There’s a growing expectation that universities will create and share new and useful knowledge in return for public money invested in education and research. And it’s not just governments looking for evidence of research impacts – so are other potential funding partners. Dr Michael Callaghan of Deakin Business School suggests somebody in the research team […]
How funding can follow impact Read More »
Communications are almost always works in progress – and so too is their evaluation. First up, it’s obviously important to know what you want to achieve and how you’ll reach your goals. But how will you measure success in engaging and positively impacting your key stakeholders? People often measure what is easiest, including so-called ‘vanity
How do you measure the success of your communications? Read More »
Some academics have an instinct for creating newsworthy stories and building good media relationships. Others succeed after working hard at it, while some simply cringe at the thought of having to do a media interview. Here are some tips from five academics who have mastered the art: Professor Rae Cooper of The University of Sydney
How these academics improved their media engagement Read More »
Blogs are great ways to document your reflections, ideas and research progress, and to build collegial networks through a wide range of online media. Opinion pieces, published in print and online media, are usually around 700 words, need a compelling opening and should give readers new insights into current issues. A bit of controversy also
Blogs or opinion pieces – what’s the difference? Read More »
Are academics contributing enough to wider public and policy conversations? If not, how do we do it better? Tim Dodd, Higher Education Editor at The Australian, suggests barriers include the hollowing out of expertise in the public service and its politicisation, and the rising power of political advisors who may be inexperienced in policymaking. Dodd
Contributing to policy making Read More »
Good media interviews, where you get your desired message across clearly and concisely, don’t just happen. Here’s what our experts advise. Prepare, prepare and prepare some Who’s the audience: think how to tailor your language and content. What are your three key messages? Keep abreast of current issues and have responses ready. Set your boundaries:
Five tips for giving good interviews Read More »
Academic writing is generally formal, complex and passive in style. Journalists write in a clear, concise and active style that doesn’t waste words. So how do academics switch from one to the other, and why is it important? Let’s hear it from a couple of journalists: “The people I like to speak to most –
Speaking academic and journalese Read More »
You believe you’ve got a good story that may interest a wide audience, so do you go scattergun or exclusive? Scattergun involves sending a media release or alert to many media either using your own contact list or through an organisation that distributes media releases for a fee. The aim is to hit as many
Scattergun or exclusive? Read More »
Who hasn’t winced at those ‘gotcha’ moments in media interviews, particularly during this Election campaigns? When Greens leader Adam Bandt responded to a gotcha-style question with ‘Google it, mate’, he was right on the money. But what are other ways to avoid being caught on the hop? Here’s the start of a list gleaned from
Nine ways to avoid ‘gotcha’ moments Read More »
Think like a journalist and write your media release as if it’s a news story. That means a compelling headline; the most important elements at the start; active, clear and concise writing; and direct quotes from one or more people. Format Use just one A4 page but don’t cheat by using a font smaller than
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