Public engagement for the time poor
How to do effective public engagement with enough time to get on with your research!
Engagement is a hot topic at the moment. From contributing to press releases and delivering lab tours, to presenting at public lectures and co-coordinating meetings that incorporate the insights of patient groups — there are expectations that today’s researchers will do much more than simply deliver their research. And yet, academics are also required to spend ever increasing amounts of time in the lab and at the front of the lecture theatre.
But why are institutions and research funders so keen for academics to find time in their busy schedules to undertake engagement activities and, as a researcher, what opportunities are there to engage the public in a time friendly way?
Public engagement is used to mean a variety of different things. In some fields and sectors it has a precise definition, in others it is used more flexibly. So, let’s start with a definition:
“Public engagement describes the myriad of ways in which the activity and benefits of higher education and research can be shared with the public. Engagement is by definition a two-way process, involving interaction and listening, with the goal of generating mutual benefit.”
There are many benefits of public engagement for funders and research institutes. For instance, institutions benefit from raising the profile of their research through increased student recruitment and greater political influence. And both institutions and funders advertise their research portfolio and successes to raise money such that they can continue to fund future studies.
But the benefits don’t stop there. Increasingly, institutions are having to become more accountable for their spending and an open two-way dialogue can help to raise understanding and appreciation of why research is needed. This dialogue is also essential for building trust and demonstrating relevance, and encourages research to become more responsive and connected to society’s needs — allowing institutions to demonstrate a commitment to public good.
These potential outcomes are driving more institutions to embed engagement into their everyday activities; incorporating it into strategic missions, identifying measures of success, providing opportunities and resources, communicating and championing its importance, and recognising or rewarding those who get involved.
As for researchers themselves, public engagement activities are often cited as a source of inspiration for studies, a mechanism to improve skills in communication, networking and influencing, and a means to improve career opportunities. Engagement can open up fresh perspectives on research as well as enhancing the profile of a researcher and their work leading to greater impact.
Most academics accept that public engagement is worth while. In a recent survey by Rhian Melita Morris from the University of Swansea, initial findings suggest 96.43% think public engagement is important. And 90% of academics intending to submit an impact case study to REF2021 will include public engagement as an output, outcome, or impact.
The problem appears to be finding time amongst all the other activities vying for attention such as developing research, carrying experiments, publishing and presenting findings, teaching, supporting lab group members, applying for funding…the list goes on. Indeed, 67.44% said that ‘lack of time’ was the biggest barrier to conducting these activities.
So how do you find time to achieve all these potential benefits? The answer is to do smart engagement and maximise on the resources that are available to make the biggest impact.
Social media
One of the easiest places to start could be online. Social media might seem appealing because you don’t actually have to leave your lab to potentially access and communicate with billions of people. It is also a two way platform that, when used correctly, promotes questions and discussion.
Social media can also be used to publish live videos where you could, for example, answer commonly asked questions or do a live lab tour without the worrying about how many people will fit in the microscope room, and where visitors might park their cars.
But if you are setting up a social account from scratch it can take time to attract followers. The best way to grow your account will be to post regular content a couple of times a week, so you should ask yourself — are you sure you’ll have something to share every week?
Some research teams and individuals have very successful accounts but, if you’ve tried social media and had little success or have yet to set up these profiles, perhaps there is another way.
Many institutions and even departments have social media accounts managed by dedicated teams, and they often have tens of thousands of followers. Your research might also be funded by other organisations, such as a charity or research council, that will likely have many engaged followers that are keen to hear about the latest research into a specific disease area or scientific field.
Smart social media — by connecting with the people in charge of preexisting institutional and organisational social media accounts, you can let benefit from their reach and their expertise on how best to engage these audiences. Try contacting the organisations connected to your research to see how you can work with them, and who you should notify when you have news worth sharing or a wacky idea like a live lab tour!
Blogging etc.
A tweet or Facebook post only has so many characters, and sometimes you need a little more space to share your story and truly engage people. After all, a tweet with a link to your latest paper could go down like a led balloon with a none academic audience who are not used to reading journal articles. Writing science for public consumption is also great way to develop communication skills that could improve your grant success rate, particularly when applying to organisations that incorporate both peer and lay review into their grants process.
There are many research groups and individuals who maintain excellent blogs, such as ScienceofParkinsons by Simon Stott — seriously Simon I’m in awe of how you find the time to write such engaging and in-depth content! But like social media, it can take time to build an audience if you’re planning to start from scratch and it will require frequent posts.
