As scientists, we need to share our research proposals, progress and outcomes with a wide variety of audiences and to get the most value from these activities, we need to do it in a way that engages, informs, inspires and recognises the knowledge and perspectives others bring to these exchanges. 

The goal of this 2-day workshop is to help participants translate complex research into relevant and meaningful information - turning a lecture (or seminar) into a conversation. It will show participants how to communicate their research to invite conversation, whether it be amongst other scientists, stakeholders, or the general public. This will involve practical sessions that are aimed at telling stories with research findings, to bring people along on the research journey, and learning how these can be pitched for specific groups.

We will also explore approaches for translating the participants’ own data and research into graphical and summary outputs that facilitate engagement. This will involve identifying how research could be relevant to different end-user groups and developing ways to kick-start these conversations, as opposed to using standard format lectures that often focus on methods and complex data analyses.

We will also look at some real-world examples involving policymakers, conservation and land management groups, concerned citizens and other users of research outcomes.

At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Identify relevant audiences/groups they would like to tailor their research toward.
• Develop ways to communicate their research in a variety of modes, designed for these different audiences.
• Tell the story of their research and how that will relate to stakeholders.
• Understand the levels of stakeholder engagement and have developed different elevator pitches.
• Present their research in a way that encourages conversations and engages stakeholders.

Program