Schedule Apr 04, 2008
Inside the Actor's Studio: Tools and Techniques for Becoming a Better Speaker
Jennifer Ouellette, Science Journalist in Residence, KITP

Whether you're speaking before a general audience or before your peers, fostering excellent presentation skills can only enhance one's scientific career. Good communication isn't just about what you say, or what's on your PowerPoint slides. It's also a form of performance that requires attention to tone of voice, body language, making eye contact, and learning to read your audience's reactions and adapt your presentation accordingly -- in real time. These are not skills that come naturally to most people, whether you're a physicist or a science writer. Ottiliana Rolandsson (actress/director and soon-to-be newly minted PhD in UCSB's Department of Dramatic Art) will discuss how the tools and techniques employed by actors can extend beyond the walls of the theater to improve communication and collaboration in any given field. She will then lead willing volunteers in a series of training exercises to demonstrate how these tools can be employed to enhance our future presentations.

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