Organizing Academic Science Slams: Event Management and Speaker Coaching

Hosting a science slam is a powerful way to make university research accessible, engaging, and entertaining for academic and public audiences alike. This course provides a practical roadmap for managing academic science popularization events from initial concept to execution. You will gain a thorough understanding of event coordination, promotional strategies, and speaker coaching techniques that help scientists present complex topics with clarity and impact. What you'll learn: Understand fundamental concepts of science communication and the structure of popular science events; Plan timelines, venue arrangements, technical setups, and operational workflows; Recruit, evaluate, and prepare student and early-career researchers for stage presentations; Apply modern audience engagement strategies, interactive Q&A formats, and voting mechanisms; Execute targeted promotional campaigns using digital media and community outreach; Coordinate staff, keep event timing on track, and evaluate event success. Course content begins with key terminology and foundational principles of science storytelling before guiding you through venue preparation, speaker mentoring, marketing, and live execution. Designed for beginner event organizers, university administrators, student union leaders, and aspiring science communicators with no prior management experience. Start reading today to bring inspiring science storytelling to your academic community.