Sharp minds, clear messages.
We get researchers ready to meet the media!
Seminars in speaking and writing for the broadcast and print media, as well as communication training
provided by professional science journalists who work in the print, online, radio and television media
and have background in PR, medicine, the humanities and the social and natural sciences.
We look forward to meeting you!
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For me, the crucial point was to explain complicated scientific hypotheses and results in way that was easy to comprehend for my audience. After all, research can be interesting to everyone.
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Thanks for the amazing module, I really enjoyed it – now I have much more insights into how to deal and relate to the media in risk communication situations.
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Media Training for Researchers even fulfilled special requests such as parallel German and English courses.
Research Training Group SynAGE, Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg
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A good scientific theory should be explicable to a bartender.
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At the IGB, we are working to strengthen our researchers’ media skills. Media Training for Researchers is helping us to develop workshops that are tailored to our needs.
Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Berlin
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The training was designed to meet the Institute’s individual needs. It was clear and focused on the key issues—and it was fun.
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The knowledgeable and highly skilled trainers took managers from our research organizations on a journey exploring the topic of media communication. The highlight was the camera training, where participants focused on developing and improving their on-camera presence.
Henning Rickelt, Managing Director, Center for Science and Research Management (ZWM), Speyer
Workshops
Basic media training seminars follow a proven and largely predefined structure. They prepare experts to meet the specific demands of print and online media, radio, and television. Workshops cover news factors (“What are reporters interested in?”), communicating to be understood, the media landscape, and media law. The focus of our basic media training is on written exercises, interviews, and statements in front of a microphone and camera.
Duration: 1.5 - 2 days
We offer training for appearances in front of the camera as a basic seminar version using an HD camcorder. For those who appear in front of the camera frequently or have to be prepared for crisis communication, we recommend working with a professional ENG (electronic news-gathering) team. This allows us to closely replicate real-life scenarios in the training context. In both cases, we practice interview situations and statement preparation with participants. Instructors give structured feedback on argumentation, understandability, as well as voice and body language.
Duration: 0.5 - 1 day
While relatively rare, real crises usually unfold according to a specific pattern. In organizational contexts, crises create major burdens for both management and employees, and can result in reputational damage. But fortunately, it’s possible to prepare for crises. We work with participants to analyze the individual crisis potential and talk about approaches to get through a crisis.
In numerous practical exercises, participants learn to use organizational strategies to overcome crises and to communicate confidently under stress, not only in writing but also on the telephone and on camera. They will also work on developing their own personal crisis handbook.
Duration: 1 – 2 days
Researchers and communicators frequently find themselves having to withstand emotional attacks and confront fake news in difficult discussions.
How can they respond to critical, confrontational, and provocative questions?
How can they deal with their own feelings and those of their counterparts?
And what can they do to prevent discussions from being derailed?
Participants learn reliable communication techniques and practice them in role-playing scenarios.
Duration: 0.5 - 1 day
When meetings are disorganized or lack focus, nobody leaves feeling satisfied. And what is difficult in person can be just as difficult online. In this workshop, we provide professional tips on how to moderate meetings efficiently and effectively. We’ll start by introducing a variety of analog and digital tools that you can use in different settings. Then you’ll take on the role of moderator, either for an instructional unit or a role-play situation. You’ll practice what you’ve learned and receive feedback on how to be a better and more effective moderator. Workshop topics: attitude of the moderator, clarifying the moderator’s role, the cycle of moderation, moderating tools, dealing with difficult situations, tips for moderating large group meetings.
Researchers need to be able to answer questions in front of a live audience, whether it’s in a small public forum or on national TV. And when talking about hot-button issues like climate change or political events like armed conflicts, there’s always a risk of being verbally attacked. How can researchers get their message across clearly and confidently in situations like these? The panel discussion workshop prepares you to do just that. We simulate a panel discussion in a realistic setting. Then we gradually increase the level of difficulty from neutral to fact-based confrontation to emotional confrontation.
Whether you’re defending a doctoral thesis, introducing your research institute at an event like the Long Night of Sciences, or giving a keynote address at an international conference: When you’re presenting your research to an audience, you need to think about more than just the golden rules of PowerPoint presentations. It’s equally important to talk about your work as if you are telling an exciting story, and to use your voice and physical presence to win over your audience. We teach this workshop in cooperation with professional state-certified breathing, elocution, and voice instructors if needed.
Duration 1 – 2 days
Climate change, Covid-19, social inequality: Our society has to contend with new risks every day. Researchers often have facts that would be useful to policy makers and even have the tools to support change. But somehow people don’t seem to listen or understand. How can you as a researcher connect with your target audience and make a difference?
In this workshop, you’ll learn how to communicate about risks, risk assessments, and risk probabilities accurately, effectively, and in the right way for your target audience. The workshop will also cover the graphic presentation of statistics. Participants will work together as a group to find the best risk communication strategies for their own topic.
Duration: 0.5 – 1 day
Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and other social media allow researchers to get their findings out faster and to a wider audience than ever before. But sharing knowledge is just one part of the equation: For the individual researcher, it’s also about self-marketing.
Which social media platforms are best suited for reaching a specific target audience? How can these platforms be used most effectively? This workshop provides an overview of the most important social media platforms for researchers. Workshop participants will learn from the best practices of successful researchers and cultivate their own social media presence.
Duration: 1 day
To communicate successfully, you need a clear course of action. What overall objectives do participants want to achieve? What concrete communication goals result from those objectives? Who do participants need to address to meet their goals? What are the messages they need to convey? And what are the right channels of communication? In exploring these questions, participants develop feasible, practical communication concepts. In doing so, they draw on methods of design thinking and other innovative approaches.
Duration: 0.5 – 1.5 days
Writing is a craft, and in this seminar, researchers learn the tools of the trade. What makes a topic interesting? How can I write about complex topics so that my target audience understands and enjoys reading about them? What rules should I follow when writing for scientific publications? What about when writing for social media? This workshop builds on findings from the research on reading comprehension and on writing to be understood. Participants will write about their own research and receive structured feedback.
Duration: 0.5 – 1.5 days
Formate
Presenting your research at the next Science Slam? Is the local TV station asking for “just a short three-minute” live interview? Looking for the right social media strategy? In individual coaching, we advise researchers in all aspects of research communication. We help you gain clarity about your goals and work with you to develop a strategy for achieving them. We also provide very practical support—for instance, in trial runs and training sessions on topics such as “giving presentations,” “talking to the media,” and “writing for a popular audience.”
We generally use Zoom for our coaching sessions. In most cases an hour is enough, but we also meet more frequently if needed.
We would be happy to design a customized training program for you, building on our tried-and-tested training modules. We also work with our clients to develop new training modules that reflect their specific needs.
Espresso training offers the essence of a workshop topic distilled into two hours. In these short workshops, we give participants a basic overview of key concepts and a chance to start putting ideas into practice. Espresso training provides a wealth of content in a condensed format and—like a good cup of espresso—leaves you ready for more.
An espresso training session generally lasts two hours.
We also offer virtual versions of all our workshops with shorter units, more breaks, but with all the intensive practical exercises that are part of our in-person workshops. For our online workshops, we usually use the Zoom video conferencing platform. We also offer a mix of online and in-person training.
Online workshops are usually no longer than four hours per workshop day.
