98th ESA Annual Meeting (August 4 -- 9, 2013)

August 03 - 09, 2013

WK 38

Improv 101: Get Comfortable with Public Speaking

This session will help you to relax and get out some of those early-meeting jitters. Through improvisational comedy games, you’ll learn some simple ways to maintain confidence, speak in the moment, and communicate clearly and succinctly. We'll cover the importance of body language, which accounts for more than 50 percent of communication, and how to use it to your advantage. The session will also address being aware of your surroundings; observant of your audience and adjusting your voice and body language as needed to connect to everyone in the room. We'll practice the art of telling a story and encourage you to think about telling people about the research or work you do in a similar way. We hope the session will give you some tools to boost your confidence in all forms of oral communication, from formal presentations, to speaking up at committee meetings, to approaching your scientific idol.