

Center for Communicating Science Pinch-of-Practice Workshops

The Center for Communicating Science at Virginia Tech creates and supports opportunities for scientists, scholars, health professionals, and others to develop their abilities to communicate and connect. This spring, with the support of the Institute of Society, Culture, and Environment (ISCE) and the Fralin Life Sciences Institute (FLSI), we are offering a series of opportunities that we call Pinch-of-Practice (POP) workshops.  We know that the lives of grad students and faculty are very, very full. We also know that, with just a pinch of practice, we can all get better at communicating about our work with our collaborators, our communities, and our audiences. You may not be able to prioritize our GRAD 5144 (Communicating Science) class, or have an opportunity to attend one of our extended workshops or intensives, but we encourage you to prioritize developing important skills of communication with these brief and contained workshop opportunities. Each will be held over the noon hour (between 60 and 90 minutes), where you’ll get a pinch of practice at developing some vital communication skills.

Please direct questions to Lilly Weber at illyw@vt.edu. The schedule and registration links for the rest of spring semester are below:

Crafting Your Personal Science Story (hosted by the Center for Communicating Science in partnership with the Story Collider) FULLY ENROLLED

For those who attended the Introduction to Storytelling for Scientists, this pair of sequential workshops on TTh will support you in developing and refining a story. By the end of the second of the two sessions, you will have drafted and shared your own true, personal story about science. Your participation in this class means that you’ll be invited to our story sharing event on the evening of April 23, where five science storytellers will have the chance to share the story they’ve been working on with a group of expert judges! Open to Virginia Tech graduate students and faculty. Capacity: 25 

NOTE! This is a two-day workshop sequence (with a prerequisite of attending the presentation on either 3/30 or 4/1--or showing great enthusiasm!). Participants should plan to attend both days!

Click here to register for both days!

·         Tuesday, April 13, from noon to 1:30 pm (with optional after-party for further conversation from 1:30 pm to 2:00 pm) and

·         Thursday, April 15, from noon to 1:30 pm (with optional after-party for further conversation from 1:30 pm to 2:00 pm)

Crafting a Story of Your Research (hosted by the Center for Communicating Science in Partnership with the Story Collider) 

For those who attend the Introduction to Storytelling for Scientists on 3/30 or 4/1, and Crafting Your Story on 4/13 and 4/15, this two-session sequence on TTh will support you in developing and refining the story of your research.  By the end of the second session, you will have drafted and shared your own story about your research. Your participation in this class means that you’ll be invited to our story sharing event on the evening of April 23, where five science storytellers will have the chance to share the story they’ve been working on with a group of expert judges! Open to Virginia Tech graduate students and faculty. Capacity: 20

NOTE! This is a two-day workshop sequence. Participants should plan to attend both days!

Click here to register for both days!

·         Tuesday, April 20, from noon to 1:30 pm (with optional after-party for further conversation from 1:30 pm to 2:00 pm) and

·         Thursday, April 22, from noon to 1:30 pm (with optional after-party for further conversation from 1:30 pm to 2:00 pm)

STORY SHARING EVENT! Friday, April 23, 7:00 pm

Rethinking Presentations: Memorable and Influential Presentations (hosted by the Center for Communicating Science in partnership with Make it Memorable)

How often have you had to endure presentations with speakers and slides that taxed your attention? If you can’t pay attention to the presentation, you can’t retain the information. What would have made those presentations—what would make your presentations—memorable, influential, and successful? In this workshop, you will learn how to use structure, visuals, and stories to make memorable presentations. You will rethink how you’ve been making presentations, and you will end the workshop with a step-by-step plan for creating memorable and engaging presentations. Open to Virginia Tech graduate students and faculty. Part 1 in a series. Capacity: 25

Click here to register for the event!

·         Tuesday, April 27, from noon to 1:15 pm (with optional time for informal conversation from 1:15 pm to 1:45 pm)

Decoding Slide Design: Using Science and Art to Make Powerful Visuals (hosted by the Center for Communicating Science in partnership with Make it Memorable)

Do you get stuck when you open up PowerPoint? Are you unsure how to make your slides stand out? Do you struggle creating slides that easily convey information? Come to this Pinch-of-Practice workshop to learn how our brain processes visuals, how we can apply that to slide design, and how you can tell your audience what's important on the slide without saying a word. We'll cover how the visual language communicates, what you need to consider before you start thinking about slide design, and how you can tailor your content to your target audience. Redesigning Presentations builds on the material discussed in Rethinking Presentations (Tues. April 27). While we encourage you to attend Rethinking before Redesigning, you do not need to attend one to understand the other. Open to Virginia Tech graduate students and faculty. Capacity: 25

Click here to register for the event!

·         Thursday, April 29, from noon to 1:15 pm (with optional time for informal conversation from 1:15 pm to 1:45 pm)

Hands-on PowerPoint: Learn How to Turn Theory into Practice (hosted by the Center for Communicating Science in partnership with Make It Memorable)

People often ask:

• How do I make my presentation look good?
• How do I make my slides look professional and more visually engaging?
• How do I take the theory discussed in the workshops Rethinking and Redesigning Presentations and turn it into practice?

This Hands-On PowerPoint Workshop will walk you through how to apply theories and techniques to slides. Part Three in Make It Memorable’s presentation workshops by Danielle Hennis, Hands-On PowerPoint will teach you how to think like a graphic designer with this set of easy tips. Capacity: 25

Click here to register for the event!

·         Tuesday, May 4, from noon to 1:15 pm (with optional time for informal conversation from 1:15 pm to 1:45 pm)