Trainings

Trainings

Hands-on learning for real-world impact

With over 25 years of experience in communication and adult learning, COMPASS creates transformative workshops that help your team build confidence, think strategically, and collaborate more effectively. Our expert facilitators foster a welcoming, interactive environment where participants can explore ideas, practice new skills, and leave ready to communicate with impact, both within and beyond their field.

Our offerings

Signature Workshops

Whether in person or online, our workshops are designed to be lively, engaging, and tailored to your group’s needs. We blend research-backed strategies with real-world practice, using group discussions, hands-on activities, and intentional breaks to keep participants focused and energized.

Individual Workshops

Our individual workshops are ideal for teams looking to build specific communication skills in a targeted, engaging format. We offer a wide range of topics—from foundational concepts to advanced strategies—so we can meet your group right where they are, whether they’re just getting started or looking to take their skills to the next level.

Each session blends practical tips with interactive exercises and direct feedback, giving participants the chance to immediately put their learning into action. ...Read More

You can choose a single workshop to address a specific need or combine several into a series for a deeper learning experience. Topics include: Introduction to Strategic Communication, Risk Communication, Finding the Story, Strategic Presentations, and much more.

Format

  • Delivered virtually or in person
  • Sessions are capped at 25 participants for a high-quality, engaging experience, but multiple sessions of each option may be offered depending on interest and demand.
  • COMPASS will host all technology associated with the workshop, whether virtual or in-person.

Contact us to book a workshop

Communication in Context

100% of participants would recommend this workshop to a peer.

These deep-dive workshops are designed to build your group’s understanding of the context and systems that impact their communication efforts. We bring in highly-regarded experts in journalism, community engagement, and/or policymaking to provide your group with a window into their world and give direct, personal feedback on your messages and engagement goals. These subject matter experts get to know your group and their work at a level that isn’t typically possible, leading to a unique experience and new relationships! ...Read More

 

Unique Components

  • Facilitated discussion with experts to better understand the needs of the audience group
  • Role-playing in mock scenarios with experts to gain hands-on experience navigating different kinds of situations with their intended audience
  • Building connections with experts and fellow participants in a friendly, low-pressure environment

Format

  • Virtual (four half-days) or in-person (1–2+ days)
  • Up to four invited experts
  • Up to 20 participants
  • Includes short homework assignments for virtual format

Contact us to book a Communication in Context Workshop

Cohort Learning Tracks

Looking to invest in your team over time? A cohort track allows a select group of participants to move through a customized learning journey together. We help you design a program that fits your goals—selecting from our core workshops and layering in coaching, expert panels, and more.

Participants that complete this program develop supportive connections with other cohort members and feel more prepared to communicate their work with clarity and purpose. ...Read More

Highlights:

  • Designed for groups of up to 25 participants
  • Offers the highest level of customization and continuity
  • Your organization selects the participants; COMPASS manages the rest
  • Builds long-term confidence, community, and capacity among your team

Contact us to book a Cohort Track

Partner Collaborations

We team up with trusted partners to offer workshops that dive into timely, relevant topics. These collaborative sessions bring fresh perspectives and specialized expertise while maintaining the same interactive, hands-on experience as our signature workshops. Together with our partners, we create dynamic learning environments that inspire curiosity, connection, and growth.

Ethical Space: Indigenous Engagement for Science Professionals

Offered in partnership with the Indigenous Engagement Institute.

To work meaningfully with Indigenous partners, communication must be grounded in respect, reciprocity, and understanding. This interactive workshop introduces the concept of Ethical Space, a powerful conceptual framework designed to support the reconciliation of Indigenous and western worldviews. 

Through guided reflection, discussion, and hands-on activities, participants will:...Read More

  • Explore the foundations of Ethical Space and how to apply it in their work
  • Deepen their knowledge about Indigenous issues in Canada and the United States, including the impacts of historical and contemporary policies on Indigenous land management
  • Learn about Traditional Ecological Knowledge and Indigenous-led research
  • Identify steps for building respectful, effective partnerships

This workshop is ideal for teams seeking to deepen their understanding and prepare for meaningful, long-term engagement with Indigenous communities.

Contact us to book an Ethical Space Workshop

Making the Message Stick with Congress

Offered in partnership with ESP Advisors.

Is your group or organization coming to Washington D.C. to meet with lawmakers? COMPASS and ESP Advisors have partnered to offer a highly interactive policy communication workshop that will prepare participants to share the impact of their work with a U.S. Federal policy audience. 

During this four hour session, your group will learn more about the current, specific legislative context for your issue and discuss strategies for productive dialogue across the political spectrum. 

Learn more

Contact Us About Training

Ready to enhance your team’s communication skills and build stronger, more effective collaborations? Let’s create a customized training experience that aligns with your goals and sets you on the path to success.

Contact Us

I’ve been engaging with external audiences about my research on controversial forest management issues for nearly 40 years, but this was the best opportunity I’ve had to participate in a critical evaluation of the whole communication process with a group of research peers and media experts… Simply hearing what a ‘day in the life of a journalist’ is like will change the way I react to the next email or phone request for an interview.

~ Dr. Tom Veblen, Distinguished Professor, University of Colorado, Boulder

This is not just another communication training. COMPASS brings tools and techniques, but also the opportunity for intensive practice with nationally known journalists. And scientists trust COMPASS: their staff were trained as scientists, so they have an understanding of our perspective and experience. Because they know the science, they never asked us to change our message, but helped us translate it for different audiences.

~ Dr. Diana Wall, Director, School of Global Environmental Sustainability, Colorado State University

Interactions with COMPASS-trained scientists always left me with relevant, meaningful takeaways, and more importantly, created relationships that I could rely on for providing expert input, testimony, or general background for hearings or legislation that the Committee was working on.

~ Lauren Linsmayer, Senior Science Officer at Ocean Science Trust

You know your COMPASS training worked when a congressional staffer repeats your message back to you more than a year later!

~ Dr. Jennifer Balch, Director, Earth Lab; Associate Professor of Geography, University of Colorado Boulder

This is one of the few trainings that I genuinely feel like I walked away from with enhanced skills or new/useful information.

~ Workshop participant

This was my first time communicating my research in this way to policy makers. Having journalists and policy people who live in those worlds come and speak to us and give feedback was really, really impactful.

~ Dr. Nina Fontana, researcher at the University of California Davis in collaboration with USGS Southwest Climate Adaptation Science Center

Tools & Resources

Online resources

Check out our Tools & Resources page for materials and blog posts that give you a preview of what to expect when you work with COMPASS — including a downloadable version of the Message Box, our signature tool to distill your science down to what matters most.

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