Public communication workshop for PhD media students
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The document outlines a workshop led by Charlie Beckett for PhD students, emphasizing the significance of effective communication and writing. It references George Orwell's guidelines for clear writing and includes exercises to refine academic abstracts to various formats. The goal is to ensure that students can convey their research clearly and engagingly to their audience.
Public communication workshop for PhD media students
- 1. Charlie Beckett LSE Public communication workshop for PhD students 11.10.2011
- 2. Why Communicate Moral and political obligation? You are studying communication
- 4. What is ‘good’ writing or communication? It is communication that is understood by your audience
- 6. George Orwell Politics and the English Language Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print. Never use a long word where a short one will do. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out. Never use the passive where you can use the active. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent. Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous.
- 7. Abstract Exercise I Why Should Anyone Pay Any Attention To What You Have To Say? How Do You Keep Their Attention? What Do You Want To Say?
- 8. Abstract Exercise I Turn your academic abstract into: one paragraph one sentence one word a picture/photo a gesture
- 9. Can you sum up your research? Tabloid newspaper headline First para of Economist Feature First reply to radio interview 140 character micro-blog
Editor's Notes
- #2: INTRO: We are going to look at how we can improve the way that you communicate - mainly writing, but not exclusively. I can’t teach you but I can at least get you to think beyond the current cultural confines within which you are operating. It is clear that the academy is becoming a priesthood - but not an evangelicising priesthood - but rather a pre-reformation Latinized sect - self-referential and apart from wider discourse. Tell me, why do you want to communicate? [write list on the board]
- #3: Now there are good practical reasons why you must think about your communications - for impact, for your career, but also I think because a) you have a political, moral duty to explain yourselves and because b) you are studying communications, so let’s avoid the paradox of you not practicising it.
- #5: [writing that is understood by your audience]
- #7: What is George Orwell/Politics and the English Language Never use a metaphor, simile, or other figure of speech which you are used to seeing in print. Never use a long word where a short one will do. If it is possible to cut a word out, always cut it out. Never use the passive where you can use the active. Never use a foreign phrase, a scientific word, or a jargon word if you can think of an everyday English equivalent. Break any of these rules sooner than say anything outright barbarous. Notice that none of those rules are about accuracy, reasonableness, intelligence or beauty - we are talking here about communication not content.
- #8: Notice that none of those rules are about accuracy, reasonableness, intelligence or beauty - we are talking here about communication not content. TAKE ONE OF THEIR ABSTRACTS AND TRY TO APPLY THOSE RULES TO IT? Why Should Anyone Pay Any Attention To What You Have To Say? How Do You Keep Their Attention? What Do You Want To Say?: PRACTICAL EXERCISES: Take the abstract and say it again: In one paragraph In one sentence In one word In a picture/photo In a gesture Now I want you to think about audiences: Take this piece of information and each of you has a different audience Audiences: [TAKE IN THE FLIP CAMERA] Tabloid Newspaper Interview The Economist Interview Local Radio National TV Blog Micro-blog The point of this has been to make you look at your research and to think of it as others see it - with varying degrees of interest and understanding. It is to make you understand how many different ways there are to communicate your work. I really do suggest that you try to write or communicate on different platforms. Try Twitter or blogging - not because you will make a huge impact, but it will get you to think more imaginatively about how you communicate your work. [show them my twitter - blog - heathsnatches]
- #10: Tabloid newspaper headline First para of Economist Feature First reply to radio interview 140 character micro-blog – links!