Here are some testimonials about my work as a communications skills trainer, coach and business branding consultant
Training Courses in Universities and Research Institutes
ENCODS Neuroscience Conference at The Francis Crick Institute - June 2019
A 2-hour presentation skills workshop for PhD students from across the globe.
"I do a lot of public speaking and I’ve been to a lot of public speaking workshops over the years and this was the best one I’ve ever been to.”
Alice Reeves, director of The Joyful Web digital marketing agency and ENCODS conference blog writer
Click here for a detailed review of this workshop, written by course participant Sam Roome from HelloBio.
The Francis Crick Institute - Oct 2016, July 2017, Oct 2017, May 2018, Nov 2018, May 2019
A series of five half-day public engagement workshops for PhD students, postdoctoral students and group leaders.
"Emily brought warmth and energy and a great mixture of theory and practice to our recent Public Engagement training courses for PhD students at the Crick. The students loved her interactive sessions and found her enthusiasm contagious. Emily’s tailored feedback was really beneficial in developing and improving their communication skills and building confidence. I would enthusiastically recommend Emily as a trainer.”
Jenny Jopson, Public Engagement Manager, The Francis Crick Institute, Oct 2017
"Absolutely loved, and strongly recommend, our communication masterclass with Dr Emily Grossman”
“Personal and useful advice throughout. Excellent and very useful training session in building up confidence for public speaking”
“The session was super excellent. I learnt a lot of very useful things and it was funny!”
“It was awesome! Thanks for all the hints, tips and practical experience. Emily was very engaging and entertaining.”
“I was skeptical about this training but I was amazed at how enjoyable and educational it was. Emily was enthusiastic, gave relevant comments and was genuinely inspiring. Honestly it was superb – thanks!”
“Emily was very engaging, easy to understand, and knows what’s important (since she’s a scientist). It’s a pleasure to listen to her!”
“Superb – enthusiastic, relevant comments and genuinely inspiring"
"I didn’t expect to take away so much helpful information from the session"
"Awesome! Thanks for all the hints, tips and practical advice."
"An amazing session with real skills that can be applied to career/everyday'
“Emily’s session was excellent, inspiring and relevant.”
“An excellent course. I look forward to putting into practice what I learnt.”
“Excellent session. Emily was really energetic, enthusiastic and engaging. All aspects of the session were useful”
“Emily was excellent, engaging, and very likeable.”
“A very useful course! Emily was engaging, knowledgeable, enthusiastic and very helpful. I would definitely recommend this training to others.”
“The practical activities were really helpful. Emily was excellent – entertaining and helpful.”
“Emily was very engaging and passionate”
“Emily was super enthusiastic and knowledgeable and made the session really fun”
“Emily is very open and engaging. She manages to explain various concepts based on concrete examples.”
“Emily was great, knowledgeable, and animated!”
“Very confident, relaxed, knew what she was talking about”
“Emily was very engaging, and had a lot of knowledge and tips. She seemed like she genuinely cared”
Warwick Manufacturing Group, Warwick University - May 2019
Two half-day workshops in communication skills for students and researchers.
13/19 participants rated both the course and the trainer as ‘Excellent’.
“Emily was just amazing. For the entire two hours we were all glued to her. It was by far my best workshop experience and very helpful. We need more people like Emily.”
Priya
"I really liked the training, I learnt a lot about how to communicate better and since I often feel nervous when I talk in front of people I think this training helped me how to overcome this feeling. There were lots of great practical exercises. Emily is a really enjoyable person, passionate and inspiring. I liked hearing about her personal story too, it was really motivating. The most useful thing I learnt is that ‘everyone has their own unique communication style’. Thanks a lot”
Desy Wartati
“The training had a very clear structure and useful content, and combines practice and theory, and used suitable examples that all made a lot of sense to me. Emily had full energy and confidence. I appreciate she uses some knowledge which is very useful and provides new perspectives about communication.”
Yibo Qin
“The course was insightful, engaging and practical, and Emily was cheerful, eloquent, knowledgeable and interactive”
Lloyd Mahanzu
“This was a great way to understand different techniques to improve presentations and communication. Emily was energetic, friendly and professional.”
Subin
“The course gave me opportunities to practice speaking and gain confidence. Emily was very professional and kind. She also motivated me.”
Jennifer
“Emily has excellent public speaking skills and was engaging everybody. She is absolutely the right person to lead this training.”
Loughborough University School of Science - April 2019
Two day workshop on science communication and working with the media for senior lecturers.
9/9 participants rated both the course and the trainer as ‘Excellent’.
“The course was really useful and engaging. It had a big impact on me. I feel much more confidant and equipped for presenting and being interviewed. I was nervous before the training but Emily quickly put me at ease and created a safe space for everyone. She was passionate and engaging and very knowledgeable - I can’t fault her at all. I would absolutely recommend the course and I can’t think of any improvements that could be made to it."
Nina Attridge, Lecturer, Cognitive Psychology
“The training was exhausting, informative, challenging but very useful. Emily was engaging, energetic and very patient (we were a challenging group at times).”
Kelly Morrison, Senior Lecturer, Physics
“A very useful insight into how journalists think, what they want from an interview, and how to structure a talk or interview to attract views or future invitations - all explained at a very accessible level.”
Senior Lecturer, Maths
“Emily was very professional, experienced, flexible and willing to adapt to the needs of the group. She has a great sense of humour and a strong personality – very inspiring.”
Senior Lecturer, Maths
“The course was inspiring, challenging and helpful. Emily’s combination of science communication and gender issues in STEM worked very well for me.”
Sara
“It was inspiring, exhausting and very informative. I learned so much in 2 days, and Emily as a person is inspiring. Many thanks for this excellent workshop.”
Lecturer, Psychology
“The course was a great chance to dive into things that scare me. Emily was flexible, clear and supportive.”
Lecturer
Newcastle University School of Medical Education - June 2018
Two day workshop for medical school staff: 'From Complexity to Clarity – How to Communicate Effectively About Your Work'.
“This was a terrific workshop - I am a veteran of many staff development events but Emily’s approach and her unique background gave this one something special. I was impressed by the individual attention she gives to participants and also a nice way of ‘showing her working’ - modelling different approaches and then letting the group observe the outcome; turning ‘errors’ into learning opportunities, and giving the essential ‘doing detail’ that enabled us to try ideas out for ourselves. Perhaps most of all she exudes passion and it is infectious! I very much hope we can have her back.”
