Workshops

Training and capacity building the people around you can often be overlooked in situations when there’s a lack of time and competing pressures. However, sharing skills and knowledge benefits individuals and the organisation, enabling us all to learn things which might be applied in our careers, and hopefully passed onto others!

How to be interviewed for radiopodcast

This year, Pint of Science Australia organised a series of workshops from late March through to May 2021 for volunteers, and where appropriate, invited presenters in the program. The purpose of the series was to share knowledge across the team, enabling volunteers to learn insights from other team members and guest presenters. The content varied, with a general focus on the core skills required for successfully delivering the range of virtual events we had planned for Pint of Science 2021. 

Our 2021 workshop series included:

1. Social media masterclass
   Learn about all the platforms that Pint of Science use to communicate.
2. Podcast skills
   How to interview on podcasts or radio.
3. Event engagement
   Strategic planning for engaging with your target audience and maintaining conversations sparked from your event.
4. Science communication basics
   Science communication workshop covering common pitfalls and how to avoid them and how to prepare.
5. Film and interview skills
   How to setup cameras specifically for a two-person interview without the expensive gear
6. How to be interviewed for radio/podcast
   What it takes to be a good interviewee, how best to support radio hosts to get your message across, and how to get the call to come back again!
7. Lights, sound, camera & action
   How to get the most out of your opportunity to present over video calls.

Overall, we had 120 attendees join live or watch the recordings. The presentations were delivered by some of our national volunteers as well as special invited guests. Presenters included: Paul ‘Viv’ Richards & Dan Wheelahan (Australian Academy of Science), Dr Tom Carruthers & Jirana Boontanjai (Pint of Science Australia Co-Chief Executive Officers) & Camille Thomson (Pint of Science Australia Treasurer).

While this initiative was a first for the team, we hope the knowledge and skills passed on assist our volunteers in their future volunteering and/or work endeavours. We anticipate the series can be expanded in years to come, so the knowledge and skills generated each year helps build the generations to come!

Isabella Bower

Executive Support Officer, 2021