Let me help you communicate tell stories strategize use social media reach audiences create visuals

 

Illustrations by Doryan Algarra

Let me help you plan, strategize and create effective science communication activities and content!

I specialize in making science and health information more accessible and engaging via emerging media formats, and in making content more inclusive and relevant via audience research, stakeholder engagement and creative collaboration.


Our collaboration was a blast! The initial rounds of editing from Paige and the Lifeology crew really helped flag the times when our writing wasn’t clear. I think we ended up spending the most time on editing. It’s amazing how much word crafting is needed to make a straightforward, engaging, and educational tool in the limited space.
— Stephanie Mitchell

Training

I have been communicating about science and training others to do the same since 2011. I have run workshops on science communication, digital storytelling, health literacy and social media for scientists. I can train scientists, science communicators and students at all levels in various aspects of science communication theory and practice. The following are some of the topics I can provide training for:

  • Science Communication Research: What we know works in science communication

  • Storytelling / Digital Storytelling

  • Social Media & Blogging for Scientists and Science Communicators (best practices and hands-on training)

  • Psychology of Science, Health and Environmental Communication

  • Strategic Planning for SciComm: How to create a communication plan or set objectives for science communication

  • Creative Collaboration: How to work with artists and designers to improve your scicomm

  • Finding the Story: How to interview a scientist or find the story in research

  • Photography / Mobile Photography for SciComm

  • How to Get a SciComm Job

 

Previous Workshops


Strategic Planning

I can create a custom, evidence-based strategic digital communication or social media plan for your science organization or science communication project. I can also guide you through executing this plan and creating starter content. I can provide evidence-based strategies for improving science communication and audience engagement, based on peer-reviewed literature and custom research.


Creative Collaboration

Let me help you innovate your science and health communication efforts through creative collaboration. I have a personal network of hundreds of science storytellers, designers, artists, performers and other creatives that I subcontract or can connect you with. I can lead you through collaborations with creatives in these spaces and ensure your collaborations are smooth and successful.

For example, I can help you:

  • Prepare creative collaboration plans

  • Coordinate collaborative visual storytelling, comic or film projects

  • Connect with performers and choreograph movement performances

  • Help you tell more creative and inclusive science and health stories

  • Edit images and videos and incorporate them into final products

Example: Let me help you work with an illustrator to create a visual story about a science or research topic. I can provide direction and feedback for artists to ensure a coherent, accurate and creative visual narrative.


Writing & Editing

I have over 11 years of experience with writing and editing of research manuscripts, lay summaries of research, press releases, blog posts, magazine articles, short science explainers, creative science and health stories, film and podcast scripts, website copy, and comic-like visual stories.

I consider myself to be a master storyteller in especially succinct, plain language and short story formats. You can see examples of stories I’ve written and copy-edited at Lifeology.io.


Community Engagement

I have experience in building online communities and in engaging partners, collaborators, community experts and influencers in science and health communication projects.

  • At Lifeology.io, I helped build a member community of over 1,000 storytellers, artists and other creators who engage in creating visual stories about science and health with Lifeology and participate in a community Slack workspace.

  • I built a visual-focused science communication training program, the Lifeology University SciComm Program, that has 500+ subscribers across science, health and communication fields.

  • I’ve helped build and grow several blogging communities including for the SciLogs science blogging network, the LSU College of Science blog and Lifeapps.io. I’ve helped engage, train and edit the work of hundreds of guest science and health bloggers.

  • I’ve engaged influencers and celebrities in various science and health communication talks, events and online campaigns. For example, I initiated and helped coordinate a SXSW panel on the Health Trust Gap that featured Kristen Bell, who was passionate about engaging parents and young children in health education during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Let me help you grow an online network, organize a panel around science and health communication or engage partners in content projects.


Audience Research

I can conduct qualitative or quantitative social science research (for example via interviews and surveys) to investigate and enhance various aspects of your communication projects. This might include interviewing audiences or stakeholders to help guide your content, surveying readers for feedback or attitude and behavior impacts, or using social media listening or online research to learn about your audiences and quantify your reach.

 

Consulting fees for will be billed per project, and are dependent upon project needs on both your end and mine. Contact pbj@fromthelabbench.com for specific inquiries, or fill out the form below.


How can I help you? Ask me anything!