Richard Thomson, Sub Dean for Staff Development, Newcastle Medical School
The Energy Research Accelerator - June 2018
Two one-day workshops for PhD students: 'How To Be a Resilient Researcher'
“Emily’s open and warm delivery style engaged the most resistant of PhD students at our recent Personal Resilience course. Giving the students lots of opportunity to put what they learned into practice was invaluable and the safe environment that Emily created enabled them to develop their confidence throughout the day. Everyone who attended this event is still talking about how brilliant it was and how much they learned. I would wholeheartedly recommend Emily as a trainer.”
Jane Spencer, Skills Officer, Energy Research Accelerator
Cardiff Doctoral Academy - June 2018
A 1-day workshop for PhD students across all fields: 'Communicating the Impact of Your Work'. 19/21 participants rated the training day as excellent.
"Absolutely recommend this training day."
"Don’t miss it! Really useful"
"Engaging, a long day and I was awake and alert to the end."
"Very useful and engaging."
"A must for anyone looking to engage people with their research."
"Super useful, interesting and challenging."
"Fantastic and empowering, bringing together skills from acting/theatre to enhance presentations."
"Excellent for confidence building for any type of communication."
"Very nice workshop, providing information and techniques on presenting your research and communicating the impact of your work."
"Great amount/quality of information, very helpful."
"Interactive and useful."
"Inspiring, extremely helpful in getting you to start thinking about the clarity and impact of your research."
"Challenging but essential training that will make you rethink what it means to communicate."
Cambridge University - February 2018
A 2-day workshop in communication and media skills for postgraduate mathematicians.
7/7 participants rated both the training course and the trainer as 'Excellent'.
"Everything I learnt in the training course was invaluable - especially the practical sessions and feedback helped me a lot. Emily has such a big amount of knowledge and experience that we can learn from, and she was able to get it across in a very cheerful, friendly and yet professional way. I enjoyed listening to her experiences. I can't think of anything that could be improved and I would definitely recommend this training to others"
Joanna Grah, postdoctoral maths student
"Emily is a very good communicator. She gave very useful feedback and was well organised."
Rob, 2nd year maths PhD student
"The training had a good setup which covered many aspects of science communication and gave me a number of exercises that I can use in future to improve my communication. Emily provided a supportive environment in which we could explore what could be improved about our communication and she was attentive."
Ferdia Sherry, 2nd year maths PhD student
"The training was well structured, it had lots of useful feedback throughout and the advice was tailored and specific. Emily was very easy to talk with, friendly and relatable and responded well to our ideas."
Sam, 2nd year maths PhD student
"Emily was very supportive and friendly and gave helpful feedback."
Andrew Celsus, 2nd year maths PhD student
"Emily was very good at steering the flow. She has lots of interesting experiences that she shared with us, and lots of energy which made it more engaging."
2nd year maths PhD student
King's Mongskut University of Technology Thonburi, Thailand - Jan 2018
A series of 2-day workshops in communication and media skills for senior science researchers, lecturers, professors and faculty deans from 15 universities across Thailand.
36/40 participants rated the training course as 'Excellent'. 39/40 participants rated the trainer as 'Excellent'.
“Emily is the perfect person to do this workshop, not only because of her expertise, but also her personality and kind manner. She is such a great teacher! I would absolutely recommend this workshop."
Tom, Assistant Professor, Chemistry Department, Chiang Mai University
"It’s been a fantastic moment to discover the potential of myself again. I really appreciated the energy Emily gave us, to motivate us, and to discover our potential. It’s been a long time since I felt this good about myself - I’m feeling more confident now. Thank you so much. I would absolutely recommend this workshop."
Dr Napassorn Punyasuk, Lecturer, Faculty of Science, Mahidol University
"It was a great way to learn how to communicate effectively. Emily is a really fantastic trainer! The workshop was super fun and exciting and I would recommend it."
Thiradet, Dean of the Faculty of Science, KMUTT
"Good and clear content. Emily has a really good personality, cheerful and always positive, and she is a good example of being a good science educator. Absolutely yes I’d recommend it!"
Chaninan Pruekpramool, Assistant Professor, Srinakharinwirot University
"It was perfect"
Poom Kumam, Professor / Associate Dean for Research and Networking, KMUTT
"Everything about the training was very useful, from body language, story telling, being interviewed and talking in public. Emily was professional. It was a friendly atmosphere and there were fruitful activities."
Kannika Sahakaro, Vice Dean, Prince of Sangkla University
"Everyone had a chance to present and gain comments. Emily made great comments and noticed everything. I learnt how to be a good science communicator."
Korn, Faculty member, Srinakharinwirot University
"Emily is the best. Very useful content and joyful environment."
Nan, Lecturer and Researcher, MFU
"The training was very entertaining and informative. Emily is the best in this area, full of useful experience, and she kept me engaged during the whole workshop. Everything was perfect. I would absolutely 100% recommend this workshop, we need to have more of them!"
Chompoonoot Nanthamathee, Lecturer in Chemistry, Walailak University
"It was a very interactive workshop in which we learnt by doing. Emily has a lot of experience in this area and so can give us many useful and valuable comments."
Jutstip Boonsombat, Researcher, Chulabhorn Research Institute
"It was a great workshop, I loved it. Everyone got real-time experiences and learned from practicing in different situations. All the comments helped me a lot to improve my skills. Emily is nice, friendly and generous. There is no strict or serious atmosphere around her. She makes good suggestions and supports participants not to be afraid to talk in public."
Fern, Academic staff, Institute for Promotion of Teaching Science and Technology
"Emily has an excellent technique and arranged good activities. It was an excellent opportunity to learn about science communication."
Tongari Jammongkan, Lecturer, Kas University.
"It was brilliant, I learnt so many communication techniques to make science topics more interesting, and how to make myself relax. Emily is an amazing personality. This is truly an expert in this field."
Sirikoy Chutataweesawas, Instructor, KMUTT
"She is professional. The knowledge transfer is very clear with excellent examples. I leant a lot of things that are useful to my work."
Anukul Buranapratheprat, Lecturer, Faculty of Science, Burapha University
"Emily was very professional and very relaxed when training. That made me feel confident to do everything. Her feedback and tips were excellent and useful and I had a good chance to improve. I told my boss I was lucky to be here!"
