For researchers: Writing opinion pieces
An opinion piece can be an ideal way of communicating research to non-academic audiences. The format has many advantages, allowing researchers to position their specialist knowledge in a readable and dynamic format.
In this highly practical session, we’ll show you how to use opinion pieces to communicate your research and raise your profile with key audiences. We’ll look at how to find and shape your topic and messages, how to research the best outlets for your purposes, and how to approach commissioning editors.
We’ll look at real approaches that worked, and those that didn’t, and will walk you through crafting your own approach or ‘pitch’. We’ll also cover language, structure and what will be expected of you once your article is commissioned
COURSE LENGTH
3.5 hours
NUMBER OF DELEGATES
The course is designed to work with a maximum of eight delegates per trainer.
Who should attend?
This workshop is suitable for early career researchers upwards who would like to raise their profile in the media.
What to expect
Guidance on general principles
Practical exercises
Analysis of good and bad writing examples
Group discussions and hand-outs
Advice and information to put the skills learned into practice
What you’ll learn
How to identify the audiences for your research to achieve the greatest impact
How to translate academic findings into an article of interest to a lay audience
Where to start and which outlets to target
How to write a ‘pitch’ to interest a media outlet in your article
The commissioning process and what will be expected of you
Approaches to writing an opinion article or blogpost