The Engaged Researcher: Public Engagement Training

This short course covers the what, why and how of public engagement and communication. The course is for research staff and PhD students who want to gain the skills and confidence required to plan and deliver an impactful public engagement project.

Ever wanted to bring comedy into your public engagement projects? This is for you, as trainer Steve Cross helps researchers to improve their communication skills, build confidence and find creative ways of communicating their research.

This course will give an introduction to Public and Patient Involvement. You will find out about local support available in the region to help plan, deliver and build PPI into research, that will improve research for patients and services users and carers. This course will be delivered by Dr Amanda Stranks, PPI/E and Communications Strategy Lead NIHR Cambridge BRC Communications and PPI/E Department,

This short course will provide you with information about the UK school system, the reality of working with a school. It will cover ways in which the University already works with schools and how you can get involved. The course will help you decide whether working with schools is the right PE activity to achieve your intended outcomes. Finally, it will also provide you with a range of ideas of how to engage with schools and how to plan an activity. This course will be delivered with the Widening Participation team

This course will give you an introduction to visual tools to make your research more accessible and engaging. It is all about breaking down barriers and to empower researchers and professional staff to engage well. This is often about finding a visual link for complex content. This session is going to be delivered by Dr ALina Loth, a Public Engagement professional and Illustrator (http://www.engagedart.uk/)

Successful engagement with the public can benefit research, researchers and the public – but how do you go about demonstrating this change? Evaluation of engagement doesn’t just help us demonstrate the value of our PE initiatives but can help bring us closer to our audiences by giving the public a strong clear voice. This workshop will guide you through the best evaluation processes showing you When, Why and crucially How to use evaluation to give you reliable and clear data. Demonstrate success to funders; record Impact for REF; learn how to improve your processes and have a better understanding of the people you are connecting with. This course is going to be run by Jamie Galagher: Jamie is an award-winning freelance science communicator and engagement professional. He has delivered training around the world, from skyscrapers of Hong Kong to tents in the African bush. Having had four years’ experience as the central PE lead for the University of Glasgow he has worked on improving the reach, profile and impact of research engagement in almost every academic discipline. Specialising in evaluation Jamie provides consultancy services to charities and universities helping them to demonstrate their impact and understand their audiences and stakeholders. Jamie is also an associate editor of the Research for All journal. He was named as one of the “100 leading practising scientists in the UK” by the Science Council and as one of the “175 Faces of Chemistry” by the Royal Society of Chemistry. He won the International 3 Minute Thesis Competition and Famelab Scotland. www.jamiebgall.co.uk @jamiebgall

This course will cover how to use Social Media tools for Public Engagement. The course will be delivered by the Social Media and AV team.

This session will be an introduction to Public Engagement and Policy. The session will start with a short introduction to Public Engagement and Stakeholder involvement. It will then focus on how researchers can get started in engaging with policymakers and explore synergies between governmental structures and higher education institutions in the UK. The session will be co-led by Dr. Maja Spanu, a Junior Research Fellow in International Relations.

Hundreds of science communicators across the UK go head to head every year to become the FameLab UK champion. Are you interested in… Improving your communication skills, talking about your research with a public audience, joining a global network of science communicators and an all-expenses paid trip to Cheltenham Science Festival?

Please register to this event here: https://cheltenhamfestivals.wufoo.com/forms/x1rkhi9l0lsbx3e/

Hundreds of science communicators across the UK go head to head every year to become the FameLab UK champion. Are you interested in… Improving your communication skills, talking about your research with a public audience, joining a global network of science communicators and an all-expenses paid trip to Cheltenham Science Festival?

Please register to this event here: https://cheltenhamfestivals.wufoo.com/forms/x1rkhi9l0lsbx3e/

Museums and collections are so much more than the objects they house. They are places of research, education and engagement, and they are open to members of the public in ways that departments and colleges are not. They can allow researchers to reach a range of diverse audiences. This training session will give you an insight into the breadth of activity ongoing at University of Cambridge Museums and how it could relate to your research and public engagement plans. After this training you will have a better understanding of the opportunities to work with museums.

