Research Storyteller Summit

"The truth about stories is that’s all we are," said Thomas King. And maybe we should add: the truth about research is that it is a story, too.

This Wednesday, I am participating in the Research Storyteller Summit at Western University. The event convenes cohort of people from our campus community for a “deep dive” into the intersection of storytelling and academic research.

Whether you are preparing a funding proposal, writing a journal article for publication, discussing your study with a journalist, presenting at a conference, or briefing policymakers, you are ultimately telling a story. Join us for a special, one-day masterclass on using narrative to articulate research clearly and effectively across the research lifecycle — with funders, reviewers, knowledge users, media, and the public.

The summit consciously and intentionally takes a “first-principles approach” to science communication. Here, we assume that communicating any knowledge (even the most quantitative “bench science” data) involves communicating with other human beings — creatures who are ultimately storytelling animals.

The exchange of ideas is, fundamentally, an affair of meaning-making.

The summit is this Wednesday, November 30, 2022, from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM Eastern Time. Interested in attending virtually or asynchronously? Here’s the registration form.