Science communication training for the FAO
In May 2023, Dr Tali Hoffman and I ran a two-part workshop for the FAO with participants from Tanzania (from government, NGOs, and research institutes) working on the all-important issue of pesticides and pollinator health. Just in time for World Bee Day, which takes place on 20 May!
Our training covered:
communication strategy
how to write key messages for different target audiences
policy briefs, and
principles of effective data visualisation
Short workshop format
I am enjoying our new short workshop training format, which involves two online sessions of two hours each, It provides the perfect balance of instruction and practical work.
For the FAO training, in Session 1, Tali and I taught the group about communication strategy, policy briefs, key messages, and data visualisation.
We shared a take-home handout on what we had taught and two short assignments. We asked participants to develop two key messages and improve a graph.
In Session 2, a few volunteers shared their work for group discussion and feedback.
Over the years, I have seen that the people who join our trainings benefit from these co-learning sessions. Workshopping communication outputs (like key messages) together in a supportive environment helps people improve the quality of their work. In addition, it allows them to consider helpful perspectives from their colleagues.
More short workshops rolling out soon
The short workshop model is a winning formula.
As trainers, we have enough time to provide substantial instruction on discrete elements of effective science communication. For the participants, who are busy juggling work commitments, four hours in a week is a manageable ask. And the homework assignments are relatively quick to do.
We look forward to offering future clients this short science communication workshop model. We are excited about its potential to strengthen science communication skills for researchers from varying fields!
