Media Skills for Scientists or Academics

The media have never been more interested in scientists and their work – from high profile science documentaries, to TV programmes that name and shame; from considered articles in broadsheet newspapers that try to explain the science clearly, to broadcast news reporters who want you to sum up ten years of research in less than thirty seconds.

Many research grants now require recipients to communicate their research to the public. But can you explain your work in one minute, without using any technical terms?

This one-day course will prepare you to deal with the media with confidence and skill – from writing your own press release, to answering live questions on the news, to presenting your work in a full length feature documentary.

Using training exercises, role-plays, and real-life examples, delivered by award winning science TV professionals, this course will equip you with a range of techniques to use when interacting with the media.

We can run these courses in a number of ways to suit you. A standard format would be one course for a company, university department or faculty. We'd specify a minimum and maximum number of participants. It will be more cost effective if we come to you, and you provide a venue - a standard AV equipped seminar or lecture room is fine. If you can't find a room, we will. Individuals may also wish to book courses, and we aim to cater for them - probably in Leeds (our base). Please let us know if you are interested. Finally, if this course isn't what you are looking for, we may be able to tailor a course for your organisation.

TIMETABLE

0900-0915 Coffee & Introduction

• Who we are
• What this course will help you to do

0915-1000 What Makes A Good Story

• Who are you talking to?
• Why is anyone interested?
• How to tell the story
• The Good, The Bad And The Bearded

Science vs the media: understanding why the media’s
agenda is not the same as yours. The common traps
scientists fall into.

1000-1100 Telling The Story Simply

• How to explain scientific concepts to the public.
• Good and bad examples
• Interactive exercise – junking the jargon

1100-1300 You And The Media

• Why will the media approach you?
• Who is approaching you?
• Print journalism
• Radio and TV
• TV Process: understand and survive

It’s one thing to be able to tell your story simply; it’s quite another to appear in the newspaper, on radio or TV. This section explains the differences.

1300-1400 LUNCH and an informal chat to the tutors.

• Prep for interviews

1400-1530 Doing It For Real

• Practice your skills on camera
• Straight Interview
• Show and tell interview: you in the lab
• Science interview with demo

1530-1615 Tricky Questions:

• What to do if your research is under attack..
• How to deflect tricky questions
• Should you refuse to appear?
• Should you go ‘off the record’?

1615-1715 Getting It Out There

• How to write a press release
• What print and broadcast journalists want.
• Exercise: Write Your Own Press Release

1715-1730 Q+A

AIMS & OBJECTIVES

The ultimate aim of the course is to improve the public’s understanding of science, by equipping scientists to communicate better with the media.

The course objectives are that each delegate will leave with:
1) An enhanced understanding of how communicating with the public, through the media is different from communicating to fellow scientists.
2) Knowledge of the processes involved in creating a print article and a broadcast programme, to give more confidence in dealing with the media and the ability to maximise positive coverage.
3) The ability to tell a science story themselves, in a way that will grip a non-scientist.
4) An improved ability to write press releases and to take part in
broadcasts, both radio and TV.
5) Preparing to answer difficult questions from journalists.