The art of communicating science to the media
Auckland workshop

This course will be run on May 29 and 30 and June 1, 2009 in central Auckland, New Zealand. The one-day pause is designed to give participants time to review their notes and to prepare written and oral exercises for the last day.

The group will be restricted in size in order to maximise the chance for individual interaction and personal hands-on instruction.

The intensive and enjoyable workshop will cover the following topics (theory being interspersed with practical exercises over the three days):

+ Introduction to science and the media: why bother? (Some facts and figures from recent media research indicating why the media needs to be taken seriously - even if it doesn't always treat science with the same respect).

+ Nuts and bolts (How the science journalist sets about finding leads and then selecting, writing or broadcasting stories).

+ Nosing out news (A summary of what makes science and technology newsworthy).

+ The media release (The history, theory and practice of preparing releases and media notifications, including a selection of good and not-so-good examples, and model templates to use for your own releases).

+ A-Z of science writing (A detailed checklist - complete with examples - of things to do before, during and after writing a popular science or technology article or feature; this includes tips on formulaic writing, when and how to use examples and analogies and advice on improving grammar, punctuation and style).

+ Scientists meet journalists: friends or foes? (Contrasting and evaluating the characteristics of scientists and science communicators, with suggestions for addressing some stereotypes).

+ Style versus substance (An assessment of the typical styles adopted by journalists from newspapers, magazines, radio and TV).

+ The science interview * (Twenty simple rules to be remembered during all interviews for the print and broadcast media).

+ Going live * (Special tips and tactics for handling radio and TV interviews, including strategies to adopt when confronted by hostile reporters covering controversial or topical issues).

+ What went wrong? (Examples of interviews that did not go according to plan, including analysis of how to deal with such problems).

+ Role playing (Mock telephone approaches and interviews designed to prepare participants for potential conflicts or confrontations).

+ Asserting yourself (Techniques for being assertive rather than submissive or aggressive during interviews - and other situations).

+ Every picture tells a story (Introduction to the theory and practice of preparing material for graphics, illustrations and photographs - with concrete examples of where scientists and the media went right or wrong).

+ Science writing and the law (Legal issues affecting scientists and writers alike, including defamation, copyright and codes of ethics).

+ Editing with ease (Basics of editing technical copy, including tips on tightening text and the writing of clear and accurate headlines/titles and captions).

+ On the campaign trail (The lowdown on planning a multi-phase media strategy, spanning the print and broadcast media in New Zealand and abroad).

+ Getting used (Strategies for selling science stories, including getting started as a freelance).

+ Putting pen to paper (A series of topical exercises designed to help participants identify media priorities and story selection criteria and to provide practice in writing introductions and short articles on their own research or that of colleagues).

+ Bibliofile (A comprehensive list of recommended texts and Internet references for further reading on selected topics).

STRATEGY: Peter's teaching strategy is to rely essentially on overheads and PowerPoint presentations for notes and illustrations and to interact as much as possible with participants in order to maintain contact and attention throughout the workshop. This is also facilitated by illustrating the foregoing topics with appropriate exercises, examples of science stories, media releases, media kits, fact sheets, graphics, pictures and interviews.

* The interview section will include in-depth interviews tape recorded by Peter with willing participants about their work; these will be played back and analysed by participants who will then be asked to conduct interviews themselves. These will be evaluated and discussed in class.

MATERIALS: Photocopies of selected texts and examples, and comprehensive background notes on the art of science and technical communication, will be provided.

SUPPLEMENTARY BENEFITS: Many participants apply the skills and expertise they acquire to activities other than those related to science. For example, enhanced writing abilities lead to better letters and emails, greater verbal skills make for shorter, clearer telephone conversations and more assertive behaviour tends to improve relationships with peers, friends and family.

ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE: Course participants are entitled to further instruction and advice for a period of one month after the workshop is finished. During this period, workshop participants may seek further advice and instruction by telephone or email on any aspect of the course. The extra month would be particularly useful to those wishing to hone their skills or develop strategies for mounting comprehensive media campaigns.

FEES: The full cost of the workshop is $NZ890 per person, of which a deposit of $NZ140 is payable at the time of booking. The balance is due when the workshop begins. An "early bird" special of $NZ700 is available to participants who pay their $NZ140 deposit before May 1, 2009. Groups of three or more people from the same organisation receive a discount of $NZ100 per person (to be deducted from the balance). Registration will be confirmed in writing on receipt of the deposit.

Fees cover all tuition, course notes, exercises and morning and afternoon refreshments. The fees also include the one-month consultancy period mentioned above under "Additional assistance".

REGISTRATION: Please click here to register for this workshop.

INQUIRIES: Please email the workshop co-ordinator, Carola de Keijzer, at science-writing@inbox.com or telephone the workshop inquiry line in Melbourne, Australia, on +61-3-54295473 (Mon-Fri: 10am-9pm, Australian Eastern Standard Time). Messages will be returned within three working days.