Participatory science leaders may try to communicate with everyone about everything—social media, newsletters, participant engagement, blogs, media outreach—and end up burned out with little to show for it. This course teaches a different approach: strategic communication that helps you do less while achieving better results.
Learn to diagnose your project’s communication needs, define specific target audiences (not “the general public”), and match your strategy to your actual capacity. Through recorded lectures, live workshopping sessions, and practical templates to keep, you’ll develop skills to translate scientific results for different audiences, make smart decisions about which communication channels are worth your time, and know when to get help.
By the end of this 5-module course, you’ll have a working communication plan tailored to your project’s stage, goals, and resources, plus the confidence to execute it.
Our course instructor will be Anna Funk, Ph.D., a communications consultant and founder of Ampliflora. Anna helps science and conservation organizations communicate strategically about their work to advance their missions. She has brought together her experiences in scientific research, science journalism, and digital marketing to develop this new course for participatory science practitioners.
Enrollment for this course will open soon! Join our mailing list for course registration details.
Who should take this course: Project leaders, coordinators, and team members responsible for communicating about participatory science projects who want practical strategies for recruitment, retention, and impact.
What will I learn in this course?
Strategic communication approaches that help you focus your efforts and see results. You’ll learn to identify your project’s communication priorities based on your current stage and problems, translate complex science for non-expert audiences, choose communication channels strategically, work effectively with media and partner organizations, and create a sustainable communication plan that works with your time and resources.
Who is this course for?
Anyone involved in leading a participatory science project who handles communication responsibilities—whether that’s recruitment, volunteer engagement, sharing results, or raising awareness. It’s for anyone interested in practical help making your project as visible and impactful as possible with your available resources. This course is designed for scientists, project coordinators, educators, and anyone who’s ever felt overwhelmed by all the communication tasks they “should” be doing.
Do I need to have my project launched already?
The course is designed for projects at any stage—launch, growth, results, impact, or maintenance. Your project stage determines your communication priorities, so wherever you are is a fine place to start. That said, you’ll get the most value out of this course if you have a specific project you can immediately apply the concepts to.
Will I get templates and tools to use?
Yes! Each module includes practical templates and/or worksheets you can adapt for your project. The goal for the course is to provide actionable strategies you can implement immediately.
When is this course being offered?
The first cohort of this course will start in April 2026 with weekly live sessions scheduled through mid-May.
How much does the course cost?
$175 for members, $325 for non-members, both with optional certificate-track add-on!
What’s the time commitment?
Each week includes a ~30 minute recorded lecture, a short quiz, and optional homework to practice applying concepts to your project. Weekly live sessions are one hour of facilitated discussion plus an optional second hour for open workshopping. The course runs for 5 weeks.
What if I can’t attend the live sessions?
By enrolling in the live cohort, you’re committing to attend at least most of the live sessions. If the time doesn’t work for you, we recommend you keep an eye out for future live sessions of the course. There will also be an asynchronous, self-paced version of this course launching sometime after the first live cohort concludes.
This course was developed in partnership with Ampliflora.
Ampliflora is a communications and consulting studio specializing in science, nature, and conservation. Ampliflora helps mission-driven organizations build communications capacity, clarify their strategy, and increase their impact through thoughtful, sustainable systems. Learn more at https://ampliflora.com/
