advice and guidance

Dennis advises student and postdoc associations, faculty mentors, university administrators, and other professional science organizations on how to set up and run sustainable science communication training. He uses years of experience in public speaking, science administration and adult education to provide instruction on designing ways to learn, practice and use science communication skills. He also helps you find well-established organizations that can advance your sci comm programs.

Sure we all can talk about our research…but do people remember what you say? Good speaking skills come as a result of learning and practicing the techniques of oral communication. You might use CRISPR but can you explain it to folks without a science background? Can you explain why you need the Dean to give you more space? Can your students go to conferences and deliver presentations that make you and your university proud?

Speaking is a lifelong skill-building activity. That’s why we recommend sustainable science communication educational programs instead of one-and-done workshops. We have to make it a career goal to continuously learn, practice and use techniques that enable us to be heard and understood.

Setting up a sci comm program can be confusing, time consuming and frustrating. What should we teach, how often should we offer training, where to meet, what are the specific needs of grad students/postdocs/faculty, where can we learn advanced techniques, who can help us get started, and are there funds available to support our program? Dennis understands the barriers to establishing, maintaining and integrating sci comm training into science careers.