Public engagement (for trainers)

1. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Public Engagement
Dean Hogan

2. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Public Engagement
The object of this training is to make researchers aware of public
engagement skills and opportunities within the context of a EU-
funded project.

3. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Public Engagement
• The aim of the first exercise is for participants to be better able
to communicate their own research to non-specialists.
• Gain an insight into some of the challenges of raising public
awareness of research.

4. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Exercise
• Break into groups of three. Explain your research project to
your partners
• Decide which research topic to take forward
• Plan a 90 second presentation to the group on your partner’s
research.

5. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Public Engagement
When planning a public engagement campaign you need to
know/decide:
• Who/What is the intended audience/target group?
• What is their current knowledge?
• Learning outcomes?
• Do you need to assess learning? How?

6. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Public Engagement
• What is your budget?
• Your time must also have a value

7. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Public Engagement
Channels, Tools & Content
Channels: Are the pathways through which you will direct your
message (Online, TV, Radio, print media, posters etc.)
Tools: Are the conduits that will convey the message (Specific
publications, websites, TV shows/demographics etc.)
Content: Represents the information, style, tone,
duration of your message

8. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Some Channels & Tools
• Media Press Releases, Radio & TV Interviews, YouTube
• Social Media outlets
• Research Days, Women in Science, Children’s Science, Street Science
• Public Seminars, Poster competitions etc
• Physics showcase at festivals, Film schools, Comedy Clubs

9. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
The Message
• What do you want to say?
• How do you want to say it?
• What is your Mission Statement, Logo, or Catchphrase?
• What are the implications of your message?
• Is it an innovative product or idea?
• What are the benefits?

10. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
What About Me???
In terms of your career & professional development, what do
you hope to gain from your involvement in a public engagement
campaign?

11. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Second Exercise
Plan national or regional public engagement
campaign.

12. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Plan national or regional public engagement
campaign.
• Decide on channels, tools & content
• Each group will make a presentation
• Each member will participate in the presentation
• Presentations will be judged on effectiveness, originality,
& budget. Prize for best presentation.

13. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Do a comprehensive identification/mapping exercise of your
intended audience. All dissemination, public relations &
outreach activities should be targeted at this group.
For dissemination activities to be effective they must
be well prepared and targeted.

14. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
The Main, or Core, Groups are:
• Scientific Community
• Industry
• Policy Makers
• Government
• General Public
• Media

15. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Each of these groups may be broken down into sub-groups
Scientific Community:
• Professors
• Researchers
• PhD students
• Postgraduates
• Publicly-funded
• Privately-funded

16. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Industry:
• Multi-nationals
• SMEs
• Clusters
• Industry representative groups

17. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Policy Makers:
• EC-level
• International
• Supranational
• National level
• Regional level

18. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Government:
• National politicians
• Regional politicians
• Local politicians

19. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
General Public:
• Retirees
• Employees
• Self-employed
• Children
• First-level students
• Second-level students
• Third-level students

20. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
General Public Engagement
• Public Communication
• Public Consultation
• Public Participation

21. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Media:
• Press
• Television
• Radio
• Online
Media offers the most opportunities for the multiplier effect.
Each sub-group can be broken down further.

22. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
We now wish to identify what individuals, groups, types of
media, etc influence each group and sub-group.

23. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Some influencers that may affect our groups:
• Scientific community – Influenced by policy makers,
government, industry, public opinion
• Industry – Influenced by policy makers, market demands,
shareholders, public opinion, media, scientific
community

24. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
• Policy makers – Influenced by politicians, lobbyists, public
opinion, media, special interest groups
• Government – Influenced by policy makers, general public,
lobbyists, industry, special interest groups, media

25. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
• General public – Influenced by government, media, policy
makers
• Media – Influenced by public opinion, industry, policy makers,
government

26. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
It is quite obvious that several of the core groups influence
each other. It is important to understand how this
influencing effect occurs and how to ensure that our
message is brought to the attention of key influencers in
each core group.

27. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
The Central Communications Team needs to identify the target
audience within the six core groups and their sub-groups on a
European level. The Liaison Officers will be responsible for
identifying the same target audience, but at a national/regional
level. That information should be fed to the Communications
Officer for collation.

28. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Liaison Officers are usually located with project partners in other
cities/countries. Occasionally a Liaison Officer will be located in
an important communications location such as Brussels.

29. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Responsibilities of the Central Communications Team or
Communications Officer
• Establish & work with a network of contacts & relationships with
stakeholders, funders, EU Reps, member states, LO’s and targeted
media
• Maintain a visible and accessible first contact point for other entities
interested in working with your organisation/project
• Represent your project/institution to external parties
whenever suitable

30. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Responsibilities of the Central Communications Team or
Communications Officer
• Creating, managing, and producing the content and updates
for website and other social media tools
• Organising and co-ordinating events such as meetings,
workshops, conferences, promotional activities, scientific fairs,
working with researchers and L.O.s
• Presenting and promoting your message/information

31. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Responsibilities of the Central Communications Team or
Communications Officer
• Co-ordinate outreach activities
• Preparing, writing, and editing content for press releases and press
kits. All other promotional material
• Optimise website exposure by analysing search engine patterns.
Page visits, links, click-though rates
• Measuring effectiveness and reporting on all
communications activities

32. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
The dissemination of information/your message will be provided by
two main sources:
The activities undertaken by the Communications Officer and the
information provided by the Liaison Officers on activities undertaken at
the project locations.
Two-way communication. From the central location out to the Liaison
Officers and from them back to the C.O.
The L.O.s need to keep the C.O. updated regularly on:
Completed communications activities, any other related
activities, upcoming publicity opportunities.

33. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
The Perfect Communications Officer
• Strong knowledge and understanding of marketing, promotion,
communication principles and practices
• Ability to analyse technical or scientific information from different sources
and to restructure it into clear briefs and other communication activities
• Excellent written, spoken and presentation communication skills in the
English language
• Knowledge and ability to use electronic office tools
• Strong organisation and management skills (planning,
co-ordination and prioritisation)

34. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
• Good customer service skills
• Comfortable dealing with senior level individuals
• Have knowledge of protocol and global etiquette
• Ability to work under pressure to meet tight deadlines
• Ability to establish effective working relationships in a
multicultural environment
• Training L.O.’s and maintaining “identity and message”

35. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme
for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 643330
Thank you for your time, attention and participation
Dean Hogan