I have taught more than 4,000 scientists, government officials, engineers, and members of Tribes/First Nations how to communicate more effectively with non-technical audiences. I do this through virtual training classes and coaching sessions. I’m proud of the clarity and conviction that these professionals have after attending my trainings. They become role models for others in their agencies.
Please contact me for a free consultation if you’re interested in bringing my trainings or coaching services to your organization.
(Each year, I offer a few trainings with public registration. You may register through Ticket Tailor.)
(NEW!) Delivering an Effective Presentation to Decision-Makers
Do you speak to commissioners, board members, managers, and other decision-makers? Do you need to build a case, present a project idea, or ask for funding? What are best strategies for communicating your message? How do you make an “ask”? How do you keep the decision-makers engaged and listening?
This class is especially geared for government employees or others who have to make presentations to commissioners, elected officials, council members, and boards. These types of decision-makers are often overwhelmed with information and things to read, which is why text-heavy, complicated presentations only add to their burden! This class teaches a different approach.
In this class, you will learn how to:
Identify the overall purpose of your particular presentation (Is it to inform and advise? Ask permission? Report an outcome? Ask for funding?)
Introduce yourself so that decision-makers quickly understand who you are and what you accomplish
Create a crystal-clear message (what is the most important thing you want the decision-makers to remember?)
Learn strategies for constructing an engaging presentation (how do you sequence it? What are best practices to grab and hold attention? What are effective strategies for slide design?)
Consider what the decision-maker needs to know in order to make an informed decision
This class is hands-on, and you will have several opportunities to immediately apply what you’ve learned. Before class, you’ll be asked to bring a presentation focus and topic. This class comes with a valuable PowerPoint tool that will help you design a future presentation for decision-makers.
(1 day, group rate)
Virtual classes with public registration are scheduled for September 16 and October 21, 2025.
Note to organizers:
Enhancement 1: Cathy will work with your organization to identify and develop a case study that can be used throughout the class as a solid and relatable example. Cathy will develop a professional PowerPoint presentation that can be used by your organization after the class.
Enhancement 2: A second day can be added to this class, two or three weeks later. In this class, participants bring a presentation that they created using the methods taught on Day 1 and will receive valuable coaching and feedback.
“Really excellent, best county sponsored training I have been to.”
"This type of training should be mandatory so we don't bore our elected officials to death!"
“Like many others had mentioned, I wished I had taken this class earlier on in my career.”
“Hearing an immediate critique with fantastic suggestions was outstanding.”
How to Communicate Science, Share Data, and Build Trust: Presentation Skills for Scientists and Public Officials
This popular two-day class has shifted the paradigms of hundreds of people and raised the science communication bar at conferences, public meetings, and educational events. It features best practices for designing presentations and is especially geared towards scientists, educators, and professionals who work in the public and private sectors.
On Day 1, you’ll learn about best practices in message development and slide design - with several opportunities for hands-on application. Over the following 2 weeks, you’ll design a 5-minute presentation applying what you’ve learned. When you return to class on Day 2, you’ll give your presentation and receive valuable feedback and coaching. As you witness the other presentations, you’ll see how much more interesting and engaging it is to view slides that are designed without excessive text and bullet points. The ultimate goal of the training is to improve your science communication skills, while making your presentations more enjoyable for you and more engaging for your audience.
In this class, you will learn how to: transform the way you design slides, craft a crystal-clear message, present data in a way that sticks in people’s brains, and easily keep an audience interested and engaged.
A virtual class with public registration is scheduled for November 6 and 20, 2025.
(2 days, 2 weeks apart, group rate.)
“I will always remember your class as a pivotal awakening.”
“If I had taken this training in graduate school, it would have changed my life.”
“My secret for success: follow every piece of advice given in this training.”
“A brilliantly clear, simple, and effective framework for delivering digestible and important information.”
15 Strategies for Communicating Science and Data to Non-Scientists
Do you speak at virtual or in-person conferences, public meetings, or other events where you need to convey a science-based message? Have you ever felt like you couldn’t quite hold the attention of your audience or communicate your message in a way they could understand? Would you like to learn a simpler, more effective way to design your slides? This popular class will show you how to present visuals that have impact, use techniques that will keep your audience engaged in both a live or virtual setting, deliver data in a way that sticks in people's brains, and transform the way you do PowerPoint.
