Insights into the October ECR/ECP Awayday

In October, the UKCCSRC ran an ECR/ECP Awayday providing attendees with vital skills and learning, not just for their research now but for their whole lives!

Chris Stewart – lapsed theoretical physicist turned freelance science communicator – delivered a full afternoon’s workshop looking at “What’s Your Story?”.  He pointed out that although researchers usually deal with data, most humans understand and respond best to stories.  And, to quote Randy Olsen, stories are simply “a series of events that happen along the way in the search for a solution to a problem”, which is definitely something scientists can get on board with!

Chris unpacked the importance of narrative in sharing research and gave attendees a fantastic tool in the ABT (And…But…Therefore) framework. One attendee said that it’ll help them tell “a compelling research story” from now on.  Another attendee commented that they’d “learned the importance of communicating my research clearly and engagingly by identifying its core narrative and presenting it with confidence.”

“It really helped me understand how to break down complex science into simple, engaging messages that hold people’s attention. Chris’s templates for structuring communication were particularly helpful, and his feedback gave me a clearer sense of how to improve my own presentation style.”

Chris also talked about the importance of knowing your audience and pitching your presentations correctly, especially removing jargon.  For one attendee (although probably more!), it was “eye-opening to see how much audience awareness shapes the success of any communication.”

There was good news for future non-technical audiences (!), with one attendee saying that they are “going to focus on knowing my audience and simplifying how I present my research story so it’s clearer to non-specialists”, and another sharing that they “plan to consciously apply the communication techniques I learned, especially adapting my delivery and message depending on who I am speaking to…making my explanations more engaging and relatable, rather than defaulting to technical detail.”

Considering body language, pace, volume, pitch, tonality and pauses were also raised as important considerations, with attendees realising “that how we speak can make our message more captivating and impactful.”  Several people fed back that they found it particularly “useful to understand how tone, pitch and emphasis can make presentations more engaging, as well as the importance of using strategic pauses and highlighting key words to hold the audience’s attention.”

Everyone was given plenty of opportunities during the workshop to practice distilling and presenting their research to others in the room.

The next morning, James Watt (WSP) and Jen Roberts (UKCCSRC ECR Champion, among many other things) led an informal session on Networking.  It was so helpful that many ECR/ECPs have requested a longer session in future!  Other comments included:

“James shared his thoughts very honestly, which was very valuable. He made us think about finding a suitable moment, place, and time to approach someone, and he shared his bad experiences as well as an example to make this clear.”

“I learned about reading body language before approaching someone and to think about both my own goals and what the other person might need from a conversation. It’s fine to start with non-technical topics when networking, and it’s best not to ask directly for funding or a job. A smarter approach is to ask how your skills and qualifications could fit into their company. I also learned that clear codes of conduct and reporting systems exist during networking events to ensure that everyone feels comfortable and respected.”

“I gained valuable insights into networking, understanding that the way and timing of approaching others are important, and that it’s best to deal with everyone with grace, as someone’s reaction may not always be about me.”

“When networking, I’ll make a conscious effort to read body language and start conversations more naturally.”

Both sessions were immediately put to good use as all the ECR/ECPs stayed on for the CCS Training Course we ran afterwards – they were much more aware of the quality of the presentations and presenters, and utilised their new networking knowledge and skills with the government, regulator and industry employees there!

Hopefully all of them would share the same conclusion one attendee gave that “overall, the sessions helped me improve how I communicate, present, and connect with others professionally.”