Communications and Office of Education Staff Lead Workshops

In February 2018, the DCEG communications team and Office of Education (OE) collaborated to deliver trainings to fellows on communicating with the media, designing and giving effective scientific posters, and giving scientific presentations. These offerings are a regular component of the Division training program for fellows.

The annual Fellows Media Training, delivered by Communications Chief Jennifer Loukissas, M.P.P., focused on how to approach media inquiries to communicate research most effectively to science and health reporters. Ms. Loukissas discussed what motivates reporters and common questions, principles for giving a good interview and staying in control of the discussion, and suggestions for how to effectively communicate the main messages of a particular study.

Victoria Fisher, M.P.H., delivered the training on scientific posters, covering topics such as poster layout and best practices, and tips for interacting with colleagues who stop at your poster.

During the two-part presentation workshop, communications team members Ms. Fisher and Cora Hersh focused on building the content and “story” of a scientific talk, as well as tips for the delivery of the presentation. Diane Wigfield, of the OE, utilized her training in graphic design to offer the fellows guidance on designing slides to enhance a presentation and give it a more professional look. Participation from the fellows was encouraged throughout and included a brief video-taped presentation given at the start of the workshop, along with a personalized discussion on ways to improve their specific slides.

As researchers working for the federal government, DCEG fellows are expected to communicate their work in a variety of ways, including giving scientific talks at meetings and conferences. These trainings seek to prepare fellows to fully and effectively participate in the scientific community at DCEG and beyond.