ASC2020 - 16-19 Feb, Melbourne

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Coastal resilience on the front-line of climate change: visual communication

Coastal communities on low lying islands, such as in the Pacific Ocean, are facing increasing impacts relating to global warming. Research and aid is increasingly focused on helping these communities adapt to significant coastal change through local adaptation strategies and methods of engagement that promote resilience.

What role can science communication play in helping communities deal with the impacts of sea level rise?

This presentation introduces a case study of the development of a mangrove vulnerability assessment in Micronesia to explore:

– the role of visual design and imagery in communicating cross-culturally with vulnerable communities;
– the importance of using local knowledge and expertise to help formulate communication approaches and tool/products;
– how multiple partners and stakeholders can be engaged effectively; and
– ways to overcome the challenges of presenting information to a remote and varied audience.

 

What will attendees gain from this session?

This presentation will provide attendees with:
– a broad overview of the work Michael has done to communicate coastal impacts and adaptation methods to promote resilience in vulnerable island communities;
– reflections on the work completed to date in Micronesia;
– an understanding of some of the challenges of presenting information to a remote and varied audience; and
– examples of images produced for the project, including technical illustrations, diagrams and maps.

 

Presenter

Michael Helman, Director, Communicatrium

 

When: Tuesday 18th February, 2:00pm-3:30pm
Where: Room G21, Learning and Teaching Building, 19 Ancora Imparo Way, Clayton
Hashtag: TBC

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Tweed Sand Bypassing – evoking an emotional response in coastal science communication

Tweed Sand Bypassing is a long term coastal engineering solution located on the border of NSW and Queensland. The two objectives of the Project are to restore and maintain the natural coastal sand drift to the southern Gold Coast beaches; and to establish and maintain a safe, navigable entrance to the Tweed River.

The Project has been in operation for almost 20 years and during this time has implemented a wide range of communication strategies to inform and educate the various stakeholder groups about the science and engineering work that the Project does.

To determine how effective implemented strategies had been, in 2015 a community consultation and engagement assessment was carried out. The results found that while basic communication and information exchange has worked – engagement and trust building hasn’t. This result was clearly evident through the ongoing confusion, mistrust and misinterpretation about the Project’s impact, management and main responsibilities among stakeholder communities.

In 2016 an innovative three year communications strategy was developed. The strategy had the overall vision of promoting the Tweed Sand Bypassing identity, engaging a younger demographic, and communicating the science in a more meaningful, emotive and accessible way.

Several contemporary communication techniques were used. These involved creating a visual identity, a magazine, Instagram account, smart phone application, a presence at the Quiksilver Pro Surfing Competition at Snapper Rocks, and a High School student resource package.

Community feedback has indicated that the communications strategy has been highly successful, and overall has achieved its objective of educating and changing the perceptions of a diverse range of Tweed Sand Bypassing stakeholders.

 

What will Attendees gain from this session?

Attendees will hear about the investigation, design, implementation and review stages of a complete coastal science communication strategy for Tweed Sand Bypassing.

Tools that were used include photography and language to evoke an emotional response and communicate the aesthetic, recreational, place and social values of the coast. A contemporary magazine, website, smart phone app, Instagram account, and High Schools Package.

Attendees will leave with a science communication methodology that they can apply to their own work, particularly in the natural and environmental sciences.

 

Presenter

Catherine Angela Kerr, Coastal Management Specialist, NSW Department of Planning Industry and Environment

 

When: Tuesday 18th February, 2:00pm-3:30pm
Where: Room G21, Learning and Teaching Building, 19 Ancora Imparo Way, Clayton
Hashtag: TBC

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Novel and risky: designing for young adults

An increased affective attraction to experimentation with risky behaviour during adolescence is understood as an adaptive, biologically-driven need to gain the experience required to assume adult roles and behaviours. This surge in sensation seeking, coupled with an underdeveloped ability to evaluate risks, coincides with rising dopaminergic activation in brain regions heavily involved in recognition and anticipation of reward. As a consequence, a young adult’s brain is extremely sensitive to the learning that can occur during this period and has cognitive capacities that are primed to take advantage of the experience gained.

