Making Effective Research Presentations Virtual Training
December 3 @ 11:00 am - 12:30 pm
Join us December 1st and 3rd for an interactive, hands-on workshop tailored for researchers in the natural sciences and, guides participants through principles of scientific storytelling and visual communication. We will tackle concepts such as how to analyze your audience and tailor your communication accordingly, how to develop a narrative arc around your research, how to design slides effectively to get your message across, and how to reimagine your scientific figures in the context of presenting.
Participants are encouraged to bring an existing or planned presentation deck with them so that they can make improvements to their decks directly through the workshop exercises. By the end of the workshop, participants will have new strategies for effectively communicating their work and an improved slide deck! Participants will also leave with a toolkit of resources to support their continued work on their current and future presentations.
This workshop is particularly valuable for:
- Graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and early-career scientists looking to strengthen their presentation skills.
- Researchers preparing for conferences, seminars, thesis defenses, or funding presentations.
- Scientists who want to improve how they explain complex research to diverse audiences.
- Anyone seeking practical strategies to create engaging presentation narratives and visually effective slides.
- Researchers with an existing or upcoming presentation who would benefit from hands-on feedback and opportunities to refine their slide deck during the workshop.
Agenda:
Dec 1: Storytelling
Dec 3: Slide Design
Speaker:
Sarah Nason
Sarah Nason is a professional science communicator with over six years of experience helping experts, knowledge keepers, and science-based organizations communicate effectively so their work can have impact. She holds an MSc in Biology specializing in wildlife conservation and population genetics. Most recently, Sarah held a 3.5-year role as a Knowledge Exchange and Outreach Officer for the Canadian Forest Service, where she coordinated a diverse range of research mobilization activities for the Northern Forestry Centre. As the principal of Wapiti Studios, she blends her scientific background with her writing, editing, graphic design, and illustration skills to translate technical information beautifully and with clarity. She has worked with academic institutions, Indigenous communities, and non-profits across Canada and internationally to tell science-based stories that resonate and help organizations meet their knowledge mobilization goals.
