Make your research communication SPONTANEOUS
We know: Someone, sometime, told you to develop and memorize an elevator pitch about your research. If you’ve done that, fine. But one memorized description of your research, meant to be suitable for everyone, is potentially not suitable for anyone. Plus, speeches that are memorized sound memorized. And if they are read they almost always sound read. Is that how you want to sound? Virginia Tech’s Center for Communicating Science helps researchers learn to make their communication more spontaneous.
We encourage you to work toward confidence in yourself and your knowledge of your own work so that you’ll feel ready to share some of your research and answer questions about it with anyone — in a manner appropriate to the circumstance and communication partner(s). But “spontaneous” is not the same as “unprepared.” You’ll be ready to communicate with spontaneity and authenticity when you are clear about your goals for talking about your research, have made decisions about what’s most important to convey, and are able to sort through the work’s many details for the pieces most likely to resonate with others.
Try it yourself
Set yourself some “being spontaneous” goals. Here are a few ideas:
Speak with a stranger. On a bus, in line at the grocery store, on campus: Exchange a few words with someone you don’t know and see what happens. The topic doesn’t have to be your research. The goal is to speak without a script or plan.
Challenge yourself to speak up in situations where you’re often quiet. . .or to be quiet in situations where you often take leadership. How does it feel? What do you notice?
Ask a friend if they’d be willing to do a quick exercise with you: Each of you gets two minutes to introduce yourself to the other using statements that begin “I am” (“I am a researcher,” “I am a teacher,” “I am a mom,” “I am a painter”). Go for speed and spontaneity. What emerges? What do you notice about yourself?
Spend a minute speaking aloud, alone or with a partner, on each of the following questions about your research: What? Where? Who? When? How? Why does it matter to you? Why does it matter to the world? Why does it matter to your field? The time limit lets you practice spontaneity — and now you’ve got something better than a memorized pitch. You’ve got a big bag full of different ways to talk about your work!
Learn more
Bernstein, R. (2014). Communication: spontaneous scientists. Nature, 505(7481), 121-123. https://doi.org/10.1038/nj7481-121a
James, Michelle. (2008). Creative collaboration: Lessons from improv theatre. Innovation Management. https://innovationmanagement.se/2008/11/04/creative-collaboration-lessons-from-improv-theater/
Zondag, A. (2024). Student teachers’ experience with improvisation activities for spontaneous speech practice in English. Language Teaching Research, 28(6), 2190-2213. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/13621688211044725
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Award No. 2412389. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.