MOD. designs for young audiences aged 15-25 years. In our first exhibition, we developed two exhibits nicknamed the “pain chairs” in collaboration with researchers at Body In Mind Institute. The spot-lit, hard-edged metal chairs, complete with seat drains, were placed centre-gallery under dramatic lighting. Dark screens invited visitors to challenge their perceptions of pain and warned against under 15 year-olds using the chairs. The two interactive chairs delivered electric and heat stimuli, modelling different factors known to affect pain perception like attention, distraction, and the placebo effect. Framing the situation as scary and potentially dangerous, and placed within a public building, allows young adults to push the boundaries of what is safe in an environment free of danger.

Evaluations revealed that visitors spent time at interactive exhibits (91% of visitors engaged with the pain chairs), rated them highly in terms of enjoyment and learning, and that this approach also led to two thirds of visitors being able to identify key concepts that we wanted to communicate about the brain and its role in pain perception.

 

What will participants gain from attending your presentation?

That understanding social and cognitive development can underpin approaches to designing for a young target audience to make their experience better, but also to give the museum permission to include risk and push the boundaries of what might be appropriate.

 

Presenter

Dylan DeLosAngeles, Exhibitions Coordinator, MOD.

When: Wednesday 19th February, 12:05pm-12:50pm
Where: Room G21, Learning and Teaching Building, 19 Ancora Imparo Way, Clayton
Hashtag: TBC

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Where next? Career workshop for science communicators

This is a chance for science communicators to step back and think about their broader career goals, individually and as a community.

Part 1 – identifying the motivations, goals, challenges and dreams of participants

Part 2 is practical – where to start, deciding on the next step, and most importantly connecting with others who share your values or can help you get started.

It concludes by facilitating groups to form and share goals to work towards together.

 

What will audience gain from attending this section?

New insights into their goals as science communicators, and new techniques and networks to help achieve those goals.

 

Structure

A series of about half a dozen questions for people to think about as individuals and then discuss in various groupings.

 

Workshop facilitator

Phil Dooley, ASC National Secretary and Galactic Freelancer, Phil Up On Science

 

When: Tuesday 18th February, 2:00pm-3:30pm

Where: Room G03, Learning and Teaching Building, 19 Ancora Imparo Way, Clayton

Hashtag: TBC

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Using behavioural insight strategies to improve the effectiveness of community engagement programs for bushfire safety

In this session, Jodi Braszell (DELWP) and Julia Meis-Harris (BehaviourWorks Australia) introduce a behaviour change method that is being explored for community bushfire risk management in Victoria.

In the emergency management sector in Victoria a major focus is bushfires given this area is one of the most bushfire-prone places in the world. For the agencies working to reduce bushfire risk, it is extremely important that communications help people to stay safer around bushfire events.

Communicating bushfire risk by providing information alone does not lead to as much change in community behaviour as agencies would wish to see. Oftentimes something seems to get in the way between providing information and the actions requested.

Behavioural insights can provide answers for the tricky conundrum of ‘why people do the things they do’ and shed light on ‘what else’ influences people’s behaviour besides information. We share our findings so far, discuss how our thinking can benefit science communication strategies and are interested in our audience view on behavioural insights in science communication.

 

What will audience gain from attending this section?

