- Duration
- From half a day to several sessions
- Languages
- French, English, Spanish
- Format
- Tailored sessions, in person or remote
- Audience
- Researchers, PhD students, R&D teams, science communication officers
- Category
- Training
In brief. Cortex's science communication training teaches researchers, PhD students and R&D teams to explain their work to non-specialists, in writing and orally. The training runs from half a day to several sessions, in person or remotely, and is based on the participants' own work.
What the service aims to do
- Explain your work clearly to non-specialists.
- Adapt your message to each audience: journalists, policy-makers, the general public, other scientists, clinicians, investors.
- Prepare for an interview, a talk or a short project presentation.
- Write an accurate and readable popular science text.
- Speak with more confidence.
In practice
Researchers are increasingly asked to explain their work: to the media, funders, elected officials, industrial partners, the general public. Each audience expects something different. This training provides methods to build an accurate message, put it simply and adapt it to whoever is listening.
Sessions are based on the participants' own work. Each person leaves with a refined message, speaking and writing exercises, and reusable tools. Cortex passes on its daily practice of science communication, in writing, in images and in person.
Popularisation or science communication?
Science communication covers every way of making research known: to peers, the media, funders, elected officials or the general public. Popularisation is the part of it that makes a subject understandable to non-specialists without distorting it. The training works on both: finding the right message, then adapting it to each audience, from a talk among specialists to an interview with a general-interest outlet.
How we work
- Preliminary discussion about the target audiences and the team's needs.
- Method: finding the key message, choosing examples, doing without jargon.
- Exercises on the participants' own work.
- Role plays: interview, talk, project presentation.
- Individual feedback.
- Reusable materials and training certificate.
Who is involved
- Science writers and science outreach specialists from Cortex.
- Where needed, journalists and public speaking professionals.
A published method
The method we teach is the one Cortex applies every day, and the one set out in our book Vulgariser, c'est transformer (To popularise is to transform), published by EDP Sciences. It was built in the Cortex_sciences media: more than 400 pages of scientific content, written by 29 contributors.
Related case studies
Frequently asked questions
Who is the training for?
Researchers, PhD students, R&D teams and science communication officers, in laboratories and in companies alike.
How long does the training last?
From half a day to several sessions, depending on your objectives and the number of participants. The programme is built with you during a preliminary discussion.
Can the training be done remotely?
Yes. Sessions take place in person or remotely, in French, English or Spanish.
What do participants work on?
Their own research. Each person leaves with a refined message, in writing and orally: a popular science text, an interview, a talk or a short project presentation.
Do participants receive a certificate?
Yes, each participant receives a training certificate, along with the materials and tools used during the sessions.
A project of this kind?
Tell us about your subject, your audience and your deadlines. We will come back to you with a proposed format.