Edinburgh Beltane is delighted to announce our NEW training programme for 2011-2012!

Funding for the Beacons for Public Engagement project is coming to an end in June 2012, but we're going out with a 'big bang' of exciting new opportunities - so do take advantage of this support while it is available!

Quick links: Narrative Skills | Voice & Presentation | Dialogue techniques to enhance PE | Policy perspectives on academic research | Broadcast Media Course | Research in the spotlight | Prezi | Other opportunities and bespoke training courses  

NARRATIVE SKILLS

11th October 2011 (1 day course) - Book now!
Discover the power of storytelling with this creative course on narrative skills. Find out how to construct effective narratives around your work to attract and engage an audience as well as challenge and inspire them with new ideas and a sense of possibility.
Who's it for: Researchers in any discipline
Run by: Creativity by Design
http://narrativeskillsworkshop.eventbrite.com/

VOICE AND PRESENTATION

25th October 2011; Repeated on 26th October 2011 (1 day course) - Book Now!
Only a small fraction of communication comes down to the actual content: Explore how to enhance your presenting style by making the most of your voice, posture and presence in this highly-practical course around Voice and Presentation Skills.
Who's it for: Researchers, public engagement professionals
Run by: Voice in Action
25th October 2011 http://voiceskillsworkshop.eventbrite.com/
26th October 2011 http://voiceskillsworkshop2.eventbrite.com/

DIALOGUE TECHNIQUES TO ENHANCE PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT

21st and 28th November 2011 (2 day course) - Book Now!
Whether your research work is controversial, remote from 'the public', misunderstood and/or essential to society, you will need to engage with others to find out their views or concerns, explain your work, discuss implications, or just to help you appreciate the value of your work to society. Dialogue can be a powerful tool in public engagement and in any collaborative interaction, professional or personal. Dialogue is the useful facilitation technique to help you create inclusive and balanced discussions, where all participants are heard and respected. This reflective course will you develop important skills for public engagement, and transferable skills to improve academic discussions.
Who's it for: PhD students in any discipline
Run by: Edinburgh Beltane
http://pgdialogue2.eventbrite.com/

POLICY PERSPECTIVES ON ACADEMIC RESEARCH

Late November 2011 (1 day course) -- Booking open soon
If your research is relevant to public policy, you will benefit from this interactive course which explores how policy environment in the UK, shaped by Holyrood, Westminster and Brussels, can be fast-changing as governments and parliaments respond to public, commercial and media demands. Unravel how universities and research are perceived from the outside and discuss how to reach policy-making audiences more effectively.
Who's it for: Senior academics in public policy relevant areas
Run by: 3rd Horizons

BROADCAST MEDIA COURSE

22nd, 23rd and 24th February 2012 (3 days) -- Booking open soon
Want more experience in interacting with the media? Have a go at creating a radio programme about your research in a BBC Studio, produce a video, take part in a mock press conference and share top tips for working with the media.
Who's it for: Our 'big bang' finale is not to be missed by academics interested in sharing their work through journalism, radio or television! Communications officers are also invited to attend.
Run by: Gareth Mitchell, BBC presenter and Imperial College lecturer

RESEARCH IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Dates TBC -- Booking open soon
This interactive course will support you to explore the social context of your research, identify and understand potential audiences and stakeholders, and develop strategies to increase the impact of your work through engagement.
Who's it for: Researchers in any discipline
Developed by: National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement and RCUK

PREZI

Dates TBC -- Booking open soon
Brush up on your presentation skills with this fresh new Prezi course. This will help you get to grips with the presentation and storytelling tool, and also cover the principles of building a coherent story through a presentation to keep your audience engaged

Other Opportunities and Bespoke training

Please note that the above courses are pilots, so spaces are limited. We will be re-running the most popular courses throughout the year so please register your interest. If there is public engagement training you would particularly value, let us know and we'll see what we can do!

Training database

TO FIND OTHER COURSES WHICH DEVELOP SKILLS RELEVANT TO PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT, WHY NOT BROWSE THE EDINBURGH BELTANE COURSE DATABASE:
http://cpd.edinburghbeltane.net

Resources

VITAE Engaging Researcher Guide:
http://www.vitae.ac.uk/CMS/files/upload/The_engaging_researcher_2010.pdf
Public Engagement Toolkit: http://www.publicengagement.ac.uk/how

Not sure where to start?

If you're new to public engagement, contact us at info@edinburghbeltane.net and we can help you get started!