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Communication and Media Training for Scientists

Whether you’re about to pitch for funding or explain your research to a TV audience, the communication challenge facing scientists is huge.

Scientific research is usually phenomenally specialised and written for like-minded professionals.

The media on the other-hand like to be able to summarise these findings in a sentence. They like absolutes and headlining-grabbing conclusions rather than ambiguity. Journalists are looking for “cures”, ‘breakthroughs” and “life-saving treatments,” while scientists are inherently circumspect and qualified in their conclusions.

Communication and media training for scientists is focused on looking at research with fresh eyes asking fundamental questions such as why does this matter and what are the applications.

Together we develop ways of couching findings in ways that resonate with the relevant audiences.

Skills acquired include:

  • understanding audiences
  • less is more – focusing on a few key messages
  • language and delivery
  • understanding news values
  • writing press releases
  • press, radio and TV interviews
  • presenting to an audience

“Hawkeye Media offered excellent media training, tailored to our individual needs, that was both challenging and informative. Most useful were opportunities to practice on camera, with constructive feedback afterwards,” 

Correspondent New Scientist

“Scientists are not very good at short and simple explanations. They don’t deal in possibility, only fact. You taught us to look at what we do differently and target our audiences and stakeholders more wisely with the right material. We are now always on the lookout for the thing that will make a difference to our future”

Professor, Imperial College, London

“Hawkeye Media provided our organisation with two days of media training and it was excellent. We were hugely impressed by Helen and her team and all learnt a lot. The training was tailored to each participant both according to their job role and focus, and their experience with the media. We would certainly recommend Hawkeye Media and hope to work with Helen again.” 

Conservationist