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View the full show notes, including the full framework on the Amplifying Research website: https://www.amplifyingresearch.com/podcast/47-phillip-dawson
You probably already know that being on LinkedIn is a good idea for your work, your research, and your career. But how do you make sure it's actually making a positive difference, rather than just becoming "doom scrolling at work"? Returning guest Prof Phillip Dawson joins us to walk through a seven-step framework for making LinkedIn manageable, effective, and maybe even (dare we say it) not terrible. From setting goals and capturing ideas, through writing posts and showing up in conversations, to reflecting on what's actually working, we cover the full process for turning LinkedIn from hellscape to... well, if not heaven, then at least something you can actually live with 😅
Phillip Dawson is a Professor and co-director of the Centre for Research in Assessment and Digital Learning (CRADLE) at Deakin University. This is his third appearance on the show, following episodes on becoming a key person of influence (Ep 3) and crafting repeatable signature talks (Ep 37). With more than 12,000 LinkedIn followers built while openly calling the platform "a hellscape," Phil brings both the results and the honesty to co-host this one.
"Someone else got this amazing opportunity to write a really influential document for the sector, led to a lot of stuff with government, and I looked at their work and I looked at my work and I thought, 'We're both pretty similar scholars in the space. Why'd it go to them and not to me?' … The better play is sometimes the shorter thing on LinkedIn that people are actually gonna read." — Phillip Dawson
Whether you love LinkedIn and are already posting multiple times a week, or you actively hate it and won't even put the app on your phone — this episode gives you a repeatable system to make the platform manageable, purposeful, and aligned with what you actually want to achieve.
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View the full show notes, including a summary of practical tips on the Amplifying Research website: https://www.amplifyingresearch.com/podcast/46-jaelea-skehan
You've done the research. You've run the trial. You've published the paper. So why isn't anything changing? Dr Jaelea Skehan has spent more than 25 years translating research into real-world programs in mental health and suicide prevention — and she's seen firsthand why so many evidence-based innovations never make it past the journal. In this episode, she makes a compelling case that proving something works is just the beginning, and shares hard-won lessons from programs spanning 18 months to 25 years on what it actually takes to get research into practice — and keep it there.
Jaelea is the Director of Everymind and was awarded an Order of Australia medal for her work in community mental health. A psychologist, researcher, and policy advisor, she leads a multidisciplinary team that does what she calls "priority-led research" — designing programs not for journals, but for the systems and people they need to serve. Her PhD focused on what actually works when trying to change practice in sectors outside of health, built on Everymind's decades of implementation experience.
What makes Jaelea's perspective distinctive is that she lives at the intersection of research, practice, and community — and she's unflinching about what she's seen from that vantage point. She argues that the system incentivises proving things work in controlled settings while neglecting the messy, relational work of getting them into practice. And she backs it up with detailed case studies from programs her team has built, implemented, evaluated, and adapted over decades.
"All of the work and all of the effort you put into designing a program and proving that it works or that it's got some good outcomes… It is not the end of the journey. If anything, it's a ticket to the starting line." — Dr Jaelea Skehan
This episode is essential listening for anyone who cares about whether research actually reaches the people it's meant to help — whether you're designing interventions, funding them, evaluating them, or trying to get them implemented. If you've ever felt frustrated by the gap between evidence and practice, Jaelea offers both a diagnosis and a way forward.
