Episodes
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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.
Visit us at www.orinococomms.com | Contact me at [email protected] | Join our community and subscribe to our newsletter at orinococomms.substack.com | Tell us what you think bit.ly/orinoco-speakpipe_pod
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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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Get in touch with us:
Visit us at www.orinococomms.com | Contact me at [email protected] | Join our community and subscribe to our newsletter at orinococomms.substack.com | Tell us what you think bit.ly/orinoco-speakpipe_pod
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Missing episodes?
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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
Visit us at www.orinococomms.com | Contact me at [email protected] | Join our community and subscribe to our newsletter at orinococomms.substack.com | Tell us what you think bit.ly/orinoco-speakpipe_pod
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A 2025 Welcome from Peter and Bianca at Research Unravelled Extra!
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 Peter's interview with Catherine Foot, Director of the longevity think thank, Phoenix Insights, Share listener thoughts and questions about that interviewUnpick a new report from the Reuter's Institute about the technology and trends that will affect the news media landscape this year - and what that means for research comms.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.
Here's what we'd like to know in particular...
How are you feeling about the use of AI in research comms at the moment? What uses would you like to explore more?---
We can't wait to hear from you!
Contact us at [email protected] or [email protected] | Join our community and subscribe to our newsletter at orinococomms.substack.com | Tell us what you think bit.ly/orinoco-speakpipe_pod | Find us on LinkedIn
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How can we transform the national conversation around what it means to live longer better lives? How do we avoid drowning in nuance when trying to understand complex systems? What does it take to relentlessly pursue a single issue in order to bring about change? And how can you build a coalition to bring others on board?
Join Peter Barker in conversation with Catherine Foot, the Director of Phoenix Insights - a think tank set up to transform the way society responds to the possibilities of longer lives.
We hope you enjoy, rate, review and share this episode - and we encourage you to join the conversation with any comments and questions!
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📕 This week's recommendations are 'Influence' by Adam Stones and 'What We Owe Each Other: A New Social Contract' by Minouche Shafik
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Visit us at www.orinococomms.com | Contact me at [email protected] | Join our community and subscribe to our newsletter at orinococomms.substack.com | Tell us what you think bit.ly/orinoco-speakpipe_pod
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Welcome back to Research Unravelled Extra!
In these monthly extra episodes Peter is joined by co-host, Bianca Winter, to share listeners' reflections on the latest guest episodes, and to discuss the latest news and trends from the world of research communications.
We want this to be a space where the research comms community engages and interacts with its fellow members, so please get in touch to let us know what you think.
This episode features:
Responses to our Ep2 interview with Catherine Gregory, Head of Communications and Content at Ada Lovelace Institute.An excerpt from a Notebook LM AI-generated podcast about the CROSPO reportHere are the questions that we (and our listeners) want to hear from you about...
What works well for you when communicating with policy makers? Do you provide actionable recommendations? Do you review the terms and conditions of generative-AI platforms before you use them? Have you ever decided to not use a platform because you were uncomfortable with the T&Cs?Have you tried out Google's Notebook LM podcast generator yet? If so, what are you using it for?Are you one of Bluesky's new recruits? How are you finding it so far?---
We can't wait to hear from you!
Contact us at [email protected] or [email protected] | Join our community and subscribe to our newsletter at orinococomms.substack.com | Tell us what you think bit.ly/orinoco-speakpipe_pod | Find us on LinkedIn
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How do you craft consistent communications in a field as rapidly evolving as AI and data? Can we shift the narrative from perceived future existential risk to actual present day harms? What's the best way of making your messages resonate with policy makers?
Join Peter Barker in conversation with Catherine Gregory - Head of Communications and Content at Ada Lovelace Institute, an independent research institute with a mission to ensure that data and AI work for people and society.
We hope you enjoy, rate, review and share this episode - and we encourage you to join the conversation with any comments and questions!
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📕 This week's recommendation is a documentary called 'Daughters' available on Netflix.
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Visit us at www.orinococomms.com | Contact me at [email protected] | Join our community and subscribe to our newsletter at orinococomms.substack.com | Tell us what you think bit.ly/orinoco-speakpipe_pod
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Welcome to Research Unravelled Extra!
In these monthly extra episodes Peter will be joined by co-host, Bianca Winter, to share listeners' reflections on the latest guest episodes, and to discuss the latest news and trends from the world of research communications.
We want this to be a space where the research comms community engages and interacts with its fellow members, so please get in touch to let us know what you think.
This episode features:
Reponses to our Ep1 interview with Ali Bailey, Director of Communications at the Francis Crick Institute.News about the launch of our brand new Research Comms Snapshot Report: https://bit.ly/research-comms-snapshotHere are the questions that we (and our listeners) want to hear from you about...
How do comms teams gain the trust of their individual researchers, especially at larger institutes?What strategies have worked for you in engaging audiences, especially where there may be conflicting values?Do you agree that you'd like to see a more connected research comms community that spans different disciplines? If so, what would you like that community to look like?---
We can't wait to hear from you!
Contact us at [email protected] or [email protected] | Join our community and subscribe to our newsletter at orinococomms.substack.com | Tell us what you think bit.ly/orinoco-speakpipe_pod | Find us on LinkedIn
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How do you communicate science so complex that even scientists find it hard to understand? How can communicators cope with the vast number of digital channels and platforms used today? What does 'values-based communication' mean and how can it help you develop a fantastic relationship with your audiences?
Join Peter Barker in conversation with Ali Bailey - Director of Communications and Public Engagement at The Francis Crick Institute, one of the world's largest biomedical research institutions, located in the heart of London.
We hope you'll enjoy, rate, review and share this episode - and we encourage you to join the conversation and let us know what you think!
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📕 This week's book recommendation is Thinking Fast, Thinking Slow by Daniel Kahneman
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Visit us at www.orinococomms.com | Contact me at [email protected] | Join our community and subscribe to our newsletter at orinococomms.substack.com | Tell us what you think bit.ly/orinoco-speakpipe_pod
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Welcome to Research Unravelled - a brand new podcast where we take a deep dive into the impactful world of research communications.
In particular we’ll be exploring the complexity that lies at the heart of this particular field and hearing from communications experts about how they navigate and overcome or unravel that complexity.
Research Unravelled is hosted by Peter Barker and brought to you by Orinoco Communications - the creative agency that specialises in working with research organisations.
