Communications Bootcamps

As part of our mission to improve the communication skills among mathematicians and statisticians, IMSI is proud to offer a series of bootcamps to help researchers develop their skills. The bootcamps, offered online and in person, build skill sets applicable to academic and non-academic careers, and enhance individuals’ ability to realize their broader communication goals.

The bootcamps are structured around four sessions, each answering an important question about mathematical and statistical communication: The Why & The Who, The What, The How, and The Where.

When participants complete all four sessions, they will receive a LinkedIn Badge.

The Why & The Who

It is natural to wonder why it is important for mathematicians and statisticians to study communications skills and who their audiences would be for their communications. In this session, participants will dig into the importance of understanding the points and goals for their communications, discuss different types of audiences, and analyze which communications methods best match audience types.

The What

This session dives deep into ways to communicate actual mathematical and statistical content. Participants will take part in activities around the proper use of jargon, examine the important role definitions play in the mathematical sciences, and develop metaphors and analogies for their research. They will also delve into the important role the human aspect can play in connecting mathematics and statistics with lay audiences and why it is important to be careful with numbers. 

The How

Humans have been telling stories to each other for as long as we have been able to communicate. In this session, participants will learn how to apply storytelling techniques to their mathematical and statistical communication practices. In order to accomplish this, they will delve into the research around using storytelling to communicate, examine narrative structures and how they are already embedded in the mathematical sciences, and tell their own stories to each other.

The Where

Knowing why, how, what, and to whom is not enough for a mathematical or statistical communicator, they also need to know where their communication needs to be placed. In the final session, participants will consider the differences between working with the press and publishing on their own, examine a wide range of different methods of communications, and even draft the start of their own press release.

Registration