Our conversation covers:Why the research-practice gap in mental health and suicide prevention is a matter of life and death — and what it's doing to public trust in research
The voltage drop: why interventions that work in controlled trials lose effectiveness in the real world
Why proving something works is "a ticket to the starting line, not the end of the journey"
Designing for the implementation environment, not just the innovation itself
The Mindframe program: 25 years of lessons on changing media reporting of suicide across an entire sector
Why resources and guidelines don't change practice on their own — and what does
Designing for 80% alignment rather than word-perfect evidence translation
Co-producing with lived experience advisors and disseminating findings to the people who need them before publishing in journals
Priority-led research vs investigator-led research: how Everymind decides where to put its effort
How to think about evaluation and evidence-building when your funding comes in two-year cycles
What senior researchers and funders can do to set up the next generation to work differently
Find Jaelea online:LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/jaelea-skehan-oam-2a720323/
Everymind — https://everymind.org.au
Things mentioned:Episode 39: Implementation Science — Dr Robyn Mildon on the 17-year research-practice gap
Episode 36: Practical Impact Planning and Evaluation — Dr Sarah Morton on the Matter of Focus framework
Everymind – www.everymind.org.au
Lived experience workshop reports - Workshop outcomes from a Lived Experience of Suicide Summit | Everymind
Mindframe program
Our stories matter resources: Sharing lived and living experiences of suicide publicly
Our stories matter: a mixed methods survey of lived and living experience perspectives of media and public communication of suicide in Australia | BMJ Public Health
Minds Together – www.mindstogether.org.au
Conversations Matter – www.comversationsmatter.org.au
Life in Mind – www.lifeinmind.org.au
Life in Mind Implementation Hub - Suicide prevention implementation hub
Centre for Evidence and Implementation
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Eksik bölüm mü var?
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View the full show notes, including a summary of practical tips on the Amplifying Research website: https://www.amplifyingresearch.com/podcast/45-dickon-bonvik-stone
There's so much research that could genuinely make the world better — healthier communities, smarter policy, a more sustainable planet. And yet, when it comes to getting people to actually listen and act on that research, we often default to explaining harder or criticising current practices. Neither of which tend to work. Dickon Bonvik-Stone joins us to share how the NØKO team found success taking a radically different approach, and how we can use the AIM framework to bring hope to our own research communications.
Dickon is a strategic communications specialist focusing on climate and social change. He spent 15 years in marketing and digital media before retraining with advanced degrees in sustainability and social change — and committing to bridging the gap between marketing expertise and the social change space. He led the communications module of UNCC Learn's Becoming a Climate Champion learning pathway, distributed to more than 1 million youth climate advocates, and created the foundational climate communications e-learning course for the Creatives for Climate community — a network of more than 50,000 marketing and advertising professionals committed to using their skills for good. He also hosts the Communicating Climate Change podcast, where he interviews experts at the intersection of communication and climate action.
In this episode, Dickon unpacks how he and the NØKO team took a different approach to communicating about degrowth economics — leading with aspiration instead of argument — and sold out a major event that brought activists, economists, public servants, and business leaders into the same room. He walks us through the AIM framework (Audience, Intent, Message) and makes a compelling case for why the most important step in any communication effort is the one most people skip.
"If you lead with the things that the changes you're promoting can actually create in society, the opportunity that they provide, people are able to follow a lot more easily." — Dickon Bonvik-Stone
This episode is essential listening for anyone who wants their communications to actually shift behaviour, not just inform.
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Our conversation covers:Why "more information" rarely leads to behaviour change — and what to do instead
The AIM framework: Audience, Intent, Message — and why message comes last
Building audience personas based on values and psychographics, not just demographics
Finding common values across very different audience segments
How the NØKO team attracted activists, economists, public servants, and business leaders to the same event
Hope-based communications: shifting from what you're against to what you're for
Why "Degrowth. It's not what you think." is a masterclass in what not to do
Show, don't tell — using aspirational imagery and video to set the tone before a single slide is shown
The tension between domain experts wanting technical accuracy and communicators pushing for clarity
Testing messages instead of guessing — and building internal support for doing so
Why working with communicators and creatives is an investment, not a luxury
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Find Dickon online:LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/dickonbonvikstone/
Communicating Climate Change podcast — https://communicatingclimatechange.com
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Things mentioned:Dickon’s LinkedIn post that inspired this episode
NØKO
Hope-based communications with Thomas Coombes (Communicating Climate Change episode)
Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard — Chip and Dan Heath
Don't Think of an Elephant — George Lakoff
Less Is More: How Degrowth Will Save the World — Jason Hickel
Houston, We Have a Narrative — Randy Olson
The Psychology of Collective Climate Action
Climate Visuals (Climate Outreach)
Episode 12: Dr Mark Boulet on behaviour change
Episode 24: Dr Jennifer Beckett and Dr Eloise Faichney on boosting engagement with marketing know-how
Episode 32: Brendon Bosworth on finding the right training approach for your team
Episode 35: Professor John C. Besley on strategic science communication
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Read along here as Julie and I step through the Impact Literacy Workbook.
