When I talk about public engagement to colleagues, one of the first activities that often springs to mind is to give a public lecture, which can be a fantastic way of engaging a large number of people and promoting a lively debate. However, I am sure that we have all experienced (or endured?) public talks that have left us feeling a little deflated. So what can we do to avoid the latter scenario?

Writing this post feels slightly patronising; after all as HE professionals the chances are that a significant proportion of your working life is spent giving lectures and talks of some sort. However, devising a lecture that appeals to an often unknown public can present particular challenges, which several colleagues have asked me to provide advice so, so here goes:

The National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement has developed a handy guide, which can be found here. The guidance, I am sure, will not be of great surprise to many readers of this blog, but could be a useful reminder when preparing a public lecture.

I’ve reviewed some of the other sources of information about the ingredients of a great public lecture, which you may find help to consider to preparing your proposal for the Festival of Learning:

• Remember that most people’s optimum concentration span is about 20 minutes, so ensure that you bear this in-mind when planning your event.
• Interactive props can be a great way of ensuring that your audience stays engaged, especially those which stimulate different senses. This could include short sound or video clips, food tasting or interjections from, for example, a beneficiary of your research.
• Ensure that you have plenty of time for lively discussion
• To maximise the discussion, this carefully about who will chair the event and the techniques they will use to facilitate discussion.
• Keep the topic broader than you might if you were giving a presentation at an academic conference.
• Look to use tools such as twitter to add an extra dimension to your event, and give participants that are not confident at speaking in-front of the whole audience an opportunity to get involved in discussion.

Just a couple of examples of public lectures can be found here and here – there are many more, so please contact me if you would like some more examples.

There are lots of other areas of guidance on how to develop a great public lecture which are more topic specific, so please do not hesitate to contact Becca on redwards@bournemouth.ac.uk or 01202 961206.

Regular readers of this blog may have already been alerted to the ESRC Seven Days of Social Science, but in case you have missed it, I would recommend having a look at the videos and accompanying documents

The reason that I am highlighting these resources is to demonstrate the value of research and how it can be made accessible to a much wider audience. Conversations that I have had with colleagues over the past week or so (mainly ECRs, but not exclusively so!) have reminded me that sometimes it is hard to believe that your research will be of interest beyond your own academic peers. I recall some of my own research, for example, on New Labour’s public space policy – which on the surface sounds like a fairly dry topic (and I can assure you that the associated policy documents are classic examples of New Labour rhetoric, and fairly turgid reading) – however, this research has relevance to any of us wondering why our traditional high street has been placed by a shopping mall, why you can no longer sleep on a park bench or why trees are disappearing from London’s parks. It is, after all, hard to get through a day without encountering some kind of public space.

One of the best parts of my job, is learning about all the fantastic research that is going on across BU, which at times is nothing short of awe-inspiring. This makes me very excited to be helping develop the Festival of Learning and ensuring we engage a far wider public with the value of what we do.

The ESRC Seven Days of Social Science series is a great reminder of why research in the social sciences is fundamental in understanding and shaping the world in which we live, and inherently fascinating. It also is a reminder that if you have received public funding to conduct research, that we have a shared responsibility of engaging the public with the value of that research.

If you are interested in developing a proposal for the Festival of Learning and would like some helping in brainstorming ideas or support completing the proposal form, please do not hesitate to contact Becca on redwards@bournemouth.ac.uk or 01202 961206.

Do you remember when museums were full of dusty exhibits that you were not allowed to touch, or am I just showing my age? Fortunately those days are long gone and now as a nation we are blessed with many interactive museums that facilitate all generations to get involved to learn more about the fascinating world in which we live. Examples include Techniquest, the Natural History Museum or the National Museum Wales (amongst many, many others).

As a University, the creation of exhibits is not our primary purpose, however pop-up interactive exhibitions are a great way to get a much wider public really excited about the research areas we live and breathe each day. One example, local to Bournemouth, is University of Southampton’s (award wining) Science and Engineering Day which showcases a fantastic array of activities. Don’t just take my word for it, have a look here to get a feel for this.

This example is focused around STEM subjects, but I believe there is huge potential to develop this sort of activity around all subject areas. Are there objects that you collect that are related to your research? Have you got audio or visual clips that are integral to your research? Have you taken photographs that give an insight into what you do? If you would like to brainstorm some ideas about how you could create and interactive exhibit around your research, please contact Becca on redwards@bournemouth.ac.uk / 01202 961206.

Don’t forget, the deadline for proposals for the Festival of Learning is the 31st July. You can find out some more information and download the proposal form here.