Awkward to Awesome
Improvisation for Better Communication
This week I helped lead a science communication workshop. My portion was about using improvisation (or improv) to help scientists and lake association members relate to their audiences. Improvisation is communicating (or performing) without preparation—no props, no scripts, no Powerpoint slides. I learned about improvisation when I attended the Alan Alda Science Communications Boot Camp. Depending on your age, you might know Alan Alda from the TV show M.A.S.H. But he also was the host of PBS’s Scientific Frontiers and an enthusiast of effective science communication.
[note: this image was created with the Substack AI image feature…I think it needs work!]
Some of the strongest memories I have of the Boot Camp were the improv exercises. It was meant to help us think on our feet. The improv techniques I learned have been useful when the projector doesn’t work and I can’t show my Powerpoint—which happens more often than you might think! Here are the basics for using improv in science communication:
1. Know your audience so you can communicate at their level and react to their needs. LOOK at them! Actively LISTEN to them! In a larger audience, pick out one or two individuals and pretend you are telling them about your science or subject.
2. Be present in the moment and stay flexible. This is not possible when you memorize a speech. When you memorize, you are not speaking from the heart.
3. Use examples that your audience understands and that they can relate to. Giving a talk to a group of quilters? Relate the patchwork of research you’re compiling to piecing together a quilt.
4. Use the YES, AND technique. Don’t contradict your audience—whether it’s an individual or you are fielding questions in front of a group. Instead build on their idea. Imagine someone says, “I think you should have gathered more water samples.” Don’t mention the lack of funding or list reasons why you didn’t. Say “YES, that’s a great idea. AND next time we’ll analyze the samples for mercury, too.”
5. Always make your audience look good! This is a key to improv acting. You never want your stage partner to look confused. It is also a key in science communications—your audience is your partner.
The workshop was fun and engaging and went off without a hitch…except for the Powerpoint presentation—just kidding. I didn’t use a Powerpoint, because sometimes audiences need a break from the digital and need to interact with real people. I’ll talk more about that in a future Project Management Lab. For now, go out and be awesome!