USask SENS Leadership Certificate Program

This interactive, hands-on workshop is 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.

Module 1 | December 14, 2026: Knowing Yourself as a Leader

• Introduction to leadership and self-awareness
• Exploring personal leadership styles and values
• Leadership reflection and personal vision exercise
• Group discussion and key takeaways

Additional Information

• This is a virtual session, participants will be emailed the zoom link
• Participants will complete brief reflection activities between modules.
• Attendance and completion requirements will be tracked to support the issuance of certificates of completion

Agenda

• 6:00 – 6:10 PM Welcome, introductions, and review
• 6:10 – 6:30 PM Leadership concepts and instruction
• 6:30 – 6:55 PM Interactive activities and practical exercises
• 6:55 – 7:20 Group discussion and application
• 7:20 – 7:30 Key takeaways, reflection, and next steps