(2 hours, group rate. Available now as an on-demand class with two bonus modules: #1-Where to Find Good Images, and #2-What to Do if You’re Given a Slide Limit.)
“This class opened my mind to a completely different style of giving presentations."
"Cathy did a great job of focusing on what presentations should be about - helping the audience understand the information."
"Overall, this was one of the most beneficial and practical training opportunities I have participated in."
Deliver an Engaging Science Conference Presentation
(This class is for conference organizers to offer to their presenters. Strong, engaging presentations will raise the bar for your whole conference.)
What are the best practices for developing a memorable conference presentation? How do you engage your audience? What are strategies for drilling down to a crystal-clear message? This training specifically addresses the successful design and delivery of a science-based conference presentation, but the techniques can be applied to any sector. The training covers best practices for slide design, as well as inclusive approaches for honoring a diverse audience and keeping them involved and engaged. The training is steeped in adult learning principles and brain science and has transformed how people design their presentations.
(2 hours, group rate)
“It was genuinely useful! That is SO rare.”
“What an awesome contribution you are making to our field.”
“Wow, that was really fantastic. And sort of humbling. I've wasted so much time for so many people for so many years.”
How to Design a Compelling Grant Proposal and Presentation
As you have probably discovered, the world of applying for grants is highly competitive. Funding agencies must make the tough decisions about what applications to accept and what applications to deny. Sometimes, an application is denied because the project is weak. Other times the project is worthy, but it isn’t communicated to the grant reviewers in an effective way.
What critical items must be included for your proposal to be taken seriously? How do you design a project presentation that will wow the funding agency? What are some of the biggest ongoing frustrations of review teams? Using practical advice and insights gained from funding agencies and other experts, Cathy Angell will help you create a grant proposal and presentation that clearly communicates the story behind your project in an engaging and visually-pleasing way. In this 2-hour training, you will learn:
What every member of the review team wants to see (and hear)
How to design a proposal that will be respected and remembered
Why a compelling story equals more money
This training is value-packed with simple tips that are easy to apply, video clips of interviews with grant reviewers, and a special PowerPoint slide template to help you craft a powerful grant presentation.
(2 hours, group rate, available this fall as an on-demand class.)
A virtual class with public registration is scheduled for December 2, 2025.
“Very interactive and engaging, with lots of opportunities to work through how this applies to my projects.”
“I liked how warm and human the training was. I felt like you gave us permission to bring that warmth and humanity to our grant writing.”
“The videos of the interviews were great!”
“This was one of the MOST helpful trainings on any topic I have taken lately!”
How to Plan and Facilitate an Engaging Virtual Meeting
What happens when virtual meetings are not well-facilitated? Answer: people stop paying attention and start multi-tasking. When people aren't engaged, your meeting objectives don't get accomplished, and participants feel like their time has been wasted. We are slowly returning to the workplace, but virtual meetings are here to stay. What are the critical steps required to design and deliver a virtual meeting? How do we keep our participants actively engaged and involved? What types of visuals inspire and help to anchor information? Do we require people to turn on their cameras? This training is packed with clear, practical strategies that you’ll be able to easily apply.
(1.5 hours, group rate. Available now as on an on-demand class with three bonus modules: #1-How to Play Music at the Beginning of Your Meeting, #2-How to Add Animation to Your Slides; and #3-Six Best Strategies for Hybrid Meetings.
“It was interactive and dynamic."
“A superb demonstration of how it can be done!"
“The content was incredible.”
How to Design and Deliver an Engaging Virtual Training
One of the biggest mistakes a trainer can make is to simply drop an in-person training onto an online platform. There are huge differences between in-person and online events, and this training shows you how to make the conversion effectively. What are the differences? What are the important elements that go into training design? What teaching tools are the most useful? This interactive and upbeat class will show you how to hold your student’s attention and keep them engaged, incorporate adult learning principles into your training design, and craft your content so it’s the right length and has the best flow.
This training is most appropriate for those who teach adults and offer multi-day classes and short workshops. As part of this training, you will receive a design template which you can use to design or convert your trainings.
(2 hours, group rate. Available this fall as an on-demand class.)
“You demonstrated everything you were teaching. Your facilitation was excellent.”
“Cathy’s trainings have helped me see my presentations through the eyes of the audience.”
“Spectacular modeling of a training session.”