  • We aim to raise awareness of an emerging and exciting method to increase the effectiveness of behaviour change communication and engagement strategies
  • We will share some of the drivers and barriers to community behaviour change, and will explore how behavioural insight techniques may assist in communication/engagement practices
  • We will also raise awareness of some community-led approaches to engagement and risk reduction being delivered in Victoria
  • Participant activities, informal Q&As, and a range of different communication mediums will be used, reducing the risk of the session being a ‘death by PowerPoint’ experience
  • We hope to build a community of interest and to learn from other interested practitioners working in this field

 

Structure

Part 1 – Introduction (ca. 15min) In this first part of this session, we introduce the challenge we’re working on, and give people a brief introduction to the behavioural insights discipline. We will use interactive quizzes and a range of different mediums to help demonstrate some of the key behavioural insights concepts. We will also ask participants to briefly share their science communications challenges and why they’re attending our session.

Part 2 – Method (5min) In part two of our session, we provide a quick overview of the specific methods that we used to conduct our research.

Part 3 – Findings (15min) In the third part of our session, we share the findings of our initial research question: “What are the drivers and barriers to community preparedness and response to bushfire emergencies?”We will also ask participants to share their thoughts on how these findings may, or may not, align with their own practice and knowledge.

Part 4 – Discussion (25min) In the final part of our session, we link our findings back to the challenges that communicators face in emergency management. We also discuss how behavioural insight methods may provide some useful strategies for other science communicators, regardless of discipline.Through an informal Q&A discussion, we will then explore with the participants where behavioural insights could be useful for the challenges that were shared with us at the start of our session. As behavioural insights is an emerging discipline, we are keen to learn about other projects using similar methods and to build up a community of interest.

Session Producers/Presenters

Julia Meis-Harris, Research fellow, BehaviourWorks Australia, MSDI

Jodi Braszell, Senior Science Engagement Officer, Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning

 

When: Wednesday 19th February, 11:00am-12:00 noon
Where: Room G21, Learning and Teaching Building, 19 Ancora Imparo Way, Clayton
Hashtag: TBC

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Speed mentoring with successful science communicators

Meet senior science communicators from all parts of the industry and find out their tips for success.

Chat with experienced science communicators  from ABC, Fairfax and Nature, large organisations like Questacon and Universities, successful freelancers, senior ASC figures and more.

In small groups of similar interests you’ll spend ten minutes with a few mentors, getting their thoughts and asking some questions.

Could be the inspiration for your future career!

What will audience gain from attending this session?

Contacts, tips and tricks, career insights, new approaches.

Structure

Ten minute slots with each mentor – 8 or 9 different mentors.

When: Tuesday 18th February, 5:00pm-6:30pm
Where: Monash MPavilion, 26 Ancora Imparo Way, Clayton VIC 3800 Google link
Hashtag: TBC

A few words from our sponsor

Merryn McKinnon, Senior Lecturer, Centre for the Public Awareness of Science, ANU

Session Producer

Phil Dooley, ASC National Secretary and Galactic Freelancer, Phil Up On Science

Mentors

Dr Merryn McKinnon has slimed presidents, made children laugh and created programs and events to change ideas and inspire interest in science and its communication. She is now a science communication academic who still practices what she teaches and actively works to contribute tangible mechanisms to enable a truly diverse and inclusive STEM workforce.

Dr Graham Phillips was the host and a producer/reporter with ABC television’s science programme Catalyst for many years, and is currently teaching science communication at the University of Melbourne. He’s also reported science on TV Networks Nine, Ten and Seven, done countless hours of science on radio, written about science for most newspapers in Australia, and had four popular science books published. He started his career as a scientist, with a PhD in astrophysics.

Stephen Oliver is Manager, Documentaries at ABC TV . He’s an award-winning filmmaker turned ABC Commissioning Editor who is passionate about telling meaningful stories with big social impact. His commissioning credits include LOGIE and AACTA-winning War on Waste, series 1 and 2, AACTA, Venice TV and Japan Prize-winning Employable Me and Eureka prize-winning Can We Save the Reef?

Lee Constable is a science broadcaster and host of Network 10’s kids science TV show, Scope. She is also the founder of Co-Lab: Science Meets Street Art where she pairs early-career researchers and PhD students with street artists who create live murals inspired by their work for the public.

