Simon Hall, course leader for Compelling Communication Skills, helped Lisa Neidhardt(Opens in a new window), PhD candidate and Gates Scholar at the University of Cambridge with communication skills training. Lisa shares her experience and explains how improving these skills can actually allow you enjoy giving presentations!

• Could you tell us a little about your current business?

I am a 4th year PhD student in Clinical Biochemistry at the University of Cambridge, studying stress management on a cellular level. At the same time, I am running a student initiative that generates awareness and builds a community around Alternative Proteins to foster a sustainable future food system.

• What has influenced your journey in seeking communications support?

I consider the ability to communicate my research to a scientific and non-scientific audience as an essential skill. At University I learned a lot about the science and how to generate scientific data – but not how I communicate it. It is expected that I pick up the latter somewhere on the way. Therefore, I sought help in learning more about effective presentation and communication, knowing that these skills will positively impact both my professional as well as private life.

• What have you learned from the process that you could share?

Keep it simple; less is more! The real challenge is to simplify scientific data and make it accessible to the audience. By creating a coherent storyline around it I can take people with me on a journey instead of letting them drown in a sea of data.

• If you could give one tip to an aspiring business owner or entrepreneur, what would that be?

Get your message across as soon as possible, in a simple way. We lose people’s attention within a few seconds and therefore need to give them something interesting, surprising, a question to stay with us during the communication/ presentation.

• How do you think communication skills can play a part in a person’s success?

We are all social beings embedded in a complex social network, at work, at home, with friends etc. Being able to communicate effectively unlocks many doors and will allow us to get our message across, to negotiate in difficult situations and to excite people about our ideas and projects.

• If there was one communication skill that you think everyone could improve on, what would that be?

Storytelling. Our brain is designed to pick up stories much quicker if we can involve imagination. When we tell a story people will be able to relate to what we say, stay with us throughout the talk and even contribute by sharing their thoughts or asking questions.

• How has Simon’s public speaking, presentations, and pitching training supported your career?

Simon gave me the theoretical tools complemented with practical training and feedback that allowed me to boost my confidence during presentations and communication in general. Now, I am actually looking forward to giving a talk, I actively seek opportunities to engage with different kinds of audiences, I am creative in how I present my data and I turn my previous monologue into a dialogue.

Simon Hall(Opens in a new window) is a course leader for the University of Cambridge online course: Compelling Communication Skills. He also runs his own business communication agency, and works as an author and business coach. He previously worked as a television, radio and online news correspondent for the BBC for 25 years.

Do you want to hone your communication skills to support your business, professional or even personal ambitions? Discover ‘Compelling Communication Skills’ from the University of Cambridge Online(Opens in a new window): https://bit.ly/3hy6Xdg(Opens in a new window)