Increasing Influence, Impacting Policy: Training in Effective Communications with Policymakers

This course and community is custom-built for scientists to help you:

• Advance your career
• Get funding for your research
• Build support for, and understanding of, your work by key policymakers
• Gain a community of mentors and peers while learning from communication experts

The course will teach you a proven, powerful system that has helped course graduates achieve these actual results:

• Aced job interview, leading to a successful transition from earning a Ph.D. to getting a consulting position in life sciences
• Successful lay abstract, unlocking 3 years of grant funding
• Funding for a starter grant from USAID
• Improved investor pitch for a Chief Scientific Officer at a biotech startup

• Strong interview preparation, supporting an accepted job offer as a Medical Science Liaison
• Compliments on describing complex research "instead of the usual glazed looks"

Course Description: This is a 3-week long course

Session 1: Becoming a “Savvy Scientist”™

• Savvy Scientist | Resourceful Researcher Model™
• T.O.L.D. - U. Sequence™ for structuring message delivery to policymakers

• Breakout rooms where course participants share with colleagues their preliminary ideas for their self-recorded videos about their own research
• Entire group discussion in which course participants share learnings, perspectives from breakout rooms
• Recap of Savvy Scientist | Resourceful Researcher Model™ and T.O.L.D. - U. Sequence™
• Directions for self-recording and plan for Session #2

Session 2: Workshopping Self-Recorded Videos

• Each participant shares reactions to his/her/their experience of distilling work and self-recording
• Participants receive personalized coaching on first version of their self-recorded video from Mark and feedback from colleagues
• Participants apply feedback from version 1 and the Model’s principles to refine their message in version 2 of their self-recording

Session 3: Workshopping Self-Recorded Videos - The Sequels

• Participants receive personalized coaching on second version of their self-recorded video from Mark and feedback from colleagues

• Discussion of lessons learned
• Recap of key take-aways
• One-slide infographic with major themes given to each course participant

In this highly interactive online course, you’ll get:

• 3 live, 1.5-hour webinars
• Two rounds of one-on-one coaching and responses to your questions
• A video you’ll record yourself - and get to keep - that incorporates two rounds of personalized coaching you’ll receive on your application of the course’s proven methodology to your own specific research or priority issue
• Recordings of all group sessions to watch at your convenience
• Responsive email support to address any questions or issues arising between sessions

You’ll also get:

• A certificate of completion from the New York Academy of Sciences
• An endorsement on LinkedIn for the science communication skill written by your instructor
• Membership in a private LinkedIn group established two years ago just for course alums
• Mentoring and networking opportunities in the private group with easy-to-approach fellow course alums

• Fireside chats in the private group with experts in professional development, communication, and “Ask-Me-Anythings” with special guests

Note: Participants must satisfactorily complete the required course assignments to be eligible for a certificate of completion from the New York Academy of Sciences, LinkedIn endorsement from the instructor, and membership in the private group.

BONUS:

The first 10 people who register for the course also will receive a FREE 30-minute, one-on-one consulting call with the instructor ($200 value) in addition to the 4 group sessions and other course benefits.

During the call, you can focus on topics such as how to:

• Improve the lay abstract for a grant you’re writing
• Prepare for your upcoming job interview
• Refine a presentation you will be giving to colleagues

What people say about this Science Policy Course:

About the Instructor

Mark Bayer is President of Bayer Strategic Consulting where he specializes in helping scientists sharpen communication and leadership skills so they can get funding, accelerate career advancement, and build key professional relationships.

Mark is an international keynote speaker, online course instructor, and host of the weekly podcast, When Science Speaks.

His work has appeared in Science Magazine, The New Yorker, Barron’s, The National Postdoc Association’s Postdocket online magazine, Politico and other publications.

Mark is a former Chief of Staff in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives with a 20-year career working in Congress. He developed the Savvy Scientist System™ to enable scientists to achieve their goals in corporate, policy, and non-profit environments.

Mark has served for many years as a guest lecturer in the Science Policy Bootcamp course at Cornell University’s Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering.

He is a graduate of Cornell University, earned his Master in Public Policy at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, and attended L’Institut d’Études Politiques (“Sciences Po”) in Paris, where he was a member of the university’s men’s basketball team.