Some time ago I asked people to send me information about the science communication short courses they provided. Since then a number of members have asked me to list the information I received. The list below is only of short courses provided by ASC members or groups with many ASC members. I’ve removed dates of courses as the information was no longer current. You can find a list of tertiary course providers on the website, http://www.asc.asn.au/about/tertiary-programs/, but some of the information is not up to date.
I’m always interested to learn of more science communication professional development opportunities, especially offered by ASC members. The following list is not complete and I am willing to make updates.
By listing these courses does not imply an endorsement by the ASC or me as we have not assessed the programs. It is for information only.
Centre for the Public Awareness of Science (CPAS)
The Centre for the Public Awareness of Science (CPAS) conducts short courses in science communication:
(a) 3-day workshops for scientists at ANU;
(b) 1-2-day workshop for science teachers in Australia and overseas.
Presently, we are looking to formalise another of CPAS’ outreach by converting it into a short-course award.
Would you be interested in particulars about these courses, please let me know.
Dr Sean Perera
Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science
The Australian National University
Canberra, Australia
T: +612 61251073
E: Sean.Perera@anu.edu.au
Econnect courses
Econnect has run hundreds of workshops on media, presentation and communication skills for scientists.
Now we are offering a NEW workshop, Planning Science Communication.
Good research deserves a good communication plan, and good communication takes careful planning.
This practical and lively one-day workshop will take participants through a seven-step process of planning a communication campaign.
What do you want to say about the research and why do you want to say it? What is the best method of providing information to the audiences you want to reach?
Designed for science communicators (and scientists!), the workshop program includes case studies, discussion, presentations and planning exercises. By the end of the day, each participant will have an outline communication plan for their project.
“Very practical & useful – we’ll be able to use the material presented in our everyday project work. Very engaging and good level of active participation.” Kelly Bryant, Qld Dept of Environment and Resources Management
Cost per participant is $680+GST (total $748)
ASC Members receive a 10% discount. Group bookings of three or more from the same organisation receive a 10% discount.
To register or get more information, contact Jenni Metcalfe – jenni@econnect.com.au; 0408 551 866, 07 3846 7111
For details on all our science communication skills workshops: www.econnect.com.au/workshops (information on the new Planning Science Communication workshop will be posted next week or email Jenni if you want it now)
Writing Clear Science Workshops
www.writingclearscience.com.au
Contact details (email, phone, postal address),
Dr Marina Hurley
Lecturer & Consultant
Writing Clear Science
P.O. Box 2373
Richmond South
Victoria 3121
Australia
0416-097-979
Fax +61 3 94213472
info@writingclearscience.com.au
Name of course
Standard 2 Day workshop
- Day 1: The Nuts & Bolts of Writing
- Day 2: Writing Reports and Papers
Additional Modules
- Writing a Science Report (Undergraduate Level)
- Editing to Improve Your Writing Skills
- Writing an Oral Presentation
- Writing a Grant Proposal
- Writing a Literature Review
- Writing a Fact Sheet
- Writing for Different Audiences
The length of the course,
Standard 2 Day workshop – 2 Days.
Additional Modules – ½ day to 1 day per module.
The skills addressed in the program
- Understanding the link between critical thinking and effective writing
- Improve your ability to write accurately, clearly and concisely
- Improve your editing, proofreading and punctuation skills
- Improve your sentence and paragraph construction skills
- Improve your writing efficiency
- Improve your ability to communicate to your target audience
- Improve your ability to design documents for diverse audiences
cost to attend course
Open Workshops – $300 per day participants (incl. G.S.T)
In-House Workshops – Negotiable based upon location, number of modules offered and number of participants.
Location where the course(s) is offered
Open Workshops – Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Canberra 2-3 times per year.
In-House Workshops – Venue nominated by client.
Name of each presenter with relevant qualifications and experience,
Dr Marina Hurley
Qualifications: Bachelor of Science (BSc), Masters of Science (MSc) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). Experience: Research Scientist (Ecology) 1988-2003; Lecturer and Consultant (Science Writing and Communication) 2001-present. Est. Writing Clear Science training consultancy in 2005.
Maximum number of participants per session
Maximum twelve participants
SCIENCE COMMUNICATION WORKSHOPS (WA)
UWA’s Science Communication Program and Teresa Belcher of Science Communications are offering a new range of workshops for scientists to learn and practice skills that will enable you to effectively communicate your research.
Communicating your research: the basics
Understand the relationships between science, the media and the public. Learn to pin-point and target the key messages of your research, and be comfortable explaining your work to different audiences, avoiding jargon, acronyms and technical terms. Practice communicating your message to different stakeholders including other scientists, policy makers, the media and the public.
$330 per person (GST inclusive)
Presentation skills for postgraduate students
This workshop of three half days will focus on the key elements of successful presentations and will be conducted via mini-lectures, discussion and activities. Be prepared to contribute your thoughts and participate in practical exercises. You will gain skills in identifying what key messages you want to convey, understanding how to design your presentations to target your audience and developing and delivering engaging talks. You are provided tuition, are videoed and receive individual feedback.