Jirawat Dumkeaw, Academic Staff, IPST
"It was very good training. Emily is an excellent trainer, made us feel comfortable and pulled out our ability to communicate. I learnt how to deliver science in a simple way."
Anne, Lecturer, Barapha University
"Emily always provides positive feedback and encourages participants. This is good! It was an energetic atmosphere and a well-organised programme which allowed all participants to present their work and suggest which points they should improve."
Lecturer KMUTT
"I think this training course is fundamental for researchers. Everything was clearly explained, there was a lot of useful information, and the activities made me feel relaxed and comfortable. I learnt how to communicate effectively."
Thidarat Bunsri, Lecturer, KMUTT
"The training was fun and provided the comfortable environment to talk and share opinions. Emily was energetic and inspiring."
Nuttapong Netjinda, Researcher, KMUTT
"This training was very useful. Dr Emily is excellent and so skilful, and what she gave us is from her true experience. She was much appreciated."
Ant, Lecturer, KMUTT
"The training was interesting and useful for my work and I learnt many tips and tricks throughout. Emily had a positive energy, was very encouraging, and made everyone feel comfortable. I love how she gave encouraging critiques and comments throughout the training that were very supportive and helpful."
Tassaneewan, Lecturer, KMUTT / Biological Engineering
"Emily was energetic and supportive, encouraging and very experienced. She gave us lots of tips and techniques, and good examples. I will of course recommend this training, it will be useful for lots of professors in the university!"
Lecturer, KMUTT
"Emily is inspiring. She had the ability to make us feel safe while providing lots of practical tips. I learnt to be brave, to step outside my comfort zone and to go out and communicate. I would recommend the training 100%. I loved it!"
Pimonrat Tainsawat, Lecturer, Chiang Mai University
"The training was clear and very supportive and I felt very well taken care of. There was a lot of content and hands-on experience over the two days and it was amazing how we did not feel rushed but actually wanted more. Emily’s instructions were clear and always constructive and I always wanted to hear more from her. It was also inspiring to hear her personal story at the beginning of the workshop, putting life in perspective and seeing Emily as a human even though she is very professional and in-demand. I would definitely recommend it."
Koi, Lecturer and Researcher, Khon Kaen University
"The training was perfect. Emily - I loved every comment, every advice, your style, your smile and your positive energy."
Sutsawat Duangsrisai, Lecturer, Kasetsart University
"The workshop had such a great energy and Emily provided such helpful feedback for each individual. She had a great teaching method. The structure of the training programme was very good - each part seemed to build up from the previous parts. Thank you so much, the training was useful for all aspects of my work."
Deputy Director of L1, KMUTT
"This an excellent course from a much experienced person. Emily had loads of experience and was supportive in helping people improve their communication skills. Yes, indeed I would recommend it!"
Wutthikrai Busayaporn, Scientist, Synchrotron Light Research Institute
"The course gave us a lot of practical tips and techniques and we got to apply them to our activities right away, but most importantly it gave us the confidence to step out of our comfort zone and be a better version of ourselves. Emily is awesome. She’s very enthusiastic, patient, and very thorough in observing and giving the right comments to us - they are all straight to the point for us to improve."
May, Lecturer, Khon Kgen University
"Everything was perfect."
Jutharath, Head of Department of Statistics, Ramkhambaeng University
The Royal Society of Biology - April 2017 and Nov 2016
Two one-day science communication workshops for researchers.
“Emily was a pleasure to work with and was a clear and enthusiastic trainer. She is clearly very passionate about the topic of science communication; something which was reflected in the feedback which we received from her course. Attendees described her as open, warm and approachable and her training as very interesting and engaging, with total involvement of participants.”
Fiona Smith, Training Officer, The Royal Society of Biology,
"Emily is so inspiring and really took her time giving everyone individual feedback"
"The trainer was exceptionally good. Very engaging and gave great feedback. She made the whole experience outstanding"
“Brilliant course, I learnt a lot. Emily is so inspiring and really took her time giving everyone amazing individual feedback”
“Great course; a nice change from other scientific courses on presentation as it was much more interactive. Fantastic trainer – she gave great examples and was a clear expert in the area”
“Useful and engaging throughout, excellent level of interaction”
“Great workshop, I learnt so much. The trainer was exceptionally good. Very encouraging and gave great feedback. She made the whole experience outstanding”
“An entertaining, energetic and positive experience. Very good trainer – energizing and thoughtful”
“Very good course, and very good and enthusiastic trainer. She knew the course content very well and was very engaging”
“Very friendly and constructive. I liked the group feedback. Great trainer. For me, the right balance of theory and practical exercises. I appreciated all the constructive criticism.”
“Really good trainer and very useful exercises. Very constructive comments and great tips”
“Activities were very good to bring the participants out of their comfort zone”
“Really practical course, so many useful and brilliant tips. Lovely trainer, so passionate about her subject and above all completely normal and very approachable!”
“Extremely helpful course. Good and interactive. A really enjoyable day. Emily is very open and easy to communicate with and has great skills to share.”
“Loved it – wonderful way to become comfortable with trying out story-telling techniques and to learn what is involved in science communication. Emily was very warm and reassuring and gave great feedback”
“Good content and mix of activities and exercises. Emily has a fantastic personality and way of training”
“Excellent content and very well run. Emily made the course very interesting and engaging. It will be very useful in my future work”
“The course is excellent and the trainer is a good teacher”
“Fun, engaging, very positive and inspirational. Emily was bloomin’ brilliant!!”
“A stimulating course. Emily has an easy presentation manner and there was total involvement of participants”
Training Day Participants, The Royal Society of Biology
The University of East Anglia - June 2017
Half-day communication skills workshop for undergraduates, post-graduates, senior research associates and lecturers.
15/17 participants rated the training course as 'Excellent'. 17/17 participants rated the trainer as 'Excellent'.
"Excellent training course and trainer. I particularly enjoyed the general atmosphere - friendly, encouraging but informative"
Kelly Edmunds, Lecturer, University of East Anglia
"The training had great delivery, structure and exercises"
Jen Smart, Principle Conservation Scientist, RSPB and University of East Anglia
"I found this excellent session really inspiring and it has given me lots of ideas to use when I "talk" my next talk. Emily was a fantastic speaker, gave clear advice, and ran well thought-out exercises"
Julie Eldred, Senior Research Associate, University of East Anglia
"Emily was a very energetic and enthusiastic trainer, and the course had very useful info for future communications and talks. Thank you!"
