How to pitch your science to the public - a DDA Alumni Network online workshop
Sharing research widely and engaging non-experts is becoming more and more important to make your work seen and have an impact on society. It is also increasingly becoming a requirement from funders to identify and engage stakeholders — you might even be required to pitch your ideas to a mixed audience during the funding application process.
These are skills you will work on in this online workshop, which runs over two sessions with a bit of homework in between.
You will learn how to pitch your work to the public in an online setting. The workshops will take inspiration from the research pitches seen in FameLab and the 3 Minute Thesis. You will learn what makes a research pitch engaging and you will get to develop, perform and receive feedback on your own pitch.
TIME AND PLACE
Dates: Session I: 10 November 2020, 09:00-11:00
Session II: 1 December 2020, 09:00-11:00
Both sessions are online. Details on how to access and use the meeting software will be shared with participants after the registration deadline.
WHO CAN ATTEND?
Priority is given to members of the DDA Alumni Network who are directly or indirectly involved in research activities. If you have moved beyond hands-on research activities, this workshop is still for you. You just need to have a scientific topic to train your pitching and presenting skills on.
Participants are selected on a first come, first served basis. Please note that you are not guaranteed a seat at the workshop if you do not meet the target group requirements. If the event is overbooked, the DDA reserves the right to select participants based on the defined requirements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
SESSION I
During the first session, you will learn about:
- The content of a good research presentation.
- Defining an audience.
- The structure of a good research pitch.
- How to pitch (via webcam).
- Technical considerations to make sure your pitch goes off without a problem.
- Anticipating technical problems and staying cool.
- Body language on camera.
- Visual aids: the good, the bad and the irrelevant.
- How to rehearse (Different methods for rehearsal including family, peer groups and recording).
Finally, as an exercise you will write a 1-minute pitch on your work and present to the group.
HOMEWORK
In the weeks in between the two sessions, you will write, rehearse and record a longer pitch and get feedback from the instructor.
SESSION II
The second session is all about making the pitches better, you will:
- Learn what specific difficulties each individual has in preparing a research pitch.
- Learn techniques and strategies for overcoming those difficulties.
- Learn how to critically and fairly evaluate other pitches
- Learn how to identify elements from other presentations that you like and wish to adapt to your own style.
- Learn about your own strengths when presenting and areas to improve.
It is our ambition that up to 10 of the participants in this workshop will get to continue their training in an advanced workshop over two sessions in the first half of 2021, including personal pitch coaching.
The advanced workshop will build on the training in the first workshop presented here. Therefore participation in this workshop, consisting of the two online sessions and pitch writing and recording, are mandatory for participation in the following advanced workshop.
In the advanced workshop, we will move onto presenting in person and you will train how to use presentation techniques when presenting to a large audience.
We are aiming to have the advanced workshop culminate in an event at Folkemødet 2021, where about 5 of the workshop participants will deliver their presentations and engage in dialogue with stakeholders in diabetes research.
The advanced workshop will take place if enough participants are invested in continuing their training with the ambition of presenting at Folkemødet 2021. Participants will get the opportunity to express their interest after completion of the first workshop presented here.
INSTRUCTOR
Ben Libberton, PhD, Aurora Dynamics AB
ORGANISERS
The workshop is organised by Aurora Dynamics AB in collaboration with Danish Diabetes Academy.
Please contact ouh.dda@rsyd.dk if you have any questions.
REGISTRATION & submission of motivational letter
Registration deadline
6 November 2020 at midnight.
Please notice, we have limited seats at the workshop. Seats are assigned on a first come, first served basis.
