Science Sizzles

19 Oct Science Sizzles

Without science, we’d still be trying to work out that wheel thing. But civilization has advanced because of our intellectual curiosity and the need to survive. Still, a stumbling block has been the imbalance between the research skills of many scientists and their ability to inspire and motivate an audience.

Dr. Jeff Wisotzkey, Chief Scientific Officer and client, recently delivered a presentation at a conference. “There was a large audience of scientists, innovators, and technologists – each hoping that their work might change the future. The other speakers read directly from their slides and lacked visible passion. They spoke to the screen, not the audience. They used sentences and slides so packed with technical jargon that their message never surfaced. They forgot that communication is not a data dump – it’s a connection.

I was the fifth and last speaker. I started with a story about how credibility isn’t built by what you know, but by how you show up. I talked about the neurochemistry of communication – how pauses and vocal tone changes what your audience remembers. I showed how storytelling activates connection pathways in the brain. And I finished with how the same message, delivered differently, changes not just perception, but influence.

I didn’t make it three steps off the stage before hearing Can you speak to our team? I’ve never thought about presenting science this way. I fielded questions for an hour – in the aisle, in small circles, laughing, and exchanging ideas.”

As a scientist, if you have to raise funds for a grant, research facility, or personnel, you need to deliver the science, like Wisotzkey while moving an audience to take action. The better you are at engaging an audience, the more likely you are to achieve your goal.