Research Associate, University of East Anglia,
"It was very nice to push myself in different directions and to develop new processes for preparing talks. Emily was an excellent trainer, and a good example of practice what you preach!"
Postdoctoral student, University of East Anglia
“Superb, inspiring, motivational and emotional – in a good way! Emily is an absolute inspiration!”
Lisa Stephenson, PhD student, University of East Anglia
“Really informative workshop - definitely gave different approaches to consider when giving talks and communicating in general. Emily was very clear and engaging. It was a really enjoyable experience, and great to see a female scientist doing so well and inspiring young people and researchers.”
"Really engaging, well-paced and informative workshop, with really useful exercises"
"Really interesting and exciting workshop, and Emily was inspiring"
PhD students, University of East Anglia
Sheffield University (AQMeN)- Feb 2017
Two 2-day courses in communication and media skills for social scientists.
"Probably one of the best communication skills workshops I have attended.”
“Emily was a great trainer, bringing a fun, focused and friendly tone to the two days. Her expertise and experience were really useful to draw from and the public speaking 'toolkit' is going to be something that I carry with me at all times from now on!”
“I think the course was very useful to me as a researcher and also as a teacher. Being only one of six meant that we all got a lot of focus and investment and that was a real treat - and it is in stark contrast to the sink or swim reality of public speaking or lecturing that I have otherwise encountered. It is not often that we get the opportunity to experiment, practice, explore and play when it comes to developing our skills as communicators and this course was a really safe and friendly place to do those things.”
Social Scientists and Researchers
Evidera Biopharmaceuticals Research Company - July 2016
Communication skills online training course for a small group of international scientists working in industry, consisting of three 2-hour group Skype sessions over a one-month period, followed by a half-hour individual feedback session for each participant.
"I found the communication skills training sessions so useful! Learning new things and underlining the importance of others. Above all I found the content really made us re-evaluate how we communicate as scientists and made me think about how I structure and deliver communications. I was very pleased with the result and how it has improved my communication style. Dr Emily Grossman delivered the training in a manner, which was engaging, interactive, positive and enjoyable. Can thoroughly recommend”
Dr Andrew Cox, Research Scientist; Evidera Biopharmaceutical Research Company
“As a facilitator, Dr. Grossman engaged with the group very well and prompted group interaction throughout the workshop which was very important to our learning experience. I also appreciated her willingness and ability to customize the workshop to our specific needs.”
Foster Rockwell, CPLP, Director of Learning & Development; Evidera Biopharmaceutical Company
Lancaster University - March 2016
A 2-hour science communication lecture and workshop for postgraduate mathematicians and statisticians.
"Emily gave a really inspiring science communication session to our postgraduate maths students. These students didn’t self-select to attend the session, and are often a little reticent about public speaking, so it was exciting to see them open up and begin to appreciate the importance of engagement. The part of the session on story-telling was particularly illuminating for all of us: it helped to generate stories to capture the attention of other researchers, as well as deconstructing which aspects of a story are most engaging for communication generally.”
David Leslie, Professor of Statistics, Lancaster University
“I really enjoyed the interactive bit where we were actually practising communicating our research and found it to be really helpful.”
Schools Science Communication Masterclass in Qatar, for Teenagers - Jan 2016
A 2-day communication skills workshop for teenagers.
"The training was perfect, and it was useful”
“Best training ever. I hope Dr Emily and I cross paths again”
“The trainer was very energetic and supportive. I learnt a lot by being a member of this masterclass. I would absolutely do it all over again!”
“The masterclass was highly beneficial and entertaining to me. I learnt a lot like how to control my fast movements and bring them down. Impressive Emily, I enjoyed every little word you said.”
Workshop Participants aged 16-18
Southampton University - Oct 2015
A half-day science communication course for undergraduates and post-graduate biologists.
"I’ve had nothing but positive feedback from all those who participated in the workshop and there’s been a lot of interest in us doing another one in the future, so it seems it was a great success!”
Dr Judith Lock, Programme Manager, Centre for Biological Sciences, Southampton University
“I found the workshop on science communication this morning inspirational.”
Business Consultancy and Support with Branding and Messaging
Aspergillosis Trust Patient Advocacy Group - May 2018
Branding and communications consultancy.
"Emily helped us greatly to get our message across in a clear, powerful, concise way for a written charity partnership application."
New Israel Fund - Feb 2017
A half-day group workshop and brainstorming session to help the organisation gain clarity regarding branding and messaging.
"Emily came to our organisation to help us to crystallise our top line messaging and ensure our language was clear and accessible. She helped us focus from the off by asking the right questions and through taking my team through a structured process which brought us all to the desired outcome. In short, she helped bring clarity where before there was cloudiness”
Adam Ognall, Director, New Israel Fund
One-to-One Communication Skills Coaching
“Emily, I don’t know how you do it, but you are so good at what you do. I just wanted to let you know that the talk I was so nervous about went really well and I really appreciate all of your help - I couldn’t have done it without you. Your advice was so helpful - I really felt it helped me do a much better job and I would have no hesitation in recommending you to colleagues.”
Sinead Langan, Lecturer, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, June 2018
"Emily is professional, knowledgeable and intuitive. She has energy, determination and drive and is completely focussed on achieving positive outcomes. Emily is a great mentor and coach; she has an intuitive understanding of personal challenges and inhibitions and can easily help identify root cause. Through sharing her experiences and knowledge, Emily was able to guide me in my communication skills and interview technique, using an approach and techniques that were reassuring and helped me to reinstate self-confidence.”
Nadira Hussein, Service Head ICT, London Borough of Enfield, Feb 2017
Masterclass Leader For FameLab International Science Communication Competition
“FameLab is designed to encourage young scientists all over the world to engage with the general public. Dr Emily Grossman joined our team as a masterclass trainer in 2014 and has been an invaluable asset. She is an inspiring character, with infectious enthusiasm. She is a notable encourager of young women, for whom she is an excellent role model.”
