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Secrets of Great (Science) Communicators

Speaking With Presence, Purpose, Impact, and Authority

Date: August 11, 2022

Location: Virtual 


Soft skills are hard skills! One key soft skill, driving both workplace and personal success, is communication. Every day, we communicate verbally, visually, through writing, our body language, and through listening. The way we interact with the world around us has a profound impact on how we are perceived and the effectiveness of getting our message across, making ourselves heard.


A big part of being a good leader is moving people into action. Effective communicating or storytelling can inspire people to buy into an idea, take a specific action, or understand someone's perspectives and emotions.


On August 11, Quantum Women hosted a webinar with two fascinating and highly successful communicators; Dr Stephanie Simmons, Founder and Chief Quantum Officer of Photonic Inc., and Dr Olivia Lanes, North American Team Lead for Quantum Education and Qiskit Research at IBM Quantum. Stephanie and Olivia shared their journeys in how they became confident and impactful communicators, how they developed and cultivated their communication skills, discussing topics such as imposter syndrome, managing social media presence, the role of humor in the workplace, and how to hold your own in virtual meetings.


This session was part of Quantum Women's Elevate pillar, where we provide tools and opportunities for women to elevate their voice in both private and public settings.


Watch the recording here.



About the Panelists:

Olivia completed her PhD in physics, focused on quantum measurement, in 2020 at the University of Pittsburgh. At IBM, she works to help put Qiskit into the hands of researchers. She works on IBM Quantum's challenges and summer schools with the aim of democratizing quantum education, and also sits on the national Q-12 education council, focusing on workforce development at a national level.


Stephanie is an international speaker with 30+ publications, and 60 keynote and panel talks. She has been a reviewer for Nature, Science, Physical Review, NSERC, CRC, and more. Her work has been covered by the CBC, BBC, Wired Magazine, Scientific American, the New Scientist, and the New York Times. In 2020, she was recognized as Top 40 under 40 in Canada.



-The QW team.

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