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Postdoctoral
Development
Centre

Storytelling for Researchers

Practical information

  • Audience: Postdocs and research staff at Queen’s University Belfast
  • Date/Time: 1 October 2025 | 10:00 - 12:00
  • Duration: 2 hours
  • Location: Online
  • Maximum capacity: Numbers are restricted to 30 for this workshop and offered on a first-come, first-served basis.  In the event of over-subscription, we will maintain a waiting list and contact the next person on the list if a place becomes available.
  • Organised by: Postdoctoral Development Centre (PDC) | pdc@qub.ac.uk 

Content

This workshop is facilitated by Matt Williamson of DY Training, and was first introduced to our core programme of courses for postdocs and research staff in 2023.  

Stories make people pay attention - they can’t help it.  We’ll watch films for hours, lose whole afternoons to a good book, or go without sleep to see just one more episode… So, if you want people to pay attention to the research you are doing, why not steal some of the techniques and ideas from the world’s oldest form of communication?

All too often, audiences are left on the outside, unable to see the value, or potential of your research, no longer!  In this course you'll explore how imagery, empathy, and curiosity become your tools to create a crucial “way in” for your audience, helping them to understand, access, and resonate with, your work.

In this course, deep theory will be mixed with practical ideas.  You’ll learn tips, but also how and why they work - there are no generic storytelling formulas here.  It’s just real tools for researchers who want their work to land with the people who need to hear it.

Programme Objectives

This workshop is designed to equip you with the skills to:

  • Understand why stories are effective engagement tools
  • Utilize storytelling techniques in presentations
  • Find great stories to share

Registration

Registration is currently closed.  Stay tuned for details.

Facilitator

Matt Williamson

Matt has been presenting to audiences and training presenters professionally for ten years now. He started out working in science centres, observatories, and science festivals. From the most poignant story to the completely silly bits, making a connection with his audience was the most rewarding part.

These days Matt works with DY Training to upskill academics and researchers and present in his own portable planetarium, sharing the wonders of the night sky with a whole range of people. As a presentation trainer, Matt loves seeing people grow in confidence as their skills develop. Matt says, "with some simple and honest advice, you too can tell your story, captivates your audience and communicate your work with impact."

Feedback from workshops facilitated by Matt:

This was a great training. This really helped me think about presentations in a different way, gave lost of tools for exploring narrative and storytelling in a very practical means. Really enjoyable. 
Loved it, it was fun and rewarding, MORE PLEASE!!!!!
Amazing. Very helpful and feels like we all are now aware of many techniques we could incorporate to presentations. Loved both sessions delivered by Duncan and Matt.
Matt was fantastic and very professional yet approachable. The content was very applicable and I will take away a lot from this session to apply to future presentations

Feedback

Rating (out of 5): 4.56

Recommended by: 100%

Number of feedback provided: 9

Quote: "Duncan was an amazing facilitator! He is so enthusiastic about his training and kept us all really engaged! The workshop was great, there was so much to take away and bring into my work. I would be keen to attend other workshops by Duncan, particularly on how to build a presentation and how to deliver them." (Participant from the September 2023 workshop)