Introduction to Public Engagement

Description

The importance of external engagement has never been higher. With researchers driven to demonstrate impact beyond the academic it is essential that engagement is planned effectively to achieve maximum and measurable Impact. Through this one-day interactive workshop you will explore how to create the perfect public engagement tailored to your skills and subject. Discovering how to create a lasting impressing by enthusing audiences, giving perfect presentations and working with communities.

Whether you are new to engagement or looking to get new perspectives on what you can do to improve this workshop is packed with tips, tricks and strategies for making the most of your engagement.

The workshop will be led by award winning science communicator and trainer Dr Jamie Gallagher. With over 10 years’ experience in engagement Jamie will help you maximise the impact of your engagement and stand out from the crowd.

Objectives

Following this workshop, you should be able to:

• Understand how to turn research into a compelling narrative

• Prepare high-quality engagement plans and activities

• Recognise the benefits of external engagement and how to achieve them

• Feel comfortable and confident with public engagement

• Understand the use of evaluation for reporting and monitoring

Content

1. Intro to impact

This is a gentle introduction to the impact agenda to frame some of the discussions. Will give an overview of the terminology, organisations and key concepts.

2. Engagement planning

This longer section will take people through the key questions to ask when planning engagement: Why are they doing it, Who do they want to engage with? How are they going to go about it? And what does success look like?

3. Finding your narrative

Through games and discussion researchers will discover how to distil their complex researcher topics into simple, concise narratives.

4. Best Practice

Covering some real examples of excellent engagement and how researchers have generated benefit to the public, the research and themselves.

5. Evaluation

How to capture information to learn from your audience and to demonstrate the effectiveness of your intervention.

6. Practical performance

Top tips for audience interaction whether on stage or hosting a table top activity.

Format: The workshop is an interactive session with a mix of talks, activities, individual reflection and group exercises. It is recommended for between 20 and 40 people at any one time. Suggested time is 9.30 – 16.30, with two 15 min coffee breaks and one 45-60 min lunch break.