Researcher, Reporter, Activist? Reflecting My Role in Science Communication

"Researcher, reporter, activist?" is a concise workshop for anyone who wants to clarify their own role in science communication. Together, we’ll explore how researchers, science journalists, and press officers differ in terms of their goals, rationales, and communication styles – and where their roles overlap. Using personas we develop together and concrete scenarios, we’ll bring these roles to life and discuss common areas of tension. 
Participants will reflect on the role they currently play, the roles they’d like to take on in the future, and the responsibilities that come with them. By the end, they’ll leave with concrete ideas and initial strategies for consciously shaping their own involvement in science communication.

Content

Participants reflect on their (future) role in science communication and gain an 
understanding of the different functions and approaches of 

• researchers in science communication 
• science journalists 
• press officers / institutional public relations officers 

Based on this, they develop initial, personalized strategies: In which role do I speak, 
and how? Where do opportunities, limitations, and potential conflicts of interest lie? 

Requirements

For this workshop, successful participation in previous workshops is a prerequisite. Basic knowledge about research communication (e.g., from our courses) is required to ensure you can successfully engage with the workshop content.

HRA Research Communication: This workshop can be credited to the reflection & practice module of the certificate in research communication. This thematic focus is funded by the Claussen-Simon-Stiftung.