Suzannah Lyons is the online science reporter for ABC Science. She has previously worked for ABC Open, ABC Emergency, ABC Health & Wellbeing, Catalyst, and as a science communicator. Suzannah trained as both a chemist and a journalist but found she was better at telling stories than hanging out in the lab. She can still make a mean batch of cornflour slime.

Liam Mannix, is the national science reporter for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald. He loves science!

Tilly Boleyn is the Curator of Science Gallery Melbourne. Her interests focus mainly on blurring the boundaries between science, art, design, technology, maths, engineering, large-scale-batteries-powered-by-human-urine and doing things she’s told aren’t allowed. She is a massive nerd who is curious about the world and everything in it.

David Wansbrough started communicating science as a Questacon explainer (way back in the last century) and was part of the Science Circus in 1993. Since then he’s been a bureaucrat in the Australian and New Zealand governments, working on a wide range of topics at the intersection of science and policy: genetic modification, climate change, animal welfare, food safety, and immunisation.

Adam Selinger is the Exec. Director of Children’s Discovery, a social enterprise creating discovery spaces for children and families through playful learning, such as the Early Start Discovery Space at Wollongong University and Little Bang Discovery Clubs run out of public libraries. Prior to this, Adam worked at science centres in Canada and Europe, and science festivals in the UK, South Africa, UAE, Indonesia and China.

Adrian King is a seasoned animation producer, designer, script-writer, science communicator, technologist, marketer, entrepreneur and thinker. He bridges these disparate fields. Ask him anything.

Dr Lisa Bailey is a science communicator who has worked in cultural institutions in the UK and Australia.  At the Royal Institution of Australia she helped design hundreds of science engagement events for communities across Australia, including producing the SCINEMA International Science Film Festival for 3 years.  She’s now at MOD. at UniSA, designing exhibitions for Australia’s leading future-focused museum, provoking new ideas at the intersection of science, art and innovation. She’s ASC National President, too.

Dr Subho Banerjee is the Research Program Director at ANZSOG and works on the interface between academia and public policy practice. He was previously a Deputy Secretary in the Australian Public Service, and has served in a range of strategic policy and program implementation roles spanning economic, social and environmental policy areas. He has also worked as a management consultant in the private sector and for an Indigenous policy thinktank.

Claire Harris is a business owner, writer and innovation advocate. She began her career in fisheries research and now works with innovators in research, technology and sustainability on communication and marketing projects and has recently launched in to social enterprise.

Dr David Robertson is a science communicator and sustainability educator. He’s interested in creative ways to engage people with the big challenges and complex issues of our time. From orchestrating zombie apocalypses and trying to put Vantablack on display, to devising twisted pub quizzes about climate change, and most recently landing in the tertiary education space, he’s always keen to push the edges of practice and coax new ideas into reality.

Dr Jenni Metcalfe has been a science communicator for more than 30 years and has run Australia’s first science communication consultancy, Econnect Communication, for more than 24. She is passionate about communicating science in a way that makes a positive difference to people’s lives and their environment.

Dr Kirsti Abbott is an ant ecologist, science communicator and educator and currently Program Leader of UNE Discovery at the University of New England. She develops and facilitates transformative and playful engagement experiences in STEAM for students and communities in northern NSW.

Dr Sheryn Pitman has a background in environmental management, community engagement, education, creative writing and communication. She works with Inspiring South Australia in science engagement and communication. Her work includes a focus on telling stories of science through the arts. She has also worked with government agencies, with Greening Australia, and as a free-lance creative writer and director, including documentary film, television and radio.

Toss Gascoigne is a visiting fellow at the CPAS at the ANU, and has just finished a book charting the emergence of modern science communication in 38 countries. He is interested in the interface between science and policy, and organised the first Science meets Parliament while working as Executive Director of FASTS (now Science and Technology Australia).