Malcolm Love, Senior Trainer for the FameLab International Science Communication Competition, Jan 2016
“Emily recently joined the FameLab programme as a recognised expert in science communication. FameLab identifies, trains and mentors the next generation of science communicators, providing researchers with the capacity to engage public and peer audiences with their work. To date, Emily has delivered science communication masterclasses in Malaysia, where the programme launched for the first time this year, Hong Kong, Spain and South Africa. The vast majority of participants are early-career scientists and undergraduates, and the feedback that Emily has received has been uniformly excellent. I can think of no better testimonial than including one example of that feedback here:
“A gathering of all the best young scientific communicators from around South Africa for a two day science communication masterclass with the fantastic Dr Emily Grossman became a sort of emotional boot camp. Each person was exalted for their unique speaking style and talents and was introduced to their challenges - a very vulnerable spotlight indeed…I feel that this experience gave each person opportunities that were unique to their personal growth…I hope to do much more with any or all of them in the future and will continue searching for opportunities in scientific communication.”
Stevie Biffen, Neuroscience Masters Student, University of Cape Town, April 2015
Similarly, Emily’s work has inspired the FameLab Malaysia participants, all of whom all rated Emily’s FameLab science communication masterclass as excellent (“Dr Emily is great” “Bring Emily back”). It is my hope that Emily remains with the FameLab programme and I am certain that she will continue to encourage young scientists to become aspirational role models to their peers, the public and to schools.”
Dr Tim Slingsby, Public Engagement in Science Advisor, British Council UK, July 2015
FameLab Cyprus - May 2018
7/10 rated both course and trainer as 'Excellent'.
“It was a refreshing and enlightening workshop. Miss Emily is the perfect role-model that every scientist who’s ambitious for becoming a great science communicator needs. She’s so gifted, so helpful, and she is able to recognise the needs of her students. She’s simply amazing and i feel so blessed working with her! I learnt that authenticity is what makes a science communicator shine! I would absolutely recommend this training without a second thought.”
“Emily was friendly, approachable, a good listener, helpful and a good adviser.”
“It was an absolutely fantastic experience that I have been lucky to take part in. It was such a fresh, energetic environment. Emily was so supportive, energetic and inspiring, and she was always smiling. I have already advised all my friends to go for it!”
Lama Sawas, EMU
“Emily was friendly and very good at criticising constructively.”
Katie Demetriou, researcher at KPO and teacher at The English School Cyprus
“The training was informative, fun and engaging and Emily created a very safe and supportive environment for is to be ourselves.”
Halin, PhD student, Gitre America University
FameLab Brazil - May 2018
Science communication training for PhD students, post doctoral researchers, lecturers and professors from universities and research institutes across Brazil. 26/26 rated both course and trainer as 'Excellent'.
“Emily I wanna thank you sooooooooooooooo much for every little word/silence/smile/... every little everything you've done for everyone this week, specially for me! I'm living the best experience in my life, and that is because of you and your time with us this week! So.. thank you very much again, you are really an inspiration, REALLY!!”
“Emily was amazing. She could get my attention all the time, even after lunch which is very difficult for me! She is clear, respectful and she really can make every topic very interesting.”
Guilherme Telles, winner of FameLab Brazil 2018
“Thank you Emily. ALL of us loved to have you as our teacher. Thank you.”
Tulio Goes
"Emily has such an amazing energy! She can get everyone to gladly step out of their comfort zone during training. She is really great. Funny, smart, courageous. She smiled a lot and was very clear. She is super engaging, open and she knows how to relate to the audience and get their attention.”
Marcela Fernandes de Souza
“Hey, Emily! It was amazing having this privilege of being trained by you! Thank you so much for inspiring us with your story and your Brazilian British way of being!! It was incredible!!! The training was hugely engaging and inspiring. You shared the content of the training very effectively and it was very easy to learn from you.”
Danilo Micali
"Emily was excellent and the training was full of energy. She injected tons of motivation into us. The most fantastic thing about this competition is the possibility to meet people like you, Emily. You are 10,000 women in only one!”
Raquel
“Emily, not only your eyes shine, you shine!! Thank you very, very, very much for sharing your soul with us! And for showing me that I’m not alone in the world. I loved to hear about your passion and your brilliant work. You had an awesome way to teach how to explain difficult things with easy words.”
Isabela Ramos
“Emily you are an amazing person. I loved the moments I had during FameLab. But what I really wanted to say is thank you. In your introductory talk you described my fears. That feeling that at some moment someone will find out that I know nothing, that I am not good. You showed me that I am not alone and that these fears don’t need to be true. Your sentences “say yes, panic later” and “you already know enough” are very powerful and meaningful to me. I wish I had the opportunity to have more classes with you. Again, thank you for everything, for giving me hope and for showing that we are capable. And surely I’ll tattoo “say yes panic later”!”
“It was just wonderful. I’ll carry this class for the rest of my life. Emily was more than perfect. I loved everything about her. Thank you!”
Anna Bonassa
“Emily you're amazing! I'm really glad to met you personally! I'm certain that you inspired us all to do our roles as scientists, citizens and communicators! In her training Emily covered all aspects of how to communicate appropriately, and how to connect and engage the audience. The training was fluid and dynamic and we were able to clearly understand our role in science communication.”
Romulo Leao
“Emily I'm really grateful for what you have done for us! You improved my self confidence. And added life another meaning!! Thank you very much! You have became a role model!! Inspiring everyone around. Spreading love and science!!”
Taris Maria
“Emily is a REALLLYY good and distinct professional. She is very passionate about her work and she is really good at it so she has inspired us a lot and I am certainly not the same after her training. I have changed my own perspective of making science and I feel more responsible for my research and its consequences. As a woman and a scientist, I feel more empowered!”
Camilla Oliveira
“It was full of energy and enlightening. I feel Emily comes out immediately as a positive role model. She shows she loves what she does and certainly inspires listeners. I loved hearing about her experiences during her education and how it shaped her into this unique person who makes a bridge between sensitivity / creativity and formal science.”
Priscilla Silva
“Hi Emily, I just want to say thank you. This week was so amazing. On the first day of your training you asked me about my expectations on FameLab. Do you remember the answer? "I love neuroscience and I want to improve my ability to express it." Well, I feel that this goal has been achieved. I'm grateful for your help and the opportunity to meet you.“
Raimundo Junior
“Emily is very experienced and trained and she has strategies to help scientists to improve their communication abilities. I loved her energy and her way of training us. She was well prepared all the tips and encouragement were great. I really enjoyed the experience."
