Everyone loves a good story! Evidence suggests that public audiences are more responsive to science outreach when there is an engaging narrative and identifiable characters. Building an effective story is a great way to make your public engagement – in any form – stand out from the crowd and leave an impression on your audience. As scientists, dealing with reports and journal papers, weaving a memorable story can be a daunting task (we aren’t all J. K. Rowling after all), but it doesn’t need to be so difficult.

This is an interactive workshop led by a professional communications facilitator and writer, and academics with a range of earth science outreach experience. Through a combination of expert talks, informal discussion, and practical activities, the session will guide you through the importance of storytelling, how to find exciting stories within your own research, and the tools to build a memorable narrative arc.

Due to the practical element of the short course, spaces will be limited. All materials will be provided – just bring your imagination!