Again, the same solution exists — the institutions and organisations you are connected to often have blogs, podcasts, vlogs, magazines and more. The editors of these channels would love you to get in touch — trust me because, if you are a Parkinson’s researcher, I’m one of the editors eager to talk to you (details are at the end of this post)!
Smart blogging— try reaching out to various organisations to find out about the different channels you can use as a vehicle for your research communications. Editors of these channels can offer advice about their audiences, for instance their level of scientific understanding, and help you tailor a piece so it has maximum impact. And when you have produced your beautiful blog, vlog, podcast, etc., you can ask these organisations to share it on their social media channels.
Events
Research events are another great way to engage the public. From lectures to lab tours, science fairs to open days, there are activities that will suit any researcher, whether they are new to a field or global experts. If you plan to go it alone, these activities can take some planning but will likely require less ongoing commitment than a social media channel or blog.
As you might expect, there are also opportunities to save time by taking part in events hosted by other organisations — such as a charity lecture series, local public science groups or university open days. By taking advantage of these preexisting events, you can save on the hassle of printing and sticking up laminated arrows to make sure people find that lecture hall tucked away behind the library. And, if you’re not yet ready to put together a demonstration table with activities that explain your research, you could visit or volunteer at science events to find out what other researchers are delivering.
In the interest of engaging wider online audiences, some organisers may also be able to video or live stream your presentation or demonstration. Not only does this make your research available to those who cannot attend in person, it can also provide a link to share on your institutional website or with other audiences.
Smart events — find out what opportunities there are with the organisations connected to your research or within your local community. And if you are looking for something a little more hands on, get in touch with local and national science festivals (e.g. the British Science Festival) who may be in need of demonstrators — these events can be a great way to engage with large and diverse audiences in a fun environment.
Involvement
With more academics being encouraged to undertake engagement activities, many are finding that they have to come up with innovative ways of reaching a wider range of audiences. But what is often overlooked is that there may be easy ways to get more impact from the activities you are already doing.
Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) is when researchers and people affected by health conditions work in partnership to plan, design, implement, manage, evaluate and/or disseminate research. The aim of this type of activity is to bring the patient voice into medical research.
Like other types of engagement, involvement can have huge impact both for the researcher and those involved. And it not just clinical researchers who should be interested in PPI, involvement can add value to basic research too.
So, next time you have the opportunity to interact with members of the public or patient groups, consider if it would be possible carry out some involvement at the same time. You could ask an audience to fill in a questionnaire about how your research would address their needs at the end of a presentation, or use some time out of your lab tour to ask people to feedback on the lay summary for your next grant application.
Smart involvement — if you are looking for support with how make the most out of your time when engaging public audiences, or are interested in involvement, consider contacting a charity that supports research in your field. Many Association of Medical Research Charity (AMRC) members, like Parkinson’s UK, have a strong and unique relationship with patients and the public who are keen to get involved in research partnerships. You can also download our PPI resource for researchers.
Press and media
Finally, when you have major news to share one of the most effective ways to let a public audience know is to engage with the media. While it is possible to do this by yourself I would advise getting professional help. Most universities and larger organisations have their own press and PR departments to help make sure your research gets the attention it deserves, and to also prep you for any of the more difficult questions that may be thrown your way.
Smart media — find out who your media contact is at your institution and funder. Then, next time you have a publication coming or news worthy story to share, get in touch with them as early as possible. More notice means you can work with these teams to produce a press release that both engages a public audience and accurately reflects your research, it also gives media teams the best chance to generate impact.
While much of this post relates to how academics can undertake engagement activities in a beneficial and time sensitive way, it is worth highlighting the idea of mutual benefit. Too often the focus of engagement is solely on the benefit for the institute or academic, or alternatively for members of engaged groups, but high quality public engagement should benefit all those involved and success measures should reflect this.
So, if you have been inspired to undertake some sort of engagement activity, the one thing I would suggest concentrating on is that your activity is mutually beneficial. After all time is precious for everyone…
We are currently advertising for Guest Research Bloggers. If you are a Parkinson’s researcher and would like to know more, get in touch at research@parkinsons.org.uk.
Or if you would like to discuss how Parkinson’s UK can support you with involvement activities, check out our PPI resource for researchers or email us at researchinvolvement@parkinsons.org.uk.