"Emily, thank you a bunch for all your support, energy, positivism, and training. You’re such an amazing person and I was inspired by your words and actions. This transforming experience will help us grow and inspire other people with charisma. Now I wanna fly higher and higher because you’ve inspired me to do better!”
Renata Belisario
“I have nothing but praise about the masterclass presented by Dr. Emily. She is an incredibly talented speaker with work experience to back it up. This is important because it shows one can earn a living as a science communicator, a job that doesn't really exist in Brazil. Getting to know her experience broadened my vision on how I can trail blaze this kind of career. The class touched on very relevant topics such as body language, storytelling and general presentation techniques. I was already mildly familiar with these topics, enough to realise that she knew what she was talking about; but Dr Emily went a lot more in depth than I ever had previously. All in all, it was an amazing formative experience that gave me both the confidence and the toolkit to improve as a science communicator. Dr Emily is an incredible teacher and an amazing person, and I believe anyone who is seriously considering pursuing science communication as a career needs to undergo this course ASAP."
"Emily is ridiculously charismatic and very knowledgeable about the subject. I believe her hints will be invaluable moving forwards. Thanks, Emily! You've been an amazing teacher. You're incredible, I learned so much. Will definitely improve my career."
Lucas Rosa
“Dr Emily is an inspiring communicator and effectively induced an energy resonance of her passion for science with us. It was an amazing experience.”
Joa Victor C. Costa
“It’s been a wonderful opportunity to take this class. I’m leaving feeling more secure regarding my capacity to communicate science with passion. Thank you very much! Emily is very clear and inspiring. The class reinforced my own value and made me realise that the only thing I have to do to give a successful talk is to say yes to myself and the situation.”
Agatha Ribeiro
“This workshop is great and powerful for everyone who loves science. Emily is very passionate and enthusiastic and the really transmitted what she planned to. Congratulations on a really amazing training.”
Professor Breno Salgado
“The training was great with a lot of inspiring moments. Emily is just awesome!”
Professor Helio
"Thank you a lot for all your sharing of experience! Such a Wonder Woman!! I’m in love with scientific communication! Thank you a lot for teaching me so much! Grateful!!!"
Flavia
“It was so creative and fun. I learned a lot and I want to use this new information as fast as I can. It will be really useful. Emily has a good energy and a lot of experience. It was really fun to watch and learn with her and to practice the skills.”
“Emily! You are a REALLLLYY good and distinct professional. You have inspired us a lot. I am not the same after your class”
“I’d absolutely recommend this training. I wish all my lab peers could have it.”
FameLab Australia - May 2017
“This 2-day comprehensive course on communication was fantastic. I really enjoyed it. Emily did an excellent job.”
Ronald Yu, Postdoctoral Fellow, CSIRO Agriculture and Food
“Excellent training and trainer. I loved the exercises and everything about the masterclass; very interactive and Emily provided a super supportive, safe and fun environment for learning! She was a fantastic trainer who really helped guide all of us to improve and better our science communication skills. Even though I’ve had substantial sci-comms training and presenting experience, I still got a lot out of her training. The group constructive critiquing was invaluable, and the 1-min ‘on-the-spot’ talking about a research project task was mind-blowingly awesome - I’m stealing that for future professional advancement sessions I’m organizing! I definitely would recommend this training for any scientist, from graduate student to seasoned professor, there is something to gain and you will come out the other end a better science communicator!”
Ken Dutton-Regester, Research Officer, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute
“Emily was fantastic. Very knowledgeable, hugely inspiring and attentive. I can’t praise her highly enough. The training was so inspiring and motivational – it totally opened my eyes to a new way of talking science. I loved it, such high quality, thank you! I have nothing negative to say, I wanted more, and I would recommend it to everyone in science.”
Nural Cokcetin, Postdoc, University of Technology Sydney
Winner of FameLab Australia 2017 and runner-up in the FameLab International Final in the UK
“I love Emily. She is so inspiring and I learnt so much from her. She made all of the possibly intimidating and scary experiences of communication so much easier. I learnt how to give and receive constructive criticism, how to identify my own “ticks” in terms of body language and delivery, how to believe in myself as a communicator, and that it’s worth taking risks”
Tahlia Perry, PhD student, University of Adelaide
“Enlightening training. Emily was approachable, relatable and inspiring. I really enjoyed it. At times I felt so out of my comfort zone but that was the best part. Six months later when I was asked to work on a science TV programme for ABC Science I hesitated, and started questioning my own ability. And then I remembered what Emily told us - "Say yes, panic later". So I did just that. I cannot thank her enough!"
Naomi Koh Belic, PhD student and Science Communicator, University of Technology Sydney
“This training, while group focused, still managed to be very personal and allowed for a lot of self-growth. Emily was bubbly and informative and she pushed us beyond our comfort zone and taught us how to give and receive feedback – an essential tool. It made me more excited about becoming more active in science communication. I would recommend it 100%.”
Maria Nafya, PhD student, James Cook University
“The training was pitched at just the right level. Emily was really great. Enthusiastic and knowledgeable”
PhD student
“Excellent training. Emily was informative and inspirational. Her experience and her ability to analyse weaknesses and strengths was really helpful.”
Chaminda Ranasinghe, PhD student, ECU
“The training was very informative and engaged all participants with each other. Emily was very energetic and enthusiastic. She has experience in science research as well as science communication and was happy to share her own experiences (good and bad) with us. I particularly enjoyed the body language and storytelling sessions. I would absolutely recommend the training to others.”
Vini Gautam
“Emily was brilliant! Engaging, funny, supportive and inspiring. The training was great! Really practical. I loved the constant feedback we got from Emily and all the other participants. It was amazing to watch us all improve over the two days - there was a huge difference. Thank you so much, it was an incredible 1.5 days and I learnt so much and grew more confident in my own abilities. Probably the best thing I learnt was to be yourself – not to try to copy anyone’s style, but to develop yourself as a communicator.”
Bronwyn Ayre, PhD student, University of Western Australia
FameLab Romania - May 2016
“Many thanks Emily, from me and my colleagues involved in organising the visit, for the great job you did in training our FameLab finalists and delivering one of the funniest science talks that’s been given in Bucharest ever. All the participants who took part in the Masterclass were superlative with respect to everything you’ve done there. Believe me or not but when asked to make any suggestions as to how we could improve similar activities in the future almost everyone in the training said everything was perfect. Here’s a quote:
"The way it was, was more then I expected and as it is said, it is always way to improve things, but in my opinion it was the best training that I took part in."
