Public Engagement Workshops & Training Opportunities

• This session serves as a basic introduction to the broader impacts criterion of NSF proposals. 
• Through this session, you will: 
• Understand the different pillars of broader impacts as defined by NSF;
• Be able to articulate why broader impacts matter; and
• Become familiar with tools and resources to help you better incorporate broader impacts into your project planning and proposals.

Publicly engaged scholarship can look different depending on the individual scholar, their discipline and their institution.  This session provides an overview of the varied landscape of public engagement and how engaged work can lead to larger societal impacts. Participants will walk away with an understanding of the different forms engaged work can take; the ability to articulate different goals and impacts of engaged work; and an opportunity to identify future pathways, support, and resources to pursue their research agenda in public engagement.

• This hands-on workshop explores three foundational elements of science communication, with a focus on creating core messages. 
• Through this session, you will:
  • Consider how to align your science communication goals and the goals of your audience(s); 
  • Understand how a core message, language choices, and narrative structure all contribute to an effective communication effort; and
  • Practice developing a core message and narrative structure using several tools.

• This hands-on workshop focuses on using participatory techniques to make virtual meetings or workshops more engaging and meaningful. 
• Through this session, you will:
  • Understand some of the core principles behind participatory virtual facilitation; 
  • Learn several techniques for encouraging participation in a virtual meeting or workshop that you can apply in your own settings; and  
  • Gain tips, tricks, and additional resources for successful participatory virtual facilitation.

All too often differing expectations and relationship dynamics are a determining factor of a successful and sustainable research project. How do you then intentionally foster meaningful, collaborative, and equitable research partnerships, across the university and with external partners?  In this workshop, participants will consider the different partners and publics they are already engaging with or might engage with in the future; gain an understanding of relationship-building frameworks and tools to foster effective and equitable partnerships; and, reflect on what relationship dynamics can look like in practice. 

In a researcher’s toolkit, storytelling is fundamental for meaning-making and sense-making: it can be used both to communicate scholarly information and build human connections with potential partners. In this workshop, participants will review and practice storytelling strategies and setup.  Building on this foundation, participants will then consider how storytelling can be crucial to community building. This might include articulating stronger links between their personal experiences and the research questions they seek to address, facilitating perspective-taking, building relationships founded on trust and transparency, and crafting narratives of collectively imagined futures. Participants will be introduced to research collaboration scenarios that explore how this type of communication can build bridges across disciplines and cultures, reflect on their own experiences, and consider how to apply blended storytelling techniques to their own future work.  

• This session demonstrates how to use the Michigan Public Engagement Framework Contexts Deck to plan engagement and impact projects.
• Through this session, you will: 
• Understand some of the core considerations for engaged project planning, including impact-based design, relevant contexts, mutually beneficial relationships, and resources;  
• Practice using a reflective tool for engaged project planning; and 
• Consider how to apply the core considerations and reflective tool to your own engaged project planning needs. 

How do you understand the societal impacts of your research, scholarship, or creative practice? How do you strategically embed your desired impacts into your scholarly work? This workshop is anchored in reflective practice to support scholars in articulating how engagement and impact work connects with scholarly identity and ambition. Participants will consider different elements of an impact identity – the unique confluence of your personal preferences and values, your scholarship, societal needs, your institutional context, and your capacities and skills. Participants will reflect on their values, strengths, and capacities that guide their engaged scholarship;  brainstorm goals and societal impacts of their engaged work; and, participants will walk away with an outline of their own impact identity that can be leveraged in materials articulating the arc and impact of their career, including proposals, statements, and dossiers.  

Contact the entire team: [email protected]
Elyse Aurbach, Director, Public Engagement & Research Impacts: [email protected]
Ellen Parakkat, Program Manager, Public Engagement & Research Impacts: [email protected]