See what clients and attendees are saying…
“Sara ElShafie is a masterful teacher of teachers.”
“Scientists often do not get much formal training in outreach and science communication. By offering formal training and clear guidance on science storytelling techniques, Sara is providing a valuable service to the scientific community and others interested in science. I highly recommend [Sara to] anyone interested in learning how to communicate science more effectively and creatively to broad audiences, something as important now as ever.””
“Sara facilitated a fantastic workshop, expertly bringing together a diverse group of participants around a common theme and taught us to explore storytelling tools in an interesting way. The two-hour workshop was a great length and left us wanting to learn more! I have successfully utilized Sara’s toolbox of ideas already.”
“Today’s workshop really got my creative juices flowing. Never thought I’d say this: I can’t wait to give my next talk!”
“Sara is an absolute professional. From the way she communicates with her audience, to her slides, to the background research she does. I was immediately (and persistently) captured by the workshop. It was extremely engaging and easily applicable to my own research communication. I am sure that for future presentations I will go back to her materials and use them again and again to become a better communicator! ”
“After Sara’s workshop, our interns had such a dramatic improvement in their presentations compared with previous years.”
“Sara took the time to research what our company does and brought in specific writing samples to talk out in an interactive manner. Everyone I heard from following the online workshop said it was great and made them think about how to communicate better. We use the recording regularly as part of onboarding now. Hire her!””
Workshops on distilling complexity
"This is one of the very few workshops I have been able to walk out of, open my laptop, and immediately put the information into practice. After the workshop, I was able to finally put the missing piece into a story arc I have been building for a while and it completely reshaped the paper to be more palatable to a general audience. Moreover, the interactive nature of this workshop made for great practice talking to other professionals about my work and hearing theirs as well. I have been following Sara's content for a few years now and I have consistently learned new information at every webinar/seminar/talk/workshop!"
— Dr. Robert Eugene del Carlo, Post-Doctoral Fellow, The University of Nevada, Reno
“Sara has expanded my horizon of possibilities to present my science story! Using tools of movie storytelling was completely new to me and I never heard or saw someone using it in a scientific presentation. The interactive and engaging way made it easy to grasp, understand and apply to my own research. It is a great way to connect myself with my own work and… it will allow my audience to actually relate and remember my science story. Can’t wait to try it out for the next presentation!”
— Workshop Participant, Nordic European Molecular Biology Laboratory Annual Conference
“Sara led the workshop for us (The Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute) for some of our post-doctoral trainees and it was fantastic! Sara is very engaging, provides interesting and relevant information, and keeps the training interactive and fun. I thoroughly recommend working with Sara when you get the chance. It was definitely time well spent!”
— Mark Agius, Project Manager, The Owerko Centre at the University of Calgary, AB
Workshops on science storytelling
“Sara's workshop was interactive and engaging, which is uncommon and challenging to effectively create in the virtual environment. She embedded inclusive content such as Indigenous ways of knowing and moved beyond Westernized skills. The workshop quality was exactly what we were hoping for our event, and I hope to participate in her workshops again in the future.”
— Nadia Laschuk, PhD Candidate, Ontario Tech University; Chief Financial Officer, Canadians Working for Inclusivity in the Chemical Sciences, Engineering, and Technology Network (CWIC)
“Sara's workshop was very engaging and educational. I feel we don't have enough emphasis on scientific communication during graduate school, although this is a central skill for success in the scientific field. In the workshop, we learned concrete strategies and steps for building a relatable and interesting story. In addition to the utility of these strategies for formal writing, they are also super helpful for more casual discussions when trying to describe my research in a compelling way to friends and family who may not be familiar with my field.”
— Alison Biester, PhD Student, Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Workshops on visual science storytelling
“While [my children’s book] was nearly complete by the time I went to [Sara’s visual storytelling] workshop and I am working with an excellent artist, I was able to take what was presented at the workshop and review the draft at that time. Based on that I made a few changes in color composition and layout that I feel really made it a better product.”
— Dr. Kip Will, Associate Professor of Integrative Biology and Director of the Essig Museum of Entomology, University of California, Berkeley
“The section on color and tone was a revelation to me. As a broadcast journalist, I have been telling stories in a visual medium for many (more than 40) years now but the COLOR and TONE section was really fascinating to me.”
— Anonymous Survey Respondent
Workshops on engaging diverse audiences
“[This] is a critical workshop for anyone who is looking to expand their reach and increase accessibility to their material. Whether you're looking to share an infographic or create a longer training, Sara shares applicable tools and generative thought processes that provide the support you need to meet all audiences where they are. Sara is a gifted and generous teacher who truly models best practices for creating supportive spaces.”
-- Anonymous Workshop Participant
“This workshop on engaging diverse audiences was perhaps one of the most eye opening in the series… [Fostering] rich conversations between attendees, Sara delivered several over-arching considerations for constructing a presentation that is truly inclusive of the entire audience. In applying the thought and method proposed by Sara's workshop, I will be able to engage a wider audience that has, much to our detriment, previously been excluded from science.”
— Dr. Robert E. del Carlo, Post-Doctoral Fellow, Department of Biology, University of Nevada, Reno
Coaching
“Sara has helped me clarify my nascent ideas around scientific data visualization into clear, concise, and effective communication strategy. She's expert at identifying the most compelling and meaningful ideas within an in-progress idea and honing in on them. I've come to her often with a project that I'm struggling with, and she's helped me get un-stuck a number of times. She helps me see what I need to say more clearly, and I'm grateful for that. On top of everything else, she is a joy to work with. If you need to tell stories with or about science better, you need to talk with Sara.”
— Eric Rodenbeck, Founding Partner, Stamen Design
Workshop Design & Facilitation Training
“Sara prepared and guided us through a proposal for our workshop while helping us customize the content based on our needs. She also shared additional material and resources that we could use to develop our content further. Thanks to Sara's organization, dedication, and attention to detail, we will be able to run our own workshops immediately.”
— Dr. Camille Villafañe Rodríguez, Innovation Center and Faculty of Business Administration, University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras
Selected past clients:
