ANU VIJAYAN
INFLUENCE SCIENCE
Why Influence Science?
If you work in science or research, this may feel familiar.
You know your work matters but too often, it doesn’t land the way it should.
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You present rigorous evidence, yet the response is polite interest rather than real engagement.
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You struggle to make your work resonate beyond your immediate field — with funders, policymakers, collaborators, or the public.
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You’re told to “simplify” or “be more engaging,” without being shown how to do that without compromising scientific integrity.
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You spend hours refining slides or data, only to feel that your message still isn’t cutting through.
This is not a failure of your research.
It’s a gap in how science is typically taught to be communicated.
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Designed for university contexts, including Orientation Week
Influence Science sessions are designed to work well within Orientation Week, HDR induction programs, and early-career researcher contexts.
Sessions are engaging, practical, and adaptable to large O Week audiences or smaller cohort-based formats without oversimplifying the science.
What you will learn
The Influence Equation
​​Strong evidence alone rarely influences your audience.
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Story + Emotion + Clarity = Impact
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The Influence Equation shows how research achieves real-world effect when rigorous evidence is shaped through story, connected through emotion, and delivered with clarity, so ideas are understood, remembered, and acted upon.
Audience Empathy
Influence depends on understanding who you are speaking to.
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Audience empathy helps you move beyond presenting information to engaging the people in the room — by recognising their priorities, constraints, and context, and shaping your message so it resonates without compromising scientific integrity.
Narrative Clarity
Complex work requires clear narrative to be memorable.
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Narrative clarity helps you organise ideas, data, and insights into a coherent message that preserves accuracy while making your work accessible, meaningful, and compelling to non-specialist audiences.
Whether you’re looking for a keynote, a workshop, or a longer-term training program, we can explore the right format for your audience and goals.
About Anu Vijayan
I’m a science communicator, professional speaker, and the founder of Influence Science.
With a background in research and extensive experience working with schools, universities and government, I specialise in helping academics and scientists communicate complex work with clarity, confidence, and impact without oversimplifying the science.
My work sits at the intersection of evidence, storytelling, and real-world application, supporting researchers to ensure their work is not only rigorous, but understood and acted upon beyond their immediate field.