Course – 1st Edition
Communicating Science Effectively
May 18th-22nd, 2020, Barcelona (Spain)
Scientific Communication
REGISTRATION IS CLOSED
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Course Overview
This course is for scientists who want to communicate effectively at several levels (traditional media, social media, activities), in different formats (text, photos, video, graphics) to a heterogeneous audience (general public, peers, potential donors, children, international organisations, public institutions, etc.).
The main goal of the course is to provide them with the necessary skills to define their objectives, to identify already existing networks and instruments in order to create links with them and to produce effective messages.
REQUIREMENTS
All participants must bring their own personal laptop (Windows, Macintosh, Linux).
Contact
DATE
May 18th-22nd, 2020
LANGUAGE
English
COURSE LENGTH & ECTS
30 hours on-site.
This course is equivalent to 2 ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) at the Life Science Zurich Graduate School.
The recognition of ECTS by other institutions depends on each university or school.
PLACES
Places are limited to 16 participants and will be occupied by strict registration order.
Participants who have completed the course will receive a certificate at the end of it.
Program
Daily Program
Monday. What do you want?
Prior to your communication plan/action, you need to define your communication goals.
What do you want? To purely inform, to raise awareness, to educate, to become known, to be present, to clarify, to advocate, to reach donors, to influence, to cooperate… you need to define your main objective(s) before start communicating.
Who are you talking to? What do you want to avoid? What can you do? What is your budget? How much time do you have? Why should people care about your research? This should be defined as well.
Tuesday. The state of journalism today.
Incorporating the mass media in your communication plan. You should know what is happening in the journalism today: what are becoming the traditional mass media, which new platforms are emerging, how is getting transformed the communication flow and how are the messages adapting to the new surroundings. Fake news, fact checking, data journalism, “visual first”, interaction with the audience or artificial intelligence are fields where scientists can be both interested and interesting.
Wednesday. The message.
Producing your own message. It is time to choose your format (text, photo, video, illustration) and your attribute (press release, tweet, blog post, interview, analysis, story) in order to highlight your finds and identity with honesty, complicity and clarity. Stories and interviews work exceptionally well in Sciences, you will see why.
Thursday. Communication beyond mass media.
Apart from preparing and disseminating your message through the media, there are other ways to reach people (courses, public lectures, festivals, fairs, exhibitions, international forums), as well as formats increasingly successful in communicating science like comics, short films or popular science books. You may also want to develop your own communication strategy as a component of your scientific project appealing to non-traditional funding sources like university programs, accelerators, crow funding or grants. Projects merging Science & Communication are prone to be funded by these new mechanisms.
On Thursday afternoon students will work in their communication plans (individually or in groups, as wished).
Friday. Atelier.
Each team or student will present its work to the group for discussion and questions.
Roundtable: brainstorming and key conclusions.
Fees
- Course Fee
- Early bird (until March 30th, 2020):
- 516 € *
(412.8 € for Ambassador Institutions) - Regular (after March 30th, 2020):
- 640 € *
(512 € for Ambassador Institutions) - This includes course material, coffee breaks and lunches (VAT included).
* Participants from companies/industry will have an extra charge of 100 €.
- Course Fee + Accommodation Package
- Early bird (until March 30th, 2020):
- 866 €
(762.8 € for Ambassador Institutions) - Regular (after March 30th, 2020):
- 990 €
(862 € for Ambassador Institutions) - This includes course material, coffee breaks, transportation between the Venue and Barcelona, accommodation from Sunday to Friday, breakfasts, lunches and dinners (VAT included).
* Participants from companies/industry will have an extra charge of 100 €.
You can check the list of Ambassador Institutions. If you want your institution to become a Transmitting Science Ambassador please contact us at communication@transmittingscience.com
Schedule
Course Schedule
Participants will make their own way
- Monday to Friday:
- 9:30 to 13:30 Lessons.
- 13:30 to 14:30 Lunch (included).
- 14:30 to 17:00 Lessons.
The class schedule is approximate; it is possible that the content of one day may run into the next and a working day may be longer than advertised.
Course + Accommodation Package Schedule
- Sunday:
- 19:00 Meeting point in Plaza Catalunya (Barcelona) to take the bus to Capellades. If you are planning to arrive later, you can find more information on how to get there.
- 20:00 Registration in the Hostel.
- 20:30 Dinner.
- Monday to Thursday:
- 08:00 to 09:00 Breakfast
- 9:30 to 13:30 Lessons
- 13:30 to 14:30 Lunch (included)
- 14:30 to 17:00 Lessons
- 20:00 Dinner
- Friday:
- 8:00 to 9:00 Breakfast.
- 9:30 to 13:30 Lessons
- 13:30 to 14:30 Lunch (included)
- 14:30 Meeting point in the Hostel to take the bus to Barcelona city.
- 16:00 Arrival at Plaza Catalunya (Barcelona).
The class schedule is approximate; it is possible that the content of one day may run into the next and a working day may be longer than advertised.
Accommodation
If you choose the Accommodation Package you will be hosted at Rural House Can Carol, in shared en-suite rooms, although you will only share rooms with other course participants (male or female only).
If you prefer to stay in a single en-suite room, you can do so with a supplementary charge.
More information
The Accommodation Package includes transportation from the centre of Barcelona city to the venue and back, at the start and end of the course, respectively. The trip takes around 1 hour each way.
If the number of participants exceeds the available rooms at Can Carol, some of them could be accommodated in the Hotel Tall del Conill, by registration order. The hotel is at 10 minutes walking, although transport will be provided in the morning and after dinner. Lunches and dinners will be with the whole group.
Accommodation is included from Sunday (check-in) to Friday (check-out). Breakfast, lunch and dinner are also provided during the week, starting from the dinner of Sunday to lunch of Friday (included).
Other accommodation options
If you do not want the Accommodation Package, accommodation is available in places other than Can Carol: Where to stay near the Venue.
Funding
Discounts are not cumulative and apply only on the Course Fee. We offer the possibility of paying in two instalments (contact courses@transmittingscience.com).
5 % Discount
Former participants will have a 5 % discount on the Course Fee.
20 % Discount
20 % discount on the Course Fee is offered for members of some organizations (Ambassador Institutions). If you want to apply to this discount please indicate it in the Registration form (proof will be asked later).
40 % Discount
Unemployed scientists living in the country were the course will be held, as well as PhD students based in that country without any grant or scholarship to develop their PhD, could benefit from a 40 % discount on the Course Fee. If you want to ask for this discount, please contact the course coordinator. That would apply for a maximum of 2 places and they will be covered by strict inscription order.
Funding
Discounts are not cumulative and apply only on the Course Fee. We offer the possibility of paying in two instalments (contact courses@transmittingscience.com).
5 % Discount
Former participants will have a 5 % discount on the Course Fee.
20 % Discount
20 % discount on the Course Fee is offered for members of some organizations (Ambassador Institutions). If you want to apply to this discount please indicate it in the Registration form (proof will be asked later).
40 % Discount
Unemployed scientists living in the country were the course will be held, as well as PhD students based in that country without any grant or scholarship to develop their PhD, could benefit from a 40 % discount on the Course Fee. If you want to ask for this discount, please contact the course coordinator. That would apply for a maximum of 2 places and they will be covered by strict inscription order.