Use narrative techniques to talk about your research in a new way

Why do we pay money to go see a movie, while we have to get paid to read journals? Because movies are stories, and stories captivate us! In fact, narratives are a great way for humans to receive and remember information.

Use storytelling to make your science come to life!

In this workshop, you will learn what makes a good story, and start writing your own. We’ll cover topics like perspective, narrator, characters, plots and story arcs, and illustrate the various options with examples. Then you’ll get to practice them to find out what works in which situation.

English or Dutch

Online or in-house

What you will learn

  • What are stories, and (how) do they differ from the scientific narrative?
  • Elements of a good story: characters, narrator, plot
  • Keeping your audience engaged: add tension or a plot twist
  • How can you use stories to explain your research?

A workshop by
Stephan van Duin, MSc

Stephan has been working with scientists to shape their stories for over a decade. He is able to take position between your research and your audience, and to make you reflect on the steps you need to take to communicate effectively and bridge that gap.

A workshop by Stephan will give you background theory, but it also delves into his experience as science communicator and press officer to explore what it can mean for your situation. So you will leave his workshops with a lot of practical tips and skills but a plan as well!

More about Stephan van Duin

Thank you, Stephan! I particularly liked how you prompted us to approach our pitch from multiple perspectives.

Thanks for the tips for the pitch and storytelling. These are quite useful.

Liesbeth and Stephan inspired me to think better about the communication of my research. I thought it was especially cool to learn how to convey a message in such a way that you can attract attention even with the most complex topics. In the future I will package all my messages in a more creative format."

David Oerlemans, student at HAS

This workshop is flexible!

Do you like this workshop, but are you looking for something slightly different? No problem! We offer our workshops in various configurations. In addition to the 4-hour version, we can give keynotes, interactive lectures or split the workshop in two or three sessions.

We can also combine some workshops to create a full-day program, or fit a narrower time slot by giving a lecture highlighting the most important insights.

Fill out the quote form below to tell us the time you have, the amount of participants and the level of interactivity so we can find a solution.

  • One hour to multiple day sessions
  • Small groups up to 12 participants or large audiences

  • More or less interaction

  • For all levels: from PhD students to full professors and from support staff to full-on communicators.

Get a custom quote

Tell us about your needs and we’ll advise you about the best fit for your event, and attach a quote.

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1 Step 1
Choose your workshop topic(s)Select all that seem interesting! Not sure? We can help you choose the one that fits your goal and participants.
Would you like us to host an online or in-house workshop?
LanguageWe offer all workshops in English and Dutch.
Is the date flexible?Tell us more in the accompanying email.
How much time do you have?Our workshops can fit in any time slot, but the more time you have (or fwer participants) the more opportunities for interaction & feedback.
What type of session do you prefer?We'll help you choose the option that fits your event best.

Read our privacy statement to learn how we use the personal data you submit with this form.

Great! Thank you for your interest in our science communication workshops!

Don't forget to press send. We will get in touch to talk about the options and send you a proposal based on your answers. We're looking forward  to help you improve your science communication!

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