$495 per person (GST inclusive)
Using social media for public engagement and communication of your science
Confused about how social media can really help you to communicate your research? This workshop will provide an introduction to Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, demonstrating how they can benefit you in your work environment. Learn about tweeting, hashtags and ‘following’ people. Appreciate the use of groups, fan pages and social networking in expanding your network and spreading news of your research.
$330 per person (GST inclusive)
Writing winning press releases
What makes a good news story and how do you attract the attention of a journalist? Learn how to structure and write a winning press release that has all the key information required to tell your story. Understand the time frames the media works to and how to distribute your release effectively.
$330 per person (GST inclusive)*
Media Skills – Getting your message across in interviews
You will learn how to prepare yourself for radio and TV interviews, be interviewed on your topic by an experienced broadcast journalist, receive extensive feedback from a broadcast journalist and use the feedback in a second workshop interview. Lunch is also included.
$495 per person (GST inclusive)*
**There is a discount price ($660, GST inclusive) for enrolling in both Writing winning press releases and Media Skills – Getting your message across in interviews workshops.
Turning your research into success stories
As a researcher you’re often required to write about your work whether it be in a proposal to secure more funding, a contribution to an annual report or describing your work to the public. Step away from the traditional scientific way of writing about your research. Learn how to write a success story about your research following a formula that will ensure success.
$330 per person (GST inclusive)
Registration for the workshops can be down by completing the enrolment form found online at: http://communicatingscience.org/
All workshops will be held in the Centre for Learning Technology in the ground floor of the Physics building at UWA Crawley campus.
Visitors can park free on the dates of these workshops in the yellow student parking zones.
Morning tea is provided.
If you have queries regarding these workshops, contact Nancy Longnecker | 08 6488 3926 | nancy.longnecker@uwa.edu.au | http://communicatingscience.org/
Teresa Belcher | 0488 594 324 | teresa@sciencecommunications.co.uk | www.sciencecommunications.eu/
Teresa Belcher – Managing Director
Science Communications Ltd
Email: teresa@sciencecommunications.co.uk
Website: www.sciencecommunications.eu
Communicating your research…
Europe:
Silbury Court, 420 Silbury Boulevard, Milton Keynes MK9 2AF, UK
Tel (UK): +44 (0)845 805 0309
Australia:
PO Box 200, Bull Creek WA 6149 Australia
Tel (Australia): +61 (0)8 6364 0903
Mobile: +61 (0)488 594324
Media training courses
Our media training course is designed for scientists and anyone who needs to communicate complex and technical ideas via the media.
It will help you improve your chances of being accurately reported, and you will learn what to expect when the media covers a story.
Three working journalists will come in over the course of the day and you will conduct practice interviews for TV, radio and newspaper. The workshop structure is licensed from our friends at Econnect Communication.
Please feel free to forward this onto any colleagues who you believe may be interested.
The courses run from 9.30am to 5pm, and cost $740 + GST per person which includes coffee, morning and afternoon tea and lunch.
More details below and at www.scienceinpublic.com/training.
Courses provided in Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra
Media and communication training for scientists
We run a one-day training course to help you present your work via the media to the public and your stakeholders. We focus on helping you present science—even complex and technical material—in a way that attracts attention and helps journalists cover your story accurately. The workshop structure is licensed from our friends at Econnect Communication.
Over the course of the day you will learn the communication skills needed to refine and present your story to maximise your chances of getting your message across.
We bring in three working journalists to talk about how news is put together in TV, radio and newspapers, and what they need to help them cover a story.
Getting your message out in a timely, interesting and appropriate fashion is half the battle in getting good media coverage—and we cover all of those aspects.
Our course differs from the adversarial approach taken by many other media training courses. Journalists who have helped out in the past include Gerard Scholten from Channel Ten, Bridie Smith from The Age, and Donna Demaio from 3AW news.
We will work with you to extract the essence of your story, and to shape your story to suit the intended media and your other audiences.
You will experience a typical interaction with the journalists—a TV interview, a radio interview and pitching your story to a print journalist. Many people find this the hardest, but most rewarding part of the day. You will get your TV and radio interviews to download and keep after the course.
Previous participants tell us that after the course they feel more prepared for media interviews, and less afraid of the whole process. They also see the benefit of the training for presenting to and writing for stakeholders, customers and the public.
We take no more than 12 people in each course, so all participants experience one-to-one interactions with each journalist.
You will learn:
how to get your message out as accurately as possible
how to write and organise a good media release
what makes a good story on TV or radio or in print
what to expect when the media covers a story
how to control the media agenda
what to do when a journalist knocks on your door or phones you
good interview techniques
how to handle the difficult questions.
To book yourself, or members of your organisation, into one of these courses, please email niall@scienceinpublic.com.au.
For more information please call me on (03) 9398 1416 or email me at niall@scienceinpublic.com.au. There is also a flyer about the course online at www.scienceinpublic.com/training.
Jesse Shore
National president