Dr Jen Martin founded and leads the Science Communication Teaching Program at the University of Melbourne. She’s been talking about science on the radio for 15 years, writes a popular science blog and is currently writing a science communication textbook.

Dr Linden Ashcroft is a lecturer, climate scientist and science communicator at The University of Melbourne. Linden shares her love of all sciences on community radio in Melbourne, edits a peer-reviewed journal on scientific data, and her writing was selected for the 2019 Best Australian Science Writing Anthology.

Natsumi Penberthy is an associate editor at Nature Research works with talented writers, illustrators, designers and photographers, and has edited everything from pieces on native Australian sandalwood to the latest in genetic testing. As a writer, she has reported on shearwater hunting by indigenous Tasmanians and the latest developments in the superbugs crisis, among other things

Dr Simon Torok is Director of Scientell, a science communication business specialising in environmental and climate change communication. He has managed communication for CSIRO in Australia and for the Tyndall Centre in England. He has published more than 150 newspaper, magazine and scientific journal articles, and co-authored 19 popular science and climate change books, several of which have been translated into Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean and Hungarian.

Dr Michelle Riedlinger has worked as a science communication practitioner and researcher for over 20 years. She has run over 200 communication skills workshops for scientists and she has worked on environmental science communication projects focussed on climate variability, dryland salinity, catchment management, and river health.

Alvin Stone is the Media and Communications Manager for the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes. Previously he has edited newspapers for Fairfax and News Corp before taking on science comms roles with WWF-Australia, and later as a senior consultant with Primary Communication. He regularly runs communication workshops for researchers across a wide variety of scientific disciplines and has extensive connections into the media and climate science communities.

Clare Mullen works at the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) as a Communication Adviser. She is a meteorologist with a Masters in Communications. Her current role as a content specialist includes presenting BOM Webinars, contributing to script for the Climate and Water Outlook videos, and acting as a BOM STEM Ambassador.​

Dr Cobi Calyx has more than a decade of experience working internationally across science communication, health promotion and environmental governance, with organisations ranging from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation to the United Nations. She’s currently a Research Fellow in Science Communication with the Centre for Social Impact at UNSW Sydney.

Cass Rowles a science communicator with a background in biological sciences and community engagement, but now work in the astronomy space as a content creator. She also runs her own business taking reptiles to children’s birthday parties and other events. You might say she has a varied career in sci comm.

Toni Stevens manages communication activities for both the Ecological Society  and Clean Energy Council, from social media and newsletters to websites and media, fundraising and the promotion of awards. She worked for five years at Melbourne science PR firm Science in Public and before that wrote environmental impact assessments at an engineering consultancy.

Damian Harris has delivered science education programs across Far North Queensland, been a communicator for CSIRO and Questacon and is currently the Marketing and Engagement Manager for Griffith University. A career highlight is founding and directing the Scinema International Science Film Festival for 15 years and transitioning the Festival to RIAus.

Aidan Muirhead is a graduate of ANU’s CPAS who  designed, delivered, and coordinated a range of Questacon’s national science outreach programs. She now works at NCI – the National Computational Infrastructure – promoting the value of supercomputers by writing about research, creating conference platforms and social media content.

Dr Janine Young is a freelance science writer and editor, and has worked in various fields of science communication for more than 20 years.

Dr Phil Dooley is a pub science performer, part of a science theatre group, Dramatis scientificae, a regular writer for Cosmos and twice published in the Best Australian Science Writing Anthology. His freelance projects are under the banner of Phil Up On Science and he’s worked on outreach programs at Sydney Uni, at the media office at ANU and as a comms officer at the world’s largest fusion energy experiment, JET.

This session proudly sponsored by the Australian National Centre for the Public Awareness of Science

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The Trust Crisis: Reconceptualising our Roles

Since the turn of the century, seismic shifts in our information and media landscape have challenged the role and function of journalists, and science communicators, in our society. Where previously we have seen ourselves as gatekeepers, conduits, agenda setters, proponents of science, and guardians of expertise, these roles may no longer fit our context.