I myself very much enjoyed the trainer style, the curriculum, and the energy as well. This is why I’m also very pleased to share the extracts below from the excellent feedback forms from our finalists:
"I really liked being taught by Emily Grossman. She has so many useful tricks and amazing experiences to share! What I most liked about her was her encouraging nature: she would never criticise us, but she were always ready to give us her pieces of advice."
"It was incredibly useful to get genuine feedback and to be shown how small details can make huge differences. Amazing energy, great teaching techniques, very constructive feedback, inspiring and supportive"
"The training was great and by using her exceptional communication, Dr. Emily Grossman was able to give us valuable insights into the world of talking science."
"It was a very good training and personally I don't think there is anything that could have been done differently. She had a very strong knowledge about how to present something in an interesting and appealing manner, not only for people who might be actually in the field of expertise but also for the general public.”
"Really energetic, charismatic, fun, warm and I found her advice so helpful. I think that from the first moment she said hello to us it was the start of a very productive and enjoyable collaboration.”
"She was energetic, lovable. She gave specific tips and tricks. She has listened to everybody and made individual adjustments – that’s something I couldn’t find in any book or communication skills presentation and made the experience so valuable.”
"Personally, I think that there was the perfect way in which I could learn how to communicate better.”
"Question - Do you have any suggestions as to how we could improve similar activities in the future? Answer - No. It was more than perfect.”
"She was great and crazy (in a good way), very natural and friendly :)”
"This was by far the best social-interactive-useful-fun workshop that I’ve ever had. Dr. Emily Grossman is the most inspiring person that I have ever met to this moment. She made me listen to everything she told us, as I tried my best to memorize as much as I could. It was impossible to be bored or to not pay attention when she was speaking. In the same time, she was objective and kindly told each and every one of us what we could do to improve our performance.”
Gabriel Ivan, Education and Science Projects Manager, British Council Romania
FameLab Greece - March 2016
“Emily is the best! Top trainer! I loved every part of the masterclass! I liked most the energy of the team, the context and the exercises.”
“Emily was great, she had lots of positive energy and passion for what she did, which she constantly transmitted to us. She was also a great teacher and instructor, as she gave us the chance to learn from our own mistakes and by correcting the mistakes of others. I liked that we had the chance to receive lots of feedback both from Emily and the other participants.”
“Emily is the best. I feel very lucky that I cooperate with a person that really loves her job. She was very energetic and specific of what she told us. She made me feel important, comfortable, and capable and the most important she made me better than I was. I liked most that there was no competition and all competitors were a team helping each other.”
“Dear Dr Emily Grossman, I now feel capable to talk to any person and something I learnt today is to be prepared for the unexpected (like interviewer's questions).
My favorite comment you gave me is this:
''Polixeni, do you know what I liked most? Your big smile at the end of your speech. Keep doing it at the beginning and in the middle''
Now my turn!
''Emily, do you know what I liked most? That over these two days I collaborated with a person who really loves their job. It is amazing that even thought you were tired, you had a big smile on your face and you were so energetic the whole time. This is fantastic."
Once again, thank you for the great conversations we had and for the useful pieces of information you gave us the last two days. It was an amazing experience for me. I feel very lucky that I met you and I hope I will see you again one day. I wish you luck. With love and respect”
Polixeni Spiliopoulou, PhD student, Greece
“Dr Emily, I write to thank you for all the knowledge you provided me with. Having won the finals of the Famelab Greece competition I believe its for the biggest part because of what you taught us in the masterclass... the storytelling, the tension-building pauses, the emphasizing words. Especially since I used the same topic with the preliminary round I can see the changes much more defined! So again I would like to thank you. Please keep enlightening potential science communicators.”
Leandros Lamnis, PhD student, Greece
“Hi Emily, I would really like to tell you how much I enjoyed this masterclass and that I’m looking forward to take all this knowledge and apply it not only in engaging the public audience but also in what we call “hardcore science”! In the lab meetings, conferences, presentations, academic lectures … use the eye contact, plan my stories with a nice flow, move my body in a way I welcome people and not push them to take their smartphones out … and when I came back from the masterclass I really told all my friends, working in science or studying, what I learned from you! Enough is enough with lectures nobody can follow and presentations we’re sleeping through! It’s time for us scientists to show in our communication the passion that we feel when we’re doing research! And I want you to now that I think what you’re doing is a step to change the world! We can work in the labs for ages, but if we don’t take this knowledge out of here it’s not gonna change anything in a big scale and at the end it will die with us! I wish you all the best, keep talking to people, keep changing people, keep inspiring people. Good luck and success with whatever you do!“
Leonidas Faliagkas, postdoc researcher, Greece
FameLab Vietnam - March 2016 and April 2017
“Two amazing teachers, Ms. Emily and Sadie brought the most impressive and profound lessons to help us overcome ourselves to become stronger and more mature and we came to the class each day with momentum, self-confidence and self-improvement. Four days closed but at the same time opened a new chapter for further development as FameLab would never stop as just a competition but an opportunity where we realised that we needed to always be modest, continue learning, try our best and discover ourselves and where we had a close FameLab family.”
“Dr Emily is really great! She has shown us and encouraged us to overcome our comfort zone and make more effort in the future!”
“Dr Emily is very friendly, kind and funny. She cares a lot about us, teaches us so clearly and is simple to understand. And the most important thing was her feedback on our presentation, it was useful and helpful.”
“Dr Emily is an amazing science communicator with a lot of experience and knowledge, and tons of contagious happy cheerful energy every single minute.”
“Trainer is friendly, knowledgeable, enthusiastic and supportive”
“Emily is amazing! My friends and I have the same feeling: she is enthusiastic, friendly, totally different from what I imagine and above expectations.”
“Dr Emily was wonderful”
“Emily was always great! She inspired me a lot. She gave me many helpful advice and feedbacks, and supported me a lot. I really appreciate what she imparted to me. And hope that I could see her soon.”
“I can feel the passion in the lesson of Dr Emily. What I love most is that she truly cared whether we got the point or not.”
