This five-part workshop series is designed to transform students of Electrical and Computer Engineering into powerful, engaging and effective communicators in a variety of settings. It's a cohesive unit, with each workshop building upon the last and setting the stage for the next. In order to maximize the benefit you receive, we encourage you to attend to the entire series. All workshops are free-of-charge and are held in Booker Conference Room (Room 2512), Jacobs Hall/EBU1, UC San Diego.

** NOTE: YOU NEED ONLY REGISTER ONCE TO ATTEND THE ENTIRE SERIES.

Workshop One: Entrepreneurship -- 5 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 31 -- Ramesh Kumar

In this workshop you will learn about trends in the semiconductor industry and the key elements for becoming a successful entrepreneur. This workshop will address the importance of communication within the context of entrepreneurship, especially communication with customers and partners. Students will be provided with examples and key concepts, and the skills/concepts from this workshop will set the stage for the four workshops that follow.

Workshop Two: Giving Oral Presentations -- 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 7 -- Tiffany Fox

In this workshop you will learn best practices for giving oral research presentations, including:

Challenges of presenting scientific topics
Differences between scientific audiences and the lay public
Developing a “Three-Act” structure for effective presentations
The missing ingredient in academic presentations: “emotional contrast”
Eliminating jargon and buzzwords
Use of metaphor and anecdote
Use of illustrations and graphics
Miscellaneous practical tips and tricks
One-Hour Practicum: Developing a three-act structure for your presentation

Workshop Three: Panel Discussions and Q&A -- 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 21 -- Tiffany Fox

In this workshop you will gain crucial skills for speaking without notes in extemporaneous settings like panels and during Q&A sessions. We will address:

Taming nerves
Preparing to be a panelist
Speaking extemporaneously
Handling difficult questions
Reading your audience’s body language
Elevator pitches
One-Hour Practicum: Table Topics (an extemporaneous speaking exercise)

Workshop Four: Using Social Media to Communicate Research -- 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 5 -- Tiffany Fox

It's increasingly expected that scientists and engineers have a social media presence. This workshop will provide a primer for using Social Media to promote your research, including:

Impact of Social Media on research and funding
Breakdown of social media tools
Dispelling myths about social media
The ‘civics’ of social media (guidelines for posting, following, privacy issues, etc.)
Miscellaneous practical tips and tricks
One-Hour Practicum: Putting skills to use

Workshop Five: Communicating with the Lay Public -- 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 19, Tiffany Fox

In the final workshop of the five-part series, you will learn tips and tricks for communicating with the lay public and general audiences, including the media and policymakers. Key pointers include:

Why the world needs academic ‘thought leaders’
How to become a “thought leader”
How to 'brand’ your research
Reaching out to the media
Handling media interviews
Reaching out to policymakers
Handling bad publicity, threats and harassment
One-Hour Practicum: Creating a research ‘branding strategy,’ including messaging, visuals and tactics for dealing with controversy

Communicating Research: How to 'Speak Science' and Be Understood (a 5-workshop series)