Biography

University of Toronto St. George Campus - Chemistry

Start conversations in rooms not yet entered. Audiences first communication strategy and public relations director.
Public Relations
Darcy J.
Gentleman, PhD
Washington, District Of Columbia
I start conversations in rooms that I have yet to enter and help speakers to do the same. As a strategic communicator, I ensure that audiences take up the information curated for their attention and put it to best use. My specialty is science communications and targeted storytelling: I excel at helping technical experts to convey complex issues clearly.

In all communications contexts I put audiences first. This means choosing words and phrases that the audience finds familiar, structuring to a narrative for memorable messaging, and designing clear visuals to captivate and sustain attention.

I study storytelling in all forms to constantly improve my own writing and train others to develop and deliver quality presentations. Drawing on my working experience in research science, I embrace experimentation in developing messages but I also depend on metrics and analytics to assess effectiveness. As a writer, I enjoy the creative process but ultimately think like an editor.

In over 15 years, I have trained in excess of 650 speakers, either coaching specific talks or leading workshops of my own design. Target audiences have included business, philanthropy, policy, technical peers, or the general public. Director of speaker preparation for over 120 engagement / science outreach speakers in a variety of public and ticketed venues. In under six years I planned and executed 55 U.S. congressional science policy briefings, with 36 held on Capitol Hill.

As an experienced project manager with both publications and at a membership organization I developed and collaborated on many communications programs. I am an entrepreneurial thinker who thrives working with teams to innovate compelling messaging. Equally comfortable with both creative and strategic tasks, I research and analyze background materials then consult with others to devise and deploy plans. I have advised senior leadership on social media strategy and have much experience writing for online video.