Albert Bandura has said that psychologists are terrible at social diffusion of what they learn.  How can we get better?  One way is by writing books and articles that engage readers and move them to try new ways to think, feel, and act.

Many people want to have written, but the writing itself is hard.  This workshop will help people move from the fear of writing to getting the work done.  Participants will learn ways to write often enough to be productive (Gray), write for intended audiences without getting stalled by perfectionism, and publish content that people are eager to read. 

The workshop will invite participants to build a personal writing practice by experimenting (Britton). There is no single way to write, but many techniques can help people be productive, reach target audiences, and even enjoy writing.  Participants will experience some of these techniques, such as using the WOOP framework (Oettingen) and tying context to reward (Wood) to build a writing habit, intentionally cultivating inspiration (Holzer, et al), separating drafting from editing, telling stories that motivate behavior change (Bandura, Smith, Dittman), getting and giving feedback in strengths-based workshops (Britton, Gabriel), and exploring pathways to publication. 

As a result, participants will enhance their ability to have an impact on a community that is much larger than the set of people they interact with directly.  This can help us address our collective deficits in social diffusion by spreading the word in ways tailored to fit the needs of people of different ages, cultures, and education levels.

In the words of Adam Grant, “The most undervalued skill of our time is the ability to write.”    As we keep up with the new discoveries in our field, let’s also build the ability to convey them to the people whose lives can benefit.