Workshops and Training

Public Engagement and Outreach Workshops

A wide range of topics will be covered by these workshops, and sessions will have something for those with any level of previous experience with engagement, from beginners to those with experience looking to develop and refresh their knowledge. Full details of upcoming opportunities can be found here, keep an eye on this page as more opportunities will be added as and when confirmed.

Where possible, live workshops will be recorded and made available on this page for all current RSC members to access. See below for the current available recordings.

Upcoming Workshops

There are currently no upcoming Diverse Engagement for Diverse Publics workshops scheduled. Take a look at the full list of our previous workshops here and explore the available recordings below.

If you have an idea for a workshop or a speaker, please get in touch to let us know.

Previous Workshop Resources

Freelance Science Communication: An Introduction

25 January 2024

In this session, through sharing his own experiences, awarding winning freelance science communicator, Jamie Gallagher, explored how you can turn your passion for sharing science into a job. Jamie covered some tips for developing your brand, finding opportunities and knowing how much to charge.

Speaker: Jamie Gallagher

Myth Busting, Chemistry, the Public and the Media

16 November 2023

Run in collaboration with Chemistry World, this session looked into how scientists can successfully engage with the public via the media. Through conversation with David Hu and Alice Motion, this session explored the diverse spectrum of media engagement, the power of media to bring about positive change in science and tips for successful interactions with the media.

Speakers: Alice Motion (Deputy Head of the School of Chemistry and Deputy Director of the Sydney Nano Institute, University of Sydney) and David Hu (Associate Professor, Engineering Department, Georgia Tech).

Connecting the Dots: Chemists, Policymakers and the Public

19 October 2023

During this session, representatives from the RSC Parliamentary Affairs and Policy Team explored how policy is created and influenced and the importance and value of chemists having their voices heard throughout this process.

Daniel Rathbone (Campaign for Science and Engineering, CaSE) and Christian Wakeford MP joined the session to highlight tips and tricks for successful engagement with policymakers.

Speakers: Emily Wood (Parliamentary Affairs Advisor, RSC), Niall Sommerville (Public Affairs Manager, RSC), Camilla Alexander-White (Lead Policy Advisor, RSC), Daniel Rathbone (Deputy Executive Director, Campaign for Science and Engineering, CaSE), Christian Wakeford MP.

Making the Most of Your Engagement with Jamie Gallagher

Through a series of three 1-hour workshops, award-winning freelance communicator and engagement professional Jamie Gallagher explores how to create the perfect public engagement tailored to your skills and subject. This series has something for everyone, whether you are new to engagement or looking to get new perspectives on what you can do to improve this workshop is packed with tips, tricks and strategies for making the most of your engagement. Following the workshops, you should be able to:

• Understand how to turn your science into a compelling narrative.
• Prepare high-quality engagement plans and activities.
• Recognise the benefits of external engagement and how to achieve them.
• Feel comfortable and confident with public engagement.
• Understand the use of evaluation for reporting and monitoring.

Session 1 - 11 November 2021

This session explores what public engagement is, why we might want to do it and what you might want to achieve with activity. Jamie maps out what you need to consider when planning engagement activity.

Session 3 - 25 November 2021

Using a model to identify impact, outcomes and outputs, this session explores defining measures of success for activity and approaches that can be taken to evaluate whether a project has been a success or not.

Session 2 - 18 November 2021

This session looks at how to do public engagement and looks into the aspects of the planning process from identifying what you want to achieve, how to get there and what resources might be needed.

More Information

For more information on resources available from the RSC to support you in your public engagement and outreach activities, look at the links below:

• RSC Outreach Fund – this is a competitive grant scheme that provides financial support to members, individuals and organisations in order to enable them to run chemistry-based public and schools engagement activity. On this page you will also see examples of projects that current and previous grant holders have designed and delivered.
• RSC Local Sections – these are regionally based groups of volunteer RSC members who run annual programmes of events. Many sections regularly run public and schools outreach activity, please do not hesitate to get in touch with your Local Section to see what opportunities there may be for you to get involved in activity in your area.
• Public Attitudes to Chemistry – the results of the RSC’s PAC study explore the public perceptions of chemistry and chemists and give an insight into understanding public audiences to help you engage successfully with them.
• Chemistry for All – the results of the CFA study give insight into successful engagement with schools audiences.
• Opportunities through the RSC – on our Get Involved page, you will find information about future training/workshop opportunities to develop your communication skills as well as opportunities to volunteer with projects supported by the RSC.
• Teach Chemistry – in our outreach collection, you will find a wide range of activities you can do from chemistry in your shopping basket to chemistry of sunscreens. You can access Teach Chemistry using your RSC membership log in details.
• A Future in Chemistry – if you are looking to talk about careers in chemistry, our Future in Chemistry resources are an excellent place to start.
• Sustainability - to link in with the 2021-22 RSC focus on sustainability, there is a wealth of information available on a dedicated webpage to help inspire and support related activity.
• Schools Engagement – if you are looking specifically at engaging with schools, take a look at our Education website for resources.

Contact us

If you have any questions, or would like to discuss any thoughts or ideas you have regarding public engagement and outreach activity, please do not hesitate to get in touch via email to outreach@rsc.org.