[Workshop Report] Storytelling Workshop for Researchers (Reported by: Yuta Murao, D2, School of Life Science and Technology, ToTAL 6th cohort)

In the lecture, we first learned why storytelling is important for researchers. Research activities involve collaboration with many different people and organizations, such as governments, research institutions, companies, and laboratory members. Therefore, researchers need the ability not only to explain their research, but also to help others understand it, feel empathy toward it, and become willing to cooperate. So, simply conveying facts and data accurately is not enough. Researchers must explain their work in a way that is easy to understand and memorable for listeners.

In addition, presenting research as a story makes it easier for people to understand and remember the content, encouraging listeners to empathize and take action. Also, as effective elements of storytelling, understanding whom we are speaking to, explaining ideas simply and clearly, sharing the motivation and background behind the research, and appealing to the emotions of listeners are introduced.

We worked on expressing our own research by focusing on three points (research content, concrete examples and why we conduct the research). In particular, we were advised to explain our research using familiar examples so that even people majoring in other fields can understand it, and to clarify the emotions and motivations behind our research. In addition, by using a worksheet about our experiences when we think about “why we want to conduct the research”, we looked back on our past experiences and emotions. Through this process, we organized our values and thought more deeply about the source of our research motivation.

Participants introduced themselves and shared the content of their worksheets in groups. By sharing with others, we found new perspectives and insights on parts that were difficult to organize or explain. In addition, by observing how other participants talked about their research, we improved our own communication style.

Before the practice, we learned the purpose and methods of one-on-one dialogue through lectures. In this activity, the goal was not simply to explain research content, but to “involve others in our research project”. Therefore, participants needed to communicate in a way that would attract listeners’ interest and empathy. The lecture also introduced important points for effective dialogue, such as being considerate but not overly hesitant, accepting feedback as a gift from others, and understanding that self-disclosure strongly affects the quality of feedback.

After that, participants formed pairs and practiced explaining their research as a story, changing roles. The dialogue began with self-introductions, followed by explanations of their research based on the worksheets, questions, and finally, reflection.

During the first dialogue session, many participants realized through questions and feedback from listeners that their explanations were difficult to understand because they used many technical terms. In the second session, participants improved the structure and the way they told their stories based on what they had learned in the first session. As a result, by reducing technical terms, using clearer examples, and explaining more carefully why they wanted to conduct the research, participants experienced better understanding and more positive reactions from listeners. Through this process, we learned that the way we communicate influences others’ understanding and empathy. We also realized how each story improved through repeated dialogue and feedback.

Participants shared the insights they gained through the one-on-one dialogue sessions in their groups. By listening to the improvements and ideas of others, we learned points about where we could improve and important points to keep in mind when we conduct storytelling. In addition, we were able to deepen our understanding by sharing our learning with others.

At the end of the workshop, participants shared what they had learned throughout the day. Through the activities, we were able to understand the importance of storytelling and the key points for communicating research to others.