Presentations & Trainings

When you write a thesis, dissertation, or academic journal article, you are addressing a small audience of academics in your field. However, academic writers sometimes need to speak to wider audiences with limited or no specialized knowledge, such as when writing proposals for funding, when creating outreach materials for the public, or when communicating with the media. During this session, you will gain practice with the following:

• analyzing your audience
• recognizing and avoiding jargon
• editing for simplicity and conciseness
• using examples and anecdotes
• writing with directness

Many applicants to external fellowships, scholarships, and grants fail to provide the level of specificity needed to make their academic background, research experience, personal history, and career plans relevant to a funder's mission and goals. This Shop Talks session will teach participants how to recognize and address this problem through interactive exercises on the following topics:

• avoiding generic language
• detailing vague language
• using examples strategically
• making space for specificity

The knowledge and skills participants gain during this Shop Talks session will be broadly applicable to many pursuits.