Open Source Intelligence and Public Speaking Workshops: Some Useful Skill-Building Opportunities for the Participants of the YWNGI Mentorship Programme

Between January and April 2024, the participants of the Young Women and Next Generation Initiative (YWNGI) Mentorship Programme, an initiative the VCDNP created in cooperation with IAI and the EU Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Consortium, joined a series of skill-building workshops designed to improve their research skills and their ability to retrieve and assess open source information, as well as public speaking skills and their ability to interact with different audiences.

The first workshop, titled “Introduction to OSINT for Nuclear Professionals” was organised over two days and delivered by Marcy Fowler, Research and Analysis Manager at Open Nuclear Network (ONN). It also featured a case study by Elin Bergner, former YWNGI mentee and now Research Assistant at ONN.

The workshop addressed the basics of open-source intelligence (OSINT) and its application by international organisations, NGOs, and governments. It covered in detail media, image, and video analysis as a tool to  conduct fact-checking activities and dispel false information.

A part of the discussion was also devoted to artificial intelligence and the future of OSINT. Elin Berger presented the latest technological advancements, highlighting the challenges posed by the intersection between OSINT and AI as well as the unintended consequences of exposing information, including privacy concerns, social engineering, information warfare, security risks, and ethical dilemmas.

The second capacity-building activity, titled “Mindful Communication” was organised as a series of three workshops delivered by Scott Morgan, a leadership and communication coach with over 30 years of experience.

Through tailored examples and exercises, the interactive workshops covered the basics of effective public speaking, providing participants with useful tips on how to deliver academic presentations, how to participate in panel discussions (both as moderator and as a panellist), and how to prepare for and deliver media interviews. Participants were challenged to think outside the box, react to ad-hoc and improvised prompts, and to test their ways of communicating. 

Both activities were met with great interest from mentors and mentees, who participated actively and in the exercises, asked numerous questions, and completed homework assigned by the lecturers.