“Dr Emily is enthusiastic, funny, powerful, comfortable, gentle, kind and professional”
“Trainer was very enthusiastic, and had an understandable delivery”
“Dr Emily was extremely enthusiastic and caring, gave out many contributing feedback and delivered useful knowledge”
“Dr Emily is professional, supportive, and full of energy”
“Very enthusiastic. Fantastic!”
“The trainer is professional and experienced”
FameLab Estonia - August 2016
“An excellent masterclass. I loved the group work, the partner work, and the practice parts. Excellent trainer; professional, relatable and approachable.”
“It was really great. Trainer was very professional and funny. I loved the feedback, it was super useful.”
“Excellent masterclass with a lot of very useful information. Excellent trainer, really enthusiastic and passionate about what she is doing. I learned a lot from her. I would definitely recommend the masterclass to others.”
“It was an excellent learning opportunity, a lot of feedback and useful input both from the trainer and from the group. The trainer was excellent; very friendly and approachable, she didn’t let anyone feel awkward or out of place. I would absolutely recommend it to others.”
“Excellent workshop with lots of practice and feedback. Excellent trainer and role model as a good communicator. I gained insight into how to become a really good communicator.”
“An excellent course. Useful, informative, fun and time-effective. An excellent trainer, Emily communicated well and directly. I most enjoyed the feedback given, both to myself and to others.”
“Excellent. Perfect topics. Using 4 simple exercises, and with almost no slides, we covered so much important material. Putting it all together we have the tools to become good speakers. The trainer was excellent. She used good examples, and had a way to illustrate concepts in simple and understandable ways. Passionate, open and relatable, she showed us how the theory can be put into practice with her movements, eye contact etc. I most enjoyed that we learnt from the process itself, it was not theory and practice separately. I would recommend it any time.”
“It was excellent. There were lots of opportunities to practice, with honest feedback from the instructor and peers. There was a lot of new information that will help me to improve. Excellent trainer. Energetic, brought a lot of positive energy. She is a great example of an exceptional presenter. Very motivating. She gave great tips and detailed observations and feedback. I liked the fact that it was more of a seminar than a lecture and that all the participants contributed to the discussion.”
“There was much good information. Best thing was that we were able to practice how to speak in front of an audience. We got criticism, but the good kind. We got to learn from our mistakes and even other people’s mistakes. The trainer was excellent. She was really experienced in this field, so it is good to learn from someone who does it on an everyday basis, someone who has learned to do it in her own way and is really passionate about it. If there is no passion, it is not the same.”
“I like that Emily emphasized and showed that we as FameLab finalists are not competitors, but supporters of each other. And that this masterclass was not just for the competition but also for our whole life.”
FameLab Thailand - March 2016 and April 2017
"Hello Dr.Emily,
I'm the guy who used to feel shy about public speaking and rarely smile.
I’m not very good at using words to express my emotions and what I'm feeling, but in this message you should imagine me speaking it in front of you, and plus those emotions like 50% more, for every word.
Yesterday, it was the final round of FameLab Thailand and I want you to know that I used some of your techniques about building the script and how to manage myself to speak fluently without stress in front of so many people and a live broadcast. In my opinion, it resulted in the perfect way, and I'm very impressed by what I've done on that stage - both my performance and the way I shared the concepts of science with the audience.
Before going on stage, I stretched my body and took a deep breath, which made me feel so confident and relaxed. I didn't feel any nerves before speaking. It was an incredible experience and an unbelievable moment for me since I’ve never felt so calm, confident and relaxed like this before. I used to build the script by the writing method, but this time I built it by speaking it first and then adjusting the words that fit to my own style. On stage I felt that I was walking on the long wooden bridge (the analogy that you've told in the class) like in the past, but this time, I could watch the mountain, the sky, the Sun, the grass on the ground and even the river under the bridge. I remembered all the details while speaking. It was exactly the performance that I had wanted it to be, in my imagination. Also the way I answered questions from the judges, even though I didn't understand the question precisely (my bad), but I did control most of the conversation by myself, not the judges.
To emphasize how much what you did for us has changed me, several years ago I was silent on stage in front of about 300 people for like 20 seconds – it was such a bad moment for me. After that, in the regional round of FameLab Thailand 2017, I was shocked and I panicked, again, for 36 seconds, which was so terrible. But now, I understand the phrase you taught us - "Feel the fear, and do it anyway".
This time, in the final, even though I didn't end up with any reward or trophy, I didn't feel like a loser. Despite, I think I was the winner, for conquering my own fear.
Thank you so much Emily, I don't know the word that could say more thanks than "Thank you", but thank you for changing my life. I'm not sure if I will continue in the academic career or not. But I will certainly apply what I've learned to everything I'm going to do. Please keep up your good work to inspire more people, to make them feel more confident in themselves, like you've done to me.
Wish you all the best, Jai"
Nutt "Jai" Vorapattanapaibul, Masters student in Mechanical Engineering, KMUTT
“With the training, I learnt a lot of practical tips for presentation. Thank you for the training, Emily! It was such a precious experience for me.”
“It was very helpful. Emily was passionate and very efficient in leading the discussion. She elaborated every bits of the training so there was nothing that made me difficult to follow.”
“Very helpful. Excellent training. Training was done in many ways from physical activities to mental reinforcement.”
“We can get a very nice and exact feedback. This was very helpful. She was so passionate person to give feedback to all”
“Awesome training, expert trainer, fascinating masterclass. I need more for next year! It made me more talkative and dare to speak with others. Emily could control every situation and was positive thinking. A million thanks – more than words to say thank you!”
“It has been wonderful, thank you. Emily is experienced and amazing.”
“I really liked this workshop. I got a lot of tricks that I can use in daily life.”
“Emily is an insane influencer. She changed my attitude to believing in myself. This masterclass made me trust in myself, that every person has a unique personality which we can present in our own way. She also gave me techniques for being a good presenter and helped me deal with stress and panic. Emily you are absolutely amazing. I would absolutely recommend the training to others.”
“Excellent trainer, I like you so much Dr Emily.”
“Emily you are awesome. Such positive energy. I learnt a lot. Keep up the good job!”
“This training is a good opportunity in my life. A good experience and I can apply it on my future. It was perfect training and I will tell everyone the amazing things that I have learnt.”
“Excellent variety. Great workshop activities focusing on multiple aspects. I loved Emily’s energy. She was truly supportive and positive.”
FameLab Spain - April 2015
"Bring back Dr Emily!"