Democratization of knowledge and the erosion of trust in mass media, science, and academia – all traditionally viewed as authorities – challenge us to rethink our role and practice. This session will invite provocations from individuals of different traditions – such as curators, educators and watchdogs – to inspire critical dialogue in the room, and open new paths and opportunities for participants to enact roles in our society’s relationship with science.

 

What will audience gain from attending this section?

The overall aim is to encourage participants to critically (re)consider our professional role as communicators of science. This will include:
– Identifying key landscape factors that have challenged the norms and roles of the science journalist and communicator in society
– Having a substantial dialogue with peers around topical provocations to our practice
– Being inspired by different approaches to working with science content and issues from other disciplines, traditions and professions

 

Structure

Preamble – Framing from facilitator (10 mins)
Provocation 1 – short talk + structured dialogue in groups (20 mins)
Provocation 2 – short talk + structured dialogue in groups (20 mins)
Provocation 3 – short talk + structured dialogue in groups (20 mins)

Synthesis – expert guest and facilitator reflections and capturing key contestations and insights from table dialogues (20 mins)

 

Session Producer, Workshop facilitator

Celine Klemm, Lecturer, Monash University

David Robertson, Lecturer, Monash University

 

Presenters

Kenneth Harvey, Associate Professor, Monash University/Friends of Science in Medicine

Nicholas McGuigan, Associate Professor, Monash University

When: Tuesday 18th February, 2:00pm-3:30pm
Where: Room G31, Learning and Teaching Building, 19 Ancora Imparo Way, Clayton
Hashtag: TBC

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Getting Paid for Scicomm: Free Labour, Fair Wages and How to Ask for Money

Working for experience and exposure won’t keep a roof over your head no matter how much you love science!

How much are science communication skills worth? When is volunteering a good thing? How do you negotiate fair pay for scicomm work? And what effect does free labour have on the science communication sector as a whole?

All these questions and more will be tackled in this panel discussion.

This is the perfect opportunity to ask all those burning questions about getting paid for your scicomm skills!

 

What will audience gain from attending this section?

Participants will gain a better understanding of the benchmarks for how science communication skills are valued in the Australian job market and what their skills are worth. This will also give the audience tools to help them make responsible choices when negotiating payment or volunteering in the science communication space.

 

Structure

This session will be introduced and moderated by Lee Constable.

Matt Nurse will present the results of the CPAS science communication remuneration and skills survey and talk about where the benchmark is for valuing science communication skills in Australia.

A representative of the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance will speak on the effect that free labour and the modern media, entertainment and arts landscapes have on the science communication sector.

Jenni Metcalfe (Econnect Communication) and other experienced science communication freelancers will speak about their personal experience in negotiating payment in exchange for science communication work and paying science communicators for their work.

The audience will have the opportunity to ask questions and get practical advice from the panel.

 

Session Producer/MC

Lee Constable, Science Communicator and Broadcaster, Freelance

 

Presenters

Matt Nurse, Masters degree candidate, CPAS, ANU

Jenni Metcalfe, Director, Econnect Communication

Marcus Strom, President MEAA Media and Director of the Walkley Foundation for Journalism

 

 

 

When: Tuesday 18th February, 9:45am – 10:45am
Where: Room G31, Learning and Teaching Building, 19 Ancora Imparo Way, Clayton
Hashtag: TBC

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Communicating science content to blind and low vision audiences through multi sensory means

Diversity in STEM can lead, among other benefits, to better problem-solving and expansion of the talent pool. But whilst we recognise the importance of diversity, many communities still feel unable to engage with STEM subjects.

Participation by the blind and low vision (BLV) community in STEM higher education is below the national average, in part due to their perceived ability to engage meaningfully in the delivered content.

