Why doesn't merely explaining problems lead to action? Why is it more effective to tell a narrow story than a broad one? Is perfectionism killing your content?

In this first episode of the new series of Research Unravelled Peter is joined by guest Nick Peel - the digital content and social media lead at Wellcome Trust - who talks about the work that he and his team are doing to share the organisation's stories online.

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If the 'holy grail' of research communications is reaching policy makers - how can we make that happen? How do policymakers interact with evidence and how can we tailor our research comms to

In this episode of Research Unravelled Peter speaks with Sarah Carter-Bell from UK Parliament's Knowledge Exchange Unit about the work that she and her team are doing to facilitate sharing of ideas between academia and parliament.

The conversation is full of highly valuable insights and tips for anybody looking to get their research into the hands of policy makers.

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The research output from universities is a unique competitive advantage - why would you not want to communicate that as effectively as possible? How can the impact of those comms activities be tracked? And how can research communicators be better supported by their institutions?

In this episode of Research Unravelled Peter is joined by Alexander Buxton, Head of Strategic Communications at the University of Oxford.

They discuss why the 'specialism within a specialism' of research comms matters to universities, and how those involved with research comms can ensure that their efforts are aligned with the wider strategic objectives of the institutes they work for.

Episode Links



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In 2022 the Science Media Centre published an insightful report on the changing role of science press officers at UK universities. In this episode of Research Unravelled Peter speaks with two people who were instrumental to the report's creation: Helen Jamison and Claire Bithell.

The conversation reveals the often invisible but critical role these professionals play in building trust in science through skilled diplomacy. As universities face financial pressures, Helen and Claire emphasize that research communication isn't merely a "nice-to-have" but an essential component of the research ecosystem requiring continued recognition and support.

• Download 2022's CROSPO report
• Take part in this year's follow up survey

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Why do many risk messages fail to connect with audiences? How can communicators avoid oversimplifying complex risk information while still making it accessible to audiences? What does it mean to take a "public-led, expert-fed" approach to science communication?

In this episode Tracey Brown, Director of Sense About Science, talks about the charity's Risk know-how programme that was created to empower people to communicate risk effectively with their communities.

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What counts as a 'meaningful' engagement when involving patients and public with research? How can we elevate the voices of people with lived experience as experts? How can we support those people who agree to tell their own stories for impact?

In this episode Peter is joined by Nick Hillier, Director of Communications and Engagement at the Academy of Medical Sciences, which was established in 1998 to ensure that everybody can access good health, supported by the best research and evidence.

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Help us develop a snapshot of the research comms sector today by filling out our questionnaire:

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In these monthly extra episodes Peter is joined by co-host, Bianca Winter, to share listeners' thoughts on our main guest episodes, and to discuss the latest news and trends from the world of research communications.

In this episode we...

• Reflect on the last guest episode with Lorraine Bridges - Head of Campaigns at the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR)
• Talk about Peter's recent experiments with AI tools for research comms and our upcoming 'AI Sandbox Sessions' series where we'll share our findings.
• Share some news from the past couple of weeks that could have big implications for the research comms sector in the UK and USA.

We want this podcast to be a space of interaction and engagement for the research comms community, so we'd love to hear from you.

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What differentiates a 'campaign' from business-as-usual comms? What are the most important ingredients for running a successful communications campaign? How do you build partnerships based on trust and reciprocity?

In this episode Peter is joined by Lorraine Bridges, Head of Campaigns and Deputy Director of Communications at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).

She talks about the NIHR's 2023 'Shape the Future' campaign that won her and her team a CIPR Excellence Award and reflects on what goes into running an effective campaign, storytelling, relationship building and the power of setting objectives.

This week's question for our listeners:

Think back to a memorable campaign you've run - if you could do it again, what one thing would you do differently?

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In the episode Peter refers to an article citing statistics related to recruitment for clinical trials. Here is a link to the source: https://bit.ly/4hwsVH9

N.B. Lorraine has since pointed out that the source is a few years old now and recruitment rates have improved since then.

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📕 Lorraine's book recommendation: Multipliers by Liz Wiseman

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