WissKomm Academy – WissKomm Academy - Gain knowledge and persuasive power

A mixture of pleasant anticipation and excitement is palpable in the Humanities Classroom at the Academy of Sciences and Literature in Mainz. For 15 participants, the first training day of the practical seminar series on science communication in presence begins. The participants are not completely unfamiliar with each other, however, as the speaker Gabriele Schweickhardt (Stimmig Führen, Mainz) had already succeeded in the online kick-off in making a very personal digital presentation and "almost incidentally" getting to know each other.

Confident and skillful presentations

What is noticeable is the diverse mix of researchers from all career levels, who are furthering their education with the practice-oriented seminar series on science communication: Economists, social scientists, natural scientists and humanities scholars come together, reflecting the diversity of the research landscape in Rhineland-Palatinate.

It is fun to experience the topic and the presentation style of each individual in the first pitches. The personal exchange, the professionally precise and appreciative judgment of the trainer, but also the constructive learning atmosphere help to strengthen and promote one's own communicative and media skills, which are essential for professional science communication. During two intensive training days, the experienced media craftswoman Gabriele Schweickhardt offers compactly prepared knowledge with hand and foot. She shows how to structure, present and deliver a lecture skillfully and confidently. In addition, she also emphasizes her messages visually with her own personal touch of flipchart painting and inspires everyone to shine outward with their research topics, always from the center as the speaker would say. Have fun practicing she gives along the way!

The agenda is clear

The agenda for the coming months is clear: A team of trainers from the field will offer strategies and methods for professional and successful science communication in three modules (Module 1: Presentation Rhetoric with Gabriele Schweickhardt, Module 2: Interview and Panel Discussion with Dennis Gastmann, and Module 3: Communication in the Digital Space with Marvin Neumann).

This is being made possible as part of a pilot project of the Academy of Sciences and Literature I Mainz, which is being funded by the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of Science and Health with a total of 80,000 euros. Included are series of events that reflect on the core issues of science communication and explore key topics in science that deserve special public attention. Second, the Wiss-Komm training program described above will be funded for up to 100 researchers working at science institutions in Rhineland-Palatinate. Third, the Academy of Sciences will award an Academy Prize for outstanding science journalism.