This workshop will look at how emerging technologies such as 3D printing can be used to engage diverse cohorts with scientific content. With examples from multi sensory, inclusive exhibitions and workshops, we have engaged diverse groups with varying degrees of scientific understanding.

Session participants will be able to bring their own discipline knowledge to the workshop and take part in an interactive component in which they consider how content from their area can be presented in a way that would be more accessible and inclusive.

 

What will participants gain from attending your session?

Attendees will have a better understanding about the difficulties the BLV community have in accessing scientific information. We hope they will be inspired by the possibilities of presenting science in non visual ways, and take away practical tips for how to harness emerging technologies to increase access to scientific information and broaden participation.

 

Structure

Introduction to the issue of exclusion for those with vision disabilities in discourses around science and biomedicine [10 min]

Presentation of two case studies on how emerging technologies such as 3D printing is currently being used to engage BLV people with scientific content [20 min]

Workshop activities on how this can be remediated through multi sensory exhibition, displays and audience participation [60 min]

Session Producer/Presenter

Lizzie Crouch, Senior Coordinator of Engagement, SensiLab, Monash University

Presenters

Matthew Butler, Associate Dean (Learning and Teaching), Inclusive Technologies, Monash University

Erica Tandori, Artist in Residence, School of Biomedical Sciences, Monash University

 

Session

Accessibility

 

When: Wednesday 19th February,  11:00am-12:50pm
Where: Room G02, Learning and Teaching Building, 19 Ancora Imparo Way, Clayton
Hashtag: TBC

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Applying Behaviour Change to Science Communication: Lessons from BehaviourWorks Australia

This is a two-part workshop on science communications using a behaviour change approach, sharing insights from BehaviourWorks Australia (BWA), a university-based behaviour change research enterprise that works with government and industry to find behavioural solutions to real-world problems.

The workshop will begin by taking attendees step-by-step through a model of behaviour change which can be applied to science communications (the “Comms Mini Method”). The second part of the workshop will focus on the practical side of communications, sharing learnings from BWA’s science communications experiences.

This workshop is based on BWA training to develop capability in science communications among new behavioural insights teams in government and industry.

 

Structure

The session will consist of three sections.
(1) The first section will focus on applying the BWA Method (https://www.behaviourworksaustralia.org/the-method/) of behaviour change to science communications. Kun Zhao or Mark Boulet will present this behavioural approach to communications, dubbed the “Comms Mini Method” and its three stages of “Exploration”, “Deep Dive”, and “Application”.

(2) The second section will focus on the practical side of BWA’s experiences in behaviour change communications with government and industry. Geoff Paine will present on BWA’s own communications activities and products, as well as learnings, issues, and challenges.

(3) The third section will be an informal Q and A discussion with the audience around the content in the first two sessions, plus some of the common issues that are encountered in this area of science communications (e.g., how do we manage expectations and communicate what behavioural insights can do?).

 

What will participants gain from attending your session?

The session aims to provide attendees with a practical understanding of how behaviour change methods can be applied to the communications planning process. This is done by taking attendees step-by-step through the Comms Mini Method.

The session also aims to share with attendees BWA’s own experiences from communicating about behaviour change with government and industry, including practical tips, learnings, and remedies for common problems. It is intended that attendees can draw from the BWA perspective and apply these to their own communications challenges and issues.

As the Comms Mini Method is relatively new, the session presenters also wish to receive some feedback from attendees on the Comms Mini Method (e.g., what could be improved, what other contexts it could be applied, what are some potential shortcomings with the approach).

 

Presenters

Kun Zhao, Research fellow, BehaviourWorks Australia, MSDI

Mark Boulet, Research fellow, BehaviourWorks Australia, MSDI

Geoff Paine, Content Curator, BehaviourWorks Australia, MSDI

 

When: Monday 17th February, 2:00pm-3:30pm
Where: Room G31, Learning and Teaching Building, 19 Ancora Imparo Way, Clayton
Hashtag: TBC

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Acknowledgements

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