Visual Skills for Communicating your Science
September 29th - October 13th, 2026 (ONLINE)
REGISTRATION IS CLOSED
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Course overview
Improvisation requires you to understand group dynamics, tell stories, and say yes in the face of the unknown. In many ways, improv draws upon the very same skills we cultivate as scientists. This beginner-friendly improv workshop will combine best practices from science communication scholarship with the tools of improvisational theater to help you more strategically and effectively communicate.
By the end of this course you will learn to tap into your own sense of play and humor, gain tools to manage communication apprehension and anxiety, access your innate creativity, enhance your connection and empathy, collaborate using “yes and”, go off-script, react off-the-cuff, and gain narrative tools for transforming facts into storytelling. No matter what your science communication goals are; from being the next YouTube sensation to being more confident in job interviews, the tools in this workshop will support your journey.
Requirements
We recommend that all participants bring their own personal laptop (Windows, Macintosh, Linux), although this is not a formal requirement for the course.
Contact
LOCATION
Gerakári, Municipality of Amari, 74 061
Rethymno
Crete, Greece
DATE
March 23rd-25th, 2020
LANGUAGE
English
COURSE LENGTH & ECTS
21 hours on-site.
This course is equivalent to 1 ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) at the Life Science Zurich Graduate School.
The recognition of ECTS by other institutions depends on each university or school.
PLACES
Places are limited to 16 participants and will be occupied by strict registration order. If the course fills up there will be an assistant instructor to help during the practise time.
Participants who have completed the course will receive a certificate at the end of it.
Program
Daily Program
Monday
Introduction
- Getting to know one another
- Goal-setting for the course
- Communication diagnostics
The power of play
- Tap into our innate sense of play and humor
- Play improv games and experience how fun changes our mindset and enhances our creativity
- Remove the “need to be right” and bring ourselves into the present moment with play and mischief
Managing communication apprehension and anxiety
- Discuss our experiences with communication anxiety and share tools
- Theater and visualization tools for managing anxiety
Tuesday
Creativity
- Accessing creativity and getting out of your head
- Giving ourselves permission to fail and take risks
- Explore how restrictions open up creativity
Empathy
- Change directed communication into conversation with connection, listening, and empathy
- Soft focus and environmental awareness
- Getting out of our heads by paying attention to our scene partner
Collaboration
- Collaborating with teams toward a common goal
- “Yes And” and the power of agreement and adding instead of tearing down
- Giving and receiving supportive and critical feedback
Wednesday
Engagement
- Keeping an audience engaged and delighted
- Reacting off the cuff
- Jump and justify in the moment to unexpected offers
Audience Analysis
- Know your science communication audience
- Zooming in and zooming out to meet your audience
Storytelling
- Narrative tools for science writing and speaking
- Transforming facts into storytelling
Fees
- Course Fee
- Early bird (until January 31st, 2020):
- 420 € *
(336 € for Ambassador Institutions) - Regular (after January 31st, 2020):
- 525 € *
(420 € for Ambassador Institutions) - This includes course material, coffee breaks and lunches (VAT included).
* Participants from companies/industry will have an extra charge of 100 €.
- Course Fee + Accommodation Package
- Early bird (until January 31st, 2020):
- 640 €*
(556 € for Ambassador Institutions)
- Regular (after January 31st, 2020):
- 745 €*
(640 € for Ambassador Institutions) - This includes course material, coffee breaks, transportation between the Venue and Heraklion, accommodation from Sunday to Friday, breakfasts, lunches and dinners (VAT included).
* Participants from companies/industry will have an extra charge of 100 €.
You can check the list of Ambassador Institutions. If you want your institution to become a Transmitting Science Ambassador please contact us at communication@transmittingscience.com
Schedule
Course Schedule
Participants will make their own way
- Monday to Wednesday:
- 9:30 to 13:30 Lessons.
- 13:30 to 15:00 Lunch (included).
- 15:00 to 18:00 Lessons.
The class schedule is approximate; it is possible that the content of one day may run into the next and a working day may be longer than advertised.
Course + Accommodation Package Schedule
- Sunday:
- 18:30 Meeting at Heraklion Archaeological Museum to take the bus to Gerakári.
- 20:15 Check-in at Alexander Hotel.
- 20:45 Dinner.
- Monday to Tuesday:
- 08:30 to 09:00 Breakfast
- 9:30 to 13:30 Lessons
- 13:30 to 15:00 Lunch (included)
- 15:00 to 18:00 Lessons
- 20:30 Dinner
- Wednesday:
- 8:30 to 9:00 Breakfast.
- 9:30 to 13:30 Lessons
- 13:30 to 15:00 Lunch (included)
- 15:00 to 18:00 Lessons
- 18:30 Meeting at Alexander Hotel to take the bus to Heraklion.
- 20:15 Arrival at Heraklion Archaeological Museum
The class schedule is approximate; it is possible that the content of one day may run into the next and a working day may be longer than advertised.
Accommodation
If you choose the Accommodation Package you will be hosted at Alexander Hotel in Gerakári village, in shared en-suite rooms, although you will only share rooms with other course participants (male or female only).
If you prefer to stay in a single en-suite room, you can do so with a supplementary charge.
More information
The Accommodation Package includes transportation from the centre of Heraklion to the venue and back, at the start and end of the course, respectively. The trip takes around 1 hour 50 minutes each way. If you require transportation from or to Chania (the other city of Crete with an airport), please contact the course coordinator who can arrange it at an additional cost.
If you do not wish to take the Accommodation Package, you can find a few other options in the surrounding area. However, please be aware that access to and travelling around the area requires a private vehicle as public transport is scarce. Therefore, course participants will find choosing the Accommodation Package more convenient.
Funding
Discounts are not cumulative and apply only on the Course Fee. We offer the possibility of paying in two instalments (contact courses@transmittingscience.com).
5 % Discount
Former participants will have a 5 % discount on the Course Fee.
20 % Discount
20 % discount on the Course Fee is offered for members of some organizations (Ambassador Institutions). If you want to apply to this discount please indicate it in the Registration form (proof will be asked later).
40 % Discount
Unemployed scientists living in the country were the course will be held, as well as PhD students based in that country without any grant or scholarship to develop their PhD, could benefit from a 40 % discount on the Course Fee. If you want to ask for this discount, please contact the course coordinator. That would apply for a maximum of 2 places and they will be covered by strict inscription order.
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