Strengthening Science Communication Professional Workshop Series at the National University of Mongolia

Dr. Christa HasenkopfFulbright Grantee | Research Associate

National University of Mongolia | University of Colorado

Workshop #1

Introductions and “Elevator Talks”

Introductions!

Name Position (grad student,

researcher) What kind of science

are you interested in? Anything else?

Tell Us About Yourself!

Workshop Description

Goal – Build Science Communications Skills Among:

Colleagues around the World

Scientists and the Public

Colleagues at the Same Institution

How?

Workshop Description

You will create a set of perfected professional communication products:

With the hopes that:

CV/Resume Abstract 10 min research talk “Elevator Talk”

Workshop Description

You will gain tools and processes that make research easier:

Again:

Drop Box Google Groups/Calendar/Alerts Web of Science Tricks Peer-Reviewing strategies

Syllabus

Workshop Website

www.christahasenkopf/workshop2012

Content from workshop – Handouts, PowerPoints, Syllabus, Schedule

Links to related content (e.g. Chronicles of Higher Education on “Elevator Talks”)

Eventually, Mongolian version of the workshop content (after end of course)

Workshop Description

Goal – Build Science Communications Skills Among:

Colleagues around the World

Scientists and the Public

Colleagues at the Same Institution

How?Why?

How Science Grows

Humanity’s understanding

of science

Eureka!

Possible new bit of knowledge

Peer Review (papers, conferences, informal discussion,

new research directions)

How Science Grows

Humanity’s understanding

of science

Eureka!

Possible new bit of knowledge

Over time ….

Eureka!

Eureka!Eureka!

Eureka!

Eureka!

Eureka!

Eureka!

Trash

How Science Grows

Humanity’s understanding

of science

Over even more time ….

….the boundaries grow and extend in

new directions.

Contributing to Science

Humanity’s understanding

of science

If you want to contribute to science, you need to:

Communicate to your LOCAL and GLOBAL peers that you deserve funding

Communicate to the public your research area is valuable

Communicate to your GLOBAL peers that your research is important.

Workshop Description

Goal – Build Science Communications Skills Among:

Colleagues around the World

Scientists and the Public

Colleagues at the Same Institution

Why?Humanity’s

understanding of science

Strong communication skills are essential for conducting science.

And besides….

Sir Francis Darwin, 1914

In science the credit goes to the man who convinces the world, not the man to

whom the idea first occurs.

( By the way, if you’re wondering – I was - Sir Francis Darwin was the son of Charles Darwin)

Clear CommunicationIs Tough!

Icebreaker Activity Find a partner (one of you will need a

piece of paper and pencil/pen)

Pick one partner to be the Drawer, and the other to be the Explainer.

Explainers will get a picture (that they MUST NOT show their Drawer partner).

The Explainer will describe the picture to the Drawer, who will try to duplicate it based only on the Explainer’s description. The Drawer can ask questions but the Explainer CANNOT look at the Drawer’s paper.

Clear CommunicationIs Tough!

If this can turn out like this…

…you can imagine, how difficult it can be to clearly explain your science!

Why is it so hard?

Hard to find the exact word to describe what you see.

Even if there is an exact word, your partner might not know it, not have the skill to replicate it, OR have a different interpretation for what it means.

Even if there is an exact word, your partner might have a different interpretation for what it means.

It means we have to choose our words very carefully.

And now to talk science!

Elevator Talks!

Be ready for when opportunity knocks! (conferences, visitors, airports, who knows?)

Be able to: Say who you are What you do What your research is/will be Why it’s important

Informal, impromptu, BRIEF (30-45 sec) explanation of your research

Keys To a good Elevator Talk

Elevator Talks! Know your audience:

Colleague/scientist in another field/non-scientist? Avoid jargon or acronyms Focus on the BIG picture

Example:

“I’m an atmospheric scientist from the University of Colorado. I study air pollution in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.”

“I’m an atmospheric scientist from CU. I study particulate matter in UB.”

I’m talking to a non-scientist in France about my research:

“I’m an atmospheric scientist from CU. I study particulate matter in UB.”

Keys To a good Elevator Talk

Elevator Talks!

Know your audience: Colleague/scientist in another field/non-

scientist? Avoid jargon or acronyms Focus on the big picture

Write it out – maybe more than 1 version.

Practice it

Practice it again!

Example – My Elevator Talk

I’m an atmospheric scientist from the University of Colorado. I’m currently working in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, collaborating with the National University of Mongolia, studying air pollution. Air pollution – especially in the form of soot - is a major problem in Ulaanbaatar. It is one of the most polluted cities in the world, and the health impacts have been severe. The World Bank estimates that approximately 25% of all deaths in Ulaanbaatar are related to the air pollution, yet there have been few studies published in the scientific literature. Another impact of air pollution from soot is that it can have a big effect on local and global climate. There’s a component of soot that is actually second only to carbon dioxide for causing global warming. All in all, this makes Ulaanbaatar an important place to study air pollution.

Audience: Educated, non-scientist

Examples

http://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/careerprep/jobsearch/elevator_talks.html

Two good ones here:

Your Elevator Talk

Scenario: You’ve just gotten into an elevator with an educated, non-scientist, who is interested in providing grants for scientific research.

Bill Gates

Who knows, maybe it was this guy?

Design an “Elevator Talk” for this audience (in English).

Shoot for 30-45 seconds.

Write it down.

Try it out on a someone in the workshop.

Next Time

Polish your talk and bring it to class next time. You’ll have the opportunity to practice your elevator talk in front of the class.

You’ll receive feedback from your workshop-mates.

We’ll discuss Tools for Smooth Communication

Who has a gmail account already?

One Last Thing….

This workshop is for YOU.

Have comments or suggestions about ANYTHING in the class that

can make it better?

Let Me know!