Personal Branding, Pitching, and Presence Training for Scientists & Researchers
Crafting a credible professional research identity
Many scientists and researchers hear “branding” and think of marketing or self-promotion, concepts that can feel uncomfortable in academia. But personal branding is simply your reputation: how others perceive you, what they know you for, and what they say about you.
In a competitive research landscape, it’s not just the science that matters. It’s how your researchers present themselves, communicate their expertise, and connect with others – whether applying for grants, attending conferences, building networks, or stepping into non-academic roles.
Our one-day personal branding training helps scientists and researchers develop clear, confident professional identities. Through interactive, reflective exercises, participants explore visibility, values, communication style, and presence: online and in person.
Looking for shorter, modular learning formats?
See our short-form options below.
Personal branding, pitching, and presence training: 1-day workshop (in person or online)
→ Most popular format
What’s covered:
- Personal brand fundamentals: defining unique strengths, research focus, values, and professional purpose
- Brand positioning statements: crafting clear, compelling statements about who you are and what you do
- Elevator pitch development: multiple pitch formats for different contexts and audiences
- Digital presence strategy: LinkedIn profiles, professional bios, website content, and online visibility
Social media foundations – strategic approaches to platforms and channels - Networking and visibility: using brand clarity to build professional connections
Practice and feedback – structured peer review and refinement throughout
Delivery:
One full day (6-7 hours) or two 3.5-hour sessions (online)
Perfect for:
PhD students and post-doctoral researchers preparing for career transitions, researchers seeking to increase visibility and influence, or anyone preparing for conferences, job markets, or networking opportunities.
Delivery options
Online:
Via Zoom, or your preferred platform. We run these workshops for institutions worldwide
In-person:
Across Europe (if we can get there by public transport, we’re happy to travel!)
Tailor this training to your needs
Every institution has different goals and constraints. We can adapt this training to fit your context:
Half-day format:
Focus on brand fundamentals and positioning statements: ideal for introductions or when time is limited.
Extended programmes:
Combine personal branding with complementary training.
- Personal Branding + Presentation Skills (developing your message and how to deliver it)
- Personal Branding + Poster Design (brand clarity applied to visual materials)
- Personal Branding + Networking Skills (comprehensive professional presence programme)
Mini-sessions:
60-90 minute introductions to personal branding concepts – perfect for career weeks, orientation programmes, or research retreats.
Just need foundations?
We also offer a series of 2-hour SciComm Skills Sessions that you can run throughout the year to build skills incrementally. See our short format options →
Included in all formats:
- Pre-training discovery call and/or survey to understand your group’s needs and context
- Tailored examples relevant to participants’ career stages and disciplines
- Interactive exercises with peer and facilitator feedback
- Post-session resources, templates, and frameworks
- Support for organisers in planning and participant communication
Perfect for:
- PhD and postdoctoral researchers preparing for their next career step
- Researchers seeking to increase visibility and influence
- Early-career researchers exploring academic or non-academic pathways
- Graduate schools running career development or collaboration programmes
- Researchers preparing to attend major conferences or networking events
- Interdisciplinary teams or leadership development programmes
- Science communication and research support professionals
- Anyone helping researchers communicate their value and voice
Short-format alternatives to long-format training
If your group needs immersive learning, with lots of time for application, practice, refinement, peer-sharing, and learning-by-doing, our long-format training is best.
But: in the real world, researchers and students need to balance “too little time” with a need to learn communication skills. That’s why we offer half-day workshops, and 2-hour skills sessions, too.
2-hour Skills Sessions
→ Single focus for large groups
Our short SciComm Skills Sessions are designed to introduce one specific skill in a short timeframe, online, for groups of up to 100 participants.
Choose from:
- Personal Branding for Researchers: 2-hour foundations on brand mapping and positioning statements
- Elevator Pitches for Scientists & Researchers: crafting 1-minute spoken pitches for networking
- Social Media 101 for Researchers: strategic social media foundations
- Networking for Researchers: building meaningful professional connections
Even Less Time?
→ Webinars, expert talks, panel contributions, quick tips
We’re always open to contributing to sessions that need short, sharp input, without the interactive training element.
We draw on 20+ years of international communication experience, and nearly 14 years of working with scientists and researchers across a wide range of disciplines.
Get in touch to chat about whatever is on your mind and we’ll do our best to help.
Explore all training topics
Not sure which format or topic you need? Browse our complete catalogue of communication training, organised by category.
Looking for something different?
We’re always happy to tailor programmes to your context, or create custom-designed learning experiences to address specific needs.
Ready to help your researchers build their professional presence?
If you want to help your researchers develop clear professional identities, increase visibility, or prepare for career transitions, we’d love to help.
Tell us a bit about what you need (purpose, number of participants, when, where, and anything else that might be useful), and we’ll respond with ideas and costs.
Alternatively, book a call, and we can talk through your ideas together.
