SciComm FOCUS | Introduction to Storytelling for Scientists

Description

We all enjoy a good story, whether during a presentation, a job interview, a conference coffee break, or simply during a pub night. Why? It activates the same areas of our brain that would be activated during the actual event. Consequently, audiences feel much more engaged when they hear a narrative about your real-life research experiences or how you finally chased that superbug down—much more than if you monotonously talk them through a list of bullet points on a PowerPoint slide. But to be understood when talking about one’s own research work, let alone to speak about yourself, is not easy for many researchers. During this seminar, you learn to enchant a wide range of audiences with science stories and to captivate a lay audience with complex research results. Because… speaking science can be magical!

In this course you'll learn about:

• The power of storytelling: Why do we need a story? When to use story? What we can learn from TED talks; Explain science through your story
• Storylines: Using the ABT model; Why stories need conflict
• Types of stories: From mystery to comedy; 1 sentence and 1 paragraph stories; Your key message
• Using story at/ in/ for: Networking events; Scientific presentations; Publications/ thesis; Science festivals; Pint of science/ science slams/ storytelling shows