Breakout Session 1B: This workshop offers a different approach to improving communication between community members and researchers. Presenters will demonstrate improvisational theater techniques that help build skills around connecting authentically with an audience, paying attention to others, and reading body language. The purpose of this approach is to build a bridge among community members, patients, providers, researchers, and other stakeholders involved in health-related research. Researchers often struggle to clearly communicate the purpose of their research and its implications, which leaves community members uninspired to engage. This skills-based workshop will introduce elements from theater training to encourage participants to communicate better as partners in research. Using techniques adapted from the Alda MethodTM of the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science, the leaders will demonstrate ways of reframing research to be community-oriented, conversational, and accessible without “dumbing it down.” These techniques have been used to build interest in community engagement, develop community advisory panels, and aid study recruitment, among other applications. Participants will learn: distilling techniques to communicate about research or health using clear, vivid language the value of focusing on the needs of the audience relationship building techniques through empathy, listening, and authentic connection.

Background: Community Engaged Research (CEnR) as a means to address health disparities has emphasized the necessity for community members to partner with researchers. The Boston University CTSI identified the local need to increase the number and diversity of community members ready and willing to engage in the research process. Methods: Connecting Community to Research (CCR) was designed to train community groups interested in improving the health of their community. Trainings were adapted from existing curricula with input from a 12 member advisory panel. The goal was to help trainees understand the various roles they can play along the research process. In a 1-2 hour training, participants were guided through an introduction to CEnR and learned how sharing their stories could inform research. The training concluded with an evaluation survey and opportunities to get connected to loco-regional projects. Results: From December 2015 to November 2016, 100 participants of diverse backgrounds were trained at 7 sessions: 56% identified as White, 35% African American, and 6% other races. Evaluation data indicated: 94% of trainees understood how research could address a community concern, 82% understood how to use their stories to inform research, and 53% intended to participate as an advocate in research. Conclusion: These data suggest trainings like CCR can increase the number and diversity of community members willing to engage in research. While this introductory training generated positive results, additional trainings with varying levels of skill development may be needed to further empower community members to engage as partners in research.