On the 14th and 15th of April, 18 FABIans had the opportunity to participate in a Science Communication Workshop by Sally Upfold from the ICFR (Institute of Commercial Forestry Research). We learned that it is not only important to do outstanding research, but that the ability to communicate our ideas and findings to our peers, funding agencies, industries and the public is a very important skill that all researchers should master. The workshop focused on improving our verbal and non-verbal communication in oral presentations. Preparing presentations, how to handle questions and answers, and managing meetings were also discussed. Most of our fears of public speaking are common to all speakers and we were equipped with practical tools and applicable theory to improve our ability to communicate. Each FABIan was given opportunities to deliver impromptu speeches in which our strong points, and areas where improvement is necessary, were discussed. We were taught that body language and hand gestures as well as facial expression are important and that 90% of the presentation is about how you present and not about the content. We would like to thank Sally for her enthusiasm and for helping each participant in becoming more confident and competent communicators.

Written by Ariska van der Nest and Arista Fourie.

Photo: Kavani Sanasi making her impromptu speech, one of the exercises during the workshop. See more action photos in the pdf.