Schrijven voor niet-vakgenoten en pers (populairwetenschappelijk schrijven)

Purpose of this workshop - by Ann De Ron of FishGrowFeet - is to offer practical tools to write your own popular scientific blog, press release, opinion article, magazine article, leaflet, mail or other text. The workshop is also useful if you want to contribute to texts by press officers or (science) journalists.

Writing for non-peers or press is an interesting challenge. If you stick to an academic writing style and only translate the jargon and give some extra background, people will not read your text. But you do not want to be too simplistic either, so what to do?

This workshop starts from examples and your own text-to-be. It is hands-on: you will define a key message customized to your own audience, think about a suitable text structure and ways to attract your reader, give and receive feedback on text outlines of fellow participants.

The program starts with some important tasks beforehand:

• defining your audience and your own purpose,
• choosing an appropriate and sharp key message,
• finding ways to attract your reader.

After that you design an appropriate text structure, and find how it differs from the structure of an academic publication. The workshop looks at ways to deal with jargon, how to craft a good title, and how to write in an appealing and concrete writing style.

Learning outcomes

After the workshop, you will ...

• have obtained insight in the differences between writing for peers and writing for non-peers,
• know the importance of key message and pyramid structure to make a text attractive to non-peers,
• be able to constructively contribute to texts written by press officers or (science) journalists,
• have practical tools to write your own text for non-specialists of press: a popular scientific blog, press release, opinion article, magazine or online article, policy text, report, brochure or an email to people participating in your research, ...

Competences

An important part of preparing for any further professional step is becoming (more) aware of the competences you have developed and/or want to develop. In the current workshop, the following competences from the UHasselt competency overview are actively dealt with:

• academic research competences:
  
  • valorisation
• interpersonal competences:
  
  • written communication
  • stakeholder awareness
  • customer-orientedness
    
    

For whom?

• PhD students (preferably with some research results already) & postdocs
• 12 places available

When and where?

• November 15, 2024 - 09:30-17:00 (real-life) - location to be decided
• November 22, 2024 - 09:30-17:00 (digitally)
• Participation on both days is required.

Details?

• This edition will be in Dutch. Next year, this training will be given in English.
• The first workshop day is a real-life session at UHasselt.
• You write your own text (draft) in-between workshop days.
• The second workshop day is organized digitally, allowing feedback sessions in small groups with the trainer, discussing your own text and questions. The day starts with a group session.

Registration?

• Staff Hasselt University: You can register here from June 20, 2024 until October 15, 2024.
• Please register only if you can attend both sessions. As places are limited, registering does not automatically imply that you will be able to participate. You will be notified by email in due time.
• Please cancel your registration at least one week in advance in case you cannot make it (cf. cancellation & no-show policy).

Acknowledged as?

• DS BSH: category 'research management & communication skills' - workshop on communication skills OR category 'IP, valorisation & science communication' (if you prefer the latter, please send an email to doctoralschools@uhasselt.be)
• DS HLS: category 'transferable skills' - one compulsory elective course
• DS ST: category 'scientific & generic communication' - course about generic communication