Media Training Day

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to head to London for a media training day put on by the Science Council. I have to say watching myself back on camera (especially the first time) was painful but I learnt so much that it was worth it. So why did I even get the chance to do this? Well it’s because I’m a Registered Science (RSci) through the Society of Biology, I originally got this accreditation through my old job but I’ve maintained it throughout my PhD and it’s a great way to record all the different things I do. As PhD students we’re constantly bombarded with all the skills we need to be acquiring in addition to our research skills so being an RSci (with an online CPD record) makes keeping track of everything much easier. If you want to know more about accreditation in general you can read my old post on it here.

Being interviewed on College Green at Westminster (image from @Science_Council)

The Science Council (@Science_Council) is officially in charge of the RSci register I’m on and they’re keen to raise the profile of their registers. With this in mind they decided they wanted to media train a few of their scientists and science technicians so we’re equipped to go out and tell the world all about our experiences. Not many PhD students are on the register (as I said I’m registered from my previous job but chose to maintain it) so I decided to build my interviews around the idea that PhD students do so much more than just research (teaching, outreach, presenting work, blogging….) and being on the register is brilliant for showcasing your development outside of the lab.

The day involved lots of advice from a professional media trainer on all the different things we need to know, from how to prepare for an interview to what to wear. We were given a real insight into how journalists prepare their stories and what they’re looking for in an interview and how best to use that to get out our message.

Hannah from the Science Council looked after us all so well and even though it was quite an intense day I really enjoyed the experience. More evidence that my personal campaign of saying yes to things that scare me is paying off 🙂 . If you’re interested in joining one of the Science Councils registers please comment and I will do my best to help you out.