Effective communication is at the heart of great teaching, impactful outreach, and successful collaboration. Whether you're engaging students, sharing research with the public, or working with colleagues across disciplines, your message needs to be clear and compelling. 

    The Center for Communicating Science invites faculty, post-doctoral researchers, and graduate students to transform complex information into clear, compelling, and engaging messages in its March 16 workshop: Distilling Your Message for Teaching and Outreach: Brief and Compelling Interactions with the People You Need to Talk to.   This is an opportunity for participants to enhance their ability to communicate their research, engage their students, and effectively collaborate across disciplines.

Date: March 16, 2026

Time: 12:30 p.m. – 2:20 p.m.

Location: Online (via Zoom)

Facilitator: Jon Catherwood-Ginn

Register here!

    In this interactive workshop, faculty from the center will lead participants through engaging exercises that strip away information overload and sharpen their ability to communicate with clarity and purpose. You'll explore the 5 W’s of effective communication, uncover the pitfalls of the curse of knowledge, and practice translating complex ideas into messages that spark interest and engagement.

    This is not a passive webinar; this is an interactive and experiential learning opportunity. You’ll be participating with other workshop attendees in exercises that will leave you with practical communication tools you can use immediately. 

      Organized through the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL), this session earns faculty participants 2 professional development credits. It is also included in the “Five-Workshop Option” for graduate students and post-docs participating in Virginia Tech’s Associate Teaching badge program in the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching, and Learning.   

    Have questions? Contact the Center for Communicating Science at erinmsmith@vt.edu.

We look forward to seeing you on March 16!