Brief Descriptions of David’s Programs
The A.R.T. (and Science) of Connecting:
A New Paradigm for Technical Presentations
For your work to change the world, it must be communicated to someone else. How do you tell the story of your work? The basic unit of human interaction is not data. It is a story. Modern neuroscience has much to tell us about the way the brain responds to a story. If you want your audience to Accept, Remember, and Take action on the information you present, you must first make a connection with your listeners at a human level—hence, the A.R.T. of Connecting…
Communicating Science, Fast and Slow:
A Strategy for Being Heard
Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman, in his 2011 book “Thinking, Fast and Slow,” describes a dichotomy between two modes of thought: one is fast, instinctive, and emotional; the other, slower, more deliberative, and more logical. The two modes coexist in the brain, often dividing tasks according to their respective strengths—but not always. What happens when a scientist tries to present deliberative, logical evidence to a listener who is making fast, instinctive, and emotional decisions about whether to accept that evidence? Miscommunication is the result. Therefore, scientists and science communicators must learn to reach their listeners at both levels…
How to Connect, Convey, and Convince When You Converse
Astute scientists and engineers know that conveying their findings to others is as much a part of the process as coming up with the findings in the first place. Therefore, they pay attention to the particular challenges of crafting their papers and formal presentations. But what of the less formal opportunities to convey knowledge? It turns out that effective conversations call for many of the same communication tools as effective presentations—but with the added challenge that conversations, more so than presentations, are also opportunities for relationship-building…
“I have always found David to be able to clearly explain a concept or an idea at the level appropriate to the listener, whether that person is highly technical or non-technical. He does so without talking down to the non-technical person, but is able to quickly adapt to the high-tech level as needed.”
Chriss Scherer
Member Communications Director
Society of Broadcast Engineers