Distilling Your Message for Teaching and Outreach: Brief and Compelling Interactions with the People You Need to Talk to

Term: Spring 2026

Date: March 16th, 2026

Time: 12:30 to 2:20 p.m.

Location: Online Only

Instructors: Jon Catherwood-Ginn & Tiffany Shoop

Presented By: Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (CETL) & Graduate School

Description:

Effective teaching begins with effective communication. Public outreach requires shaping one’s message for new audiences. Collaboration occurs only when collaborators can find a common language. In this interactive and experiential learning-based workshop facilitated by faculty from Virginia Tech’s Center for Communicating Science, participants will build their communication skills through engaging in exercises that help them move from “information overload” to engaging, clear, and simple communication. We will introduce the 5 W’s of clear communication and learn about the curse of knowledge. Participants will begin to translate their research findings or other complex information into messages that inspire curiosity and engagement. For this interactive Zoom workshop, please plan to have your cameras on and to be in a location where you feel comfortable speaking and moving.