2015 Conference

Workshop

In the half-day “Presentation Skills for Scientists:  An Improv Workshop”, participants will go through a series of improv exercises that will help them improve their communication skills. 

Proposed Theme and Justification

This year’s conference theme is “Confronting Frontiers, Borders and Boundaries.”  A key component of, as the CFP states, “building international connections and collaborations and teaching across disciplines” is inspired and effective communication skills. 

AESS members and other academics spend considerable time developing and practicing their research and writing skills, but far less time developing and practicing their communication skills.  As the leader of this workshop, I have taught communication skills for over a decade, including working with the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science, which offers improv training to scientists.  In this workshop, I’ll use these techniques and more to help AESS members become powerful and effective communicators of their work. The workshop will help participants improve both verbal and non-verbal communication skills, storytelling skills and the ability to adjust their message to different audiences.  Finally, participants will bring their new skills together in a short presentation on an area of their research or activism. 

Outline of Goals and Learning Outcomes

In this workshop, participants will:

*Learn to express their viewpoints in an emotionally connected way

*Become better non-verbal communicators through exercises that improve body language

*Get techniques for relaxing in high-pressure communication situations

*Learn how to adjust to different audiences

*Become more vivid storytellers

*Develop the ability to listen in a relaxed way

Progression of topics

These goals will be achieved by moving through a series of exercises:

1.  Warm-up exercises –participants relax and warm up their bodies and voices and start to work together and communicate non-verbally

2.  Audience exercises –participants change their communicative approach for different audiences; learn how important their initial messaging is and how to shape that initial message

3.  Verbal communication and storytelling exercises – participants practice storytelling and learn to let their natural ability to communicate flow more easily

4.   Actual presentations – participants give short presentations of their current research or activist projects

Confirmed leader

Jennifer Joy, performing artist, writer and trainer, will lead this workshop.  As a performer, Jennifer Joy has a specialty in science-themed theatre.  She is the artistic director for the performing troupe ,The SciArt6.  This troupe creates performances based on research from environmental science and studies.  At the 2014 AESS conference, they wove performances responsive to the conference’s papers and themes throughout the conference.  She has performed her one-woman show, The Physics of Love, at a variety of theatres, including Highways in Santa Monica, Laurie Beechman Theatre in New York City and on the college touring circuit (University of Redlands, SUNY Potsdam, Alfred College, Scripps College and more).  She has performed her science-themed stand-up comedy at the New York Comedy Club, Broadway Comedy Club, Ochi’s at Comix and others in New York City, as well as at clubs in San Francisco.  She is also a professional speaker, including her popular talk on women in STEM.

As a trainer, Jennifer has helped clients in a variety of sectors, including corporate, scientific, academic, government and non-profit.  Her presentation skills, interpersonal communication skills, business writing, American accent and creativity workshops have earned rave reviews across the country. Her clients have included many international diplomats, scientists and corporate professionals.  She has also taught at the United Nations, Pace University and the City University of New York. 

Jennifer holds an MFA in Drama from the University of California, Irvine.

Brief Description

Building connections across boundaries takes effective communication skills, including dynamic presentation skills. In this improv workshop, participants play games that improve both verbal and non-verbal communication skills.  They experiment with story and metaphor, and do exercises that draw out their enthusiasm for their work, to dynamically engage audiences every time.