Communication trainings for scientists
Effective communication for scientists, clinicians, and professionals of related fields
A variety of communication workshops for scientists, medical doctors, science traders, and other professionals who need to communicate about science, research or health issues in their work context. Different levels (from Ph.D. students to senior professionals), schedules, and scopes, all tailor-made.
Examples of our workshops:
How to effectively communicate with non-specialists
A highly interactive workshop during which you will learn how to translate the specific language of your narrow specialty into messages that are comprehensible and appealing to non-specialists, whether in writing or in speech. You will learn how to reach out to a wider public, gain their interest, and make them understand the importance of your work. These skills are essential when setting up cross-discipline collaborations, seeking funding, sharing knowledge with the general public, communicating with the press, managing innovative projects, or translating research results into business. After our course, you will be able to add new dimensions to your projects.
This course may also be an excellent opportunity for a cross-discpline brainstorming between the participants. Moreover, it may easily be coupled with team-building activities, e.g. for contributors to international collaborative projects – such as the EU-funded Doctoral Networks (DNs) – for whom the training will be the first occasion to meet in person.
Interested? Contact us to discuss it in more detail!
Pitching to a multi-disciplinary audience
A very practical and interactive workshop during which you will learn how to transform your scientific ideas or research results into succinct and yet sparkling stories which will immediately seduce your audience. You will also learn simple techniques to make your stories comprehensible and interesting to interlocutors of different backgrounds and levels, all at the same time.
Interested? Contact us to discuss it in more detail!
Download detailed course description in pdf (an updated version coming soon)
How to write a good research paper (quickly)
A real hands-on course on how to write well-structured and clear research articles in English. No need to be a talented writer, you will learn to use simple scientist-friendly tools and strategies to effectively communicate about your research work with the scientific community. A tangible outcome of this training may be a fully revised publishable abstract of one of your projects.
This course may be run at different levels, but it is particularly suitable for early career scientists, e.g. Ph.D. students or young post-docs.
Interested? Contact us to discuss it in more detail!
Download detailed course description in pdf (an updated version coming soon)
How to write about your Ph.D. project: from abstract(s) to Ph.D. thesis
A course aiming to help Ph.D. students organise their thoughts and structure their scientific arguments in a concise and logical way, suitable for communicating about different stages of their Ph.D. projects, and ultimately for writing their Ph.D. theses. Much emphasis is put on the right choice of information and format for each dissertation section as well as on summarising skills.
The course is particularly suitable for Ph.D. students at the end of their first year but it may also be adapted for higher-year students.
Interested? Contact us to discuss it in more detail!
Download detailed course description in pdf (an updated version coming soon)
Programme options
The most common elements which can be included in the programme are listed below. However, the coverage extent and the details will be customised to suit the needs of each training group and including additional elements is also possible.
- General principles of communication, i.e. what texts and communication are really about: the message and the audience
- Structuring a good text: coherence and logic for effective communication, i.e. how to make your texts read smoothly and your presentations easy to follow
- Specificities of a scientific language: vocabulary and style
- Communicating in English for French speakers (if applicable)
- Different types of texts in a life of a scientist: guidelines and habits
- Written versus oral communication
- Critical reading in scientific evaluation, i.e. how others read through your documents and how not to disappoint them
- Plain language: how to make complex scientific issues comprehensible to non-specialists
- Facing a heterogeneous public: elements of mass communication
- Communicating with scientists of different nationalities: elements of cross-cultural communication (check also our cross-culture communication workshops)
Which ingredients would you like on your plate?
Tell us and we will find the magic formula for your success!
Language
The working language of all trainings is English but you do not need to be Oxford A-level. Even though a conversational level of English is required, science communication is not just for native speakers and we are well accustomed to work with people of different language origins and skills.
Unique training methods
Interactivity, focus on practice, and real-case exercises
All courses are organised as a practical workshop, with the theory kept to the minimum and explained through practical exercises rather than lectured. All activities are based on real-life situations and topics. Small groups allow for a highly interactive programme, with some room for cross-discipline discussions wherever possible.
Customised highly specific programme
We do take the trouble (as many would call it) to adapt every detail of the programme to each training group. It is constructed on a case-by-case basis, following a discussion and a short pre-course questionnaire to be adapted to your specific needs (the issues covered, the extent, level, duration etc.) and to your work context (part of the exercises based on your research or academic topics and interests).
The trainer always available to advise
No question will be left without an answer. In addition to the group course, the trainer will be available for at least one extra hour per day for individual tutorials and discussions. Some advice on individual communication projects (e.g. a research article) may also be possible within these extra hours.
Training objectives
Each of these training courses aims to help you communicate about science more effectively but specific objectives are fixed on a case-by-case basis, depending on your particular needs and the training scope you choose.
How to participate
All these workshops are on demand. If you wish to host a course in your premises or anywhere else, contact us.