SciComm Webinar series

 

SciComm webinars open to all

From September through November, the SCIP program is hosting the creation of six virtual sessions focusing on various SciComm skills. Sessions will be led by experts in the field and range from 1 hour to 1.5 hours long. We invite you all to join no matter where you are in your science communication journey and learn about strategies and techniques when creating products.

Please register for webinars at ESA’s Career Development Workshops page. For Scientists in Parks interns looking to register, please contact sipengagement@esa.org.

Series schedule

How to build great client relationships to get started with scientific consulting

Facilitated by Virginia Schutte

This session will cover best practices when establishing a relationship with a potential consulting client, including suggesting a framework that attendees can use to pitch themselves as a consultant, to get to know client needs, to negotiate logistics, and to build functional rapport with a client. Participants will leave confident that they can independently build healthy relationships with a third party after the session concludes (and that they know where to go when they need help in the future).

• Who is this for?: Scientists with an interest in building relationships with consulting clients.
• Career Level: Useful to all career levels.
• Prerequisite Education or Experience: None.

September 16, 2024 2:00 – 3:00PM ET

The Art of the Interview

Facilitated by Justin Cox

Interviewing is not just about asking questions. It’s about understanding your audience, preparing thoughtfully, and putting your subject in a position to provide valuable information. We will explore techniques for creating an atmosphere that encourages openness, which will help you gather not only the information you seek but also unexpected insights. You’ll learn how to adapt your process based on what kind of final product you’re producing (print, digital, audio, video, etc.) while maintaining the core principles of a great interview. Learning to be an effective interviewer can sharpen your curiosity and elevate your everyday conversations. Whether you’re a journalist, podcaster, or simply looking to enhance your ability to communicate complex information, this talk will level you up for future interviews.

• Who is this for?: Anyone looking to obtain valuable and novel information from interview subjects with the goal of telling compelling stories and creating powerful science communication products.
• Career Level: Useful to all career levels.
• Prerequisite Education or Experience: None.

October 1, 2024 2:00 – 3:00PM ET

Storytelling in Science: The Why and How

Facilitated by Dr. Lisa Cantrell

Storytelling is a powerful tool for communicating. Research has shown that we remember information better when it is told to us in a story and we are more persuaded by that information when it is shared through narrative. As scientists we should be using storytelling as a primary tool to communicate our research and to support the deepest understanding and engagement with our findings. During this one-hour session, Dr. Lisa Cantrell will share the why and how of scientific storytelling and guide participants through prompts to help them develop their own science story. 

• Who is this for?: Anyone with an interest in developing storytelling strategies for science communication, outreach and engagement.
• Career Level: Useful to all career levels.
• Prerequisite Education or Experience: None.

October 16, 2024 noon– 1:00 PM ET

An Introduction to Accessible Digital Communications

Facilitated by Alex Lindeman

This training is a broad overview of how to ensure your digital communications of all mediums (e.g., documents, social media, webpage content, etc.) are accessible and compliant with federal law (i.e., Section 508). This is awareness-level training, because the topic is quite complex and too big to fit into a single hour. However, by the end, attendees will know the basics of how to comply with Section 508 technical standards; will know how to use automated tools to check for common accessibility failures; and will know where they can go to learn more specifics throughout their career. 

• Who is this for?: People who are new to digital accessibility, or who have only awareness level. Audiences with familiarity of the topic may find the presentation remedial.
• Career Level: Useful to all career levels.
• Prerequisite Education or Experience: None, though experience with common tools such as Adobe Acrobat and the Microsoft suite recommended.

October 22, 2024 1:00– 2:00 PM ET

Lean on Laughter: Strategies for Humor in Science Communication

Facilitated by Vita Doria Stout

This session will focus on humor strategies for “static” contexts, meaning the humor is embedded in a science communication product and is not contingent upon joke delivery. Participants will gain 1) empowerment to use humor in science communication and 2) relevant humor strategies to implement in science communication products. Specifically, we’ll be focusing on humor in the form of wordplay and analogies, heightening humorous concepts, using humor narratives, tailoring humor to specific audiences, and applying these concepts to a specific science communication project.

• Who is this for?: Anyone with an interest in utilizing humor strategies when creating science communication products in “static” contexts.
• Career Level: Useful to all career levels.
• Prerequisite Education or Experience: None.

October 30, 2024 1:00– 2:30 PM ET

Building a Vocabulary for Learning in Science Communication that Foregrounds Indigenous Perspectives and Stewardship

Facilitated by Dr. Jessica Dolan

After nearly 250 years of existence, the United States has recognized the wisdom of Indigenous Knowledges as invaluable and deeply intergenerational, place-based experiential knowledges about the environments of their homelands. At the same time, the US government has issued directives for working with Indigenous nations in cooperative stewardship. How can environmental professionals best work with Indigenous environmental professionals and educators, to communicate Indigenous perspectives in science communications, without being extractive of Indigenous Knowledges? And, how can we work together within the complicated truth that the establishment of National Parks constituted a land grab of Native peoples’ homelands? In this webinar, I will introduce resources for building a vocabulary for learning and relationship that will support Indigenous perspectives in science communications in National Parks and other public lands.

• Who is this for?: Anyone with an interest in learning about equity and inclusion of indigenous perspectives in language & design, especially when creating science communication products.
• Career Level: Useful to all career levels.
• Prerequisite Education or Experience: None.

November 6, 2024 2:00– 3:00 PM ET