Money, money, money… Securing funding for Public Engagement projects is as a struggle professional staff and researchers are often all too familiar with. Understanding the perspective of the funding bodies can help to increase your success rates and to build up long-term collaborations with the funders. Dr Rebecca Jones, Public Engagement Manager at the Cambridge Wellcome Stem Cell Institute and former PE Manager for Wellcome trust, will share her experience from working on both sides of the equation. The session is aimed at professional staff and researchers working on public engagement funding applications or pathways to impact sections. This training is now going to be on MS teams: Email dam74@cam.ac.uk if you'd like to take part.

We’ll be looking at the what, why and how of public engagement and introducing researchers to some of the ways to plan an effective public engagement project. Topics: • The what: definitions of public engagement, who are the public, what activities count as engagement, what are the goals? • The why: University commitment to PE, REF, Funders • The how: the Logic Model approach to planning PE, practical considerations, moving engagement online and opportunities at the University.

Course structure: Monday 10am-11am: Introduction to PE Wednesday 10am-11am: Evaluation and online PE tips and hints and opportunities at the University Thursday 2pm-4pm: Do you have any questions? 1:1 advice sessions (not mandatory to attend!)

We’ll be looking at the what, why and how of public engagement and introducing researchers to some of the ways to plan an effective public engagement project. Topics: • The what: definitions of public engagement, who are the public, what activities count as engagement, what are the goals? • The why: University commitment to PE, REF, Funders • The how: the Logic Model approach to planning PE, practical considerations, moving engagement online and opportunities at the University.

Course structure: Monday 10am-11am: Introduction to PE Wednesday 10am-11am: Evaluation and online PE tips and hints and opportunities at the University Thursday 2pm-4pm: Do you have any questions? 1:1 advice sessions (not mandatory to attend!)

Capturing your audience’s attention and keeping it is vital for any type of public engagement. Having a good story to tell and then telling it in a compelling way enables you to connect with a wide audience. This module takes you through the art and science of storytelling: exploring attention and motivation, dramatic structure, rhetorical devices, visual enhancements, and peripheral influences so that you can craft your own engaging story.

Capturing your audience’s attention and keeping it is vital for any type of public engagement. Having a good story to tell and then telling it in a compelling way enables you to connect with a wide audience. This module takes you through the art and science of storytelling: exploring attention and motivation, dramatic structure, rhetorical devices, visual enhancements, and peripheral influences so that you can craft your own engaging story.

Capturing your audience’s attention and keeping it is vital for any type of public engagement. Having a good story to tell and then telling it in a compelling way enables you to connect with a wide audience. This module takes you through the art and science of storytelling: exploring attention and motivation, dramatic structure, rhetorical devices, visual enhancements, and peripheral influences so that you can craft your own engaging story.

Capturing your audience’s attention and keeping it is vital for any type of public engagement. Having a good story to tell and then telling it in a compelling way enables you to connect with a wide audience. This module takes you through the art and science of storytelling: exploring attention and motivation, dramatic structure, rhetorical devices, visual enhancements, and peripheral influences so that you can craft your own engaging story.

Capturing your audience’s attention and keeping it is vital for any type of public engagement. Having a good story to tell and then telling it in a compelling way enables you to connect with a wide audience. This module takes you through the art and science of storytelling: exploring attention and motivation, dramatic structure, rhetorical devices, visual enhancements, and peripheral influences so that you can craft your own engaging story.

Animations can be a powerful tool to convey a message and to capture your audiences attention and interest. By bringing movement into your visualisation you add a new dimension to your visual storytelling and the process can be incredibly creative. This course will introduce you to a range of animation techniques using simple techniques to get you started on animating your own research. No previous knowledge or special equipment required.

Monday session 1: - Introduction to animation with instructions on how to work on your own animation throughout the week

Wednesday Session 2: - Mentoring time for questions or one-on-one advise

Friday Session 3: - showcase and presentation of the produced animations

Animations can be a powerful tool to convey a message and to capture your audiences attention and interest. By bringing movement into your visualisation you add a new dimension to your visual storytelling and the process can be incredibly creative. This course will introduce you to a range of animation techniques using simple techniques to get you started on animating your own research. No previous knowledge or special equipment required.

Monday session 1: - Introduction to animation with instructions on how to work on your own animation throughout the week

Wednesday Session 2: - Mentoring time for questions or one-on-one advise

Friday Session 3: - showcase and presentation of the produced animations