View the full show notes, including a summary of practical tips on the Amplifying Research website: https://www.amplifyingresearch.com/podcast/44-julie-bayley
A/Prof Julie Bayley is one of the world's leading voices on research impact, and she's on a mission to make sure that the pathway from academic inquiry to meaningful societal change isn't just left to chance. She joins us to unpack impact literacy — a practical framework and step-by-step workbook that helps researchers find their place in the impact puzzle, and helps institutions build the culture to make it all possible.
Julie is currently the Director of Research Impact and Culture at Northeastern University London. Previously, she was Director of Research Impact Development and Director of the Lincoln Impact Literacy Institute, both at the University of Lincoln, UK. She's the author of Creating Meaningful Impact: The Essential Guide to Developing an Impact Literate Mindset, one of Emerald Publishing's bestselling books of 2023.
Julie's passion for impact is deeply personal. A blood clot in 2008 left her unable to walk without pain for ten years — until research-developed vascular stents gave her mobility back. That experience cemented her commitment to ensuring research reaches the people who need it.
Together with David Phipps (Director of Research Impact Canada and Assistant Vice President, Research Strategy and Impact at York University), Julie has developed a suite of freely available tools including the Impact Literacy Workbook and the “Are you Impact Healthy?” Institutional Health Check Workbook — practical resources designed to help researchers and institutions plan for, deliver, and evaluate impact.
"The more we put impact as an extra, a burdensome extra, the less we're going to grow it, the less change we're going to make, and the more ill-equipped our researchers will be to do it… In academia, we have the most incredible opportunity to make a difference… Impact literacy is not about being an impact expert. It’s is being able to judge where you fit into that picture." — Julie Bailey
This episode is essential listening for anyone responsible for driving or supporting research impact — whether you're an individual researcher trying to understand where you fit, a team leader building impact capability, or an institutional leader looking to create a culture where impact is genuinely enabled, not just expected.
Our conversation covers:The impact literacy model: why, how, who, and what
Walking through the Impact Literacy Workbook step by step: from framing your problem to assembling your impact plan
Why researchers should start thinking about impact much earlier than they typically do
Identifying stakeholders and beneficiaries — and why it's about assembling the right team, not listing everyone
Why jumping straight to methods ("we'll build an app") is the wrong approach to knowledge mobilisation
Co-producing impact: bringing stakeholders in as early as possible
The skills researchers need — and why you don't need all of them yourself
What a healthy impact culture looks like at the institutional level
The five C's framework: commitment, connectivity, co-production, competencies, and clarity
Using the institutional health check to diagnose priorities and track progress
Why the approach to impact in an institution is often a mirror of leadership's view of it
ind Julie online:LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/julie-bayley-impact
Website — https://juliebayley.blog
Resources mentioned:Impact Literacy Workbook
“Are you Impact Healthy?” Institutional Health Check Workbook
Creating Meaningful Impact: The Essential Guide to Developing an Impact Literate Mindset
Research Impact Glossary (CERCA)
Relationships for Impact framework
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View the full show notes, including a summary of practical tips on the Amplifying Research website: https://www.amplifyingresearch.com/podcast/43-sofia-oliveira
What if leaving academia isn't failure – but the path to work that actually fulfils you? Sofia Oliveira finished her PhD, spent six months applying for 140 jobs, and discovered a career in science communication that she finds more rewarding than anything she experienced in the lab. She joins us to share the real numbers behind her transition, the mindset shifts that made it possible, and how LinkedIn became her secret weapon for finding opportunities.
Sofia is a science communication and marketing specialist focusing on life sciences, biotech startups, and nonprofits. After completing her PhD in 2021 and working as a project manager at university, she made the leap to industry in 2023 – tracking every application, interview, and offer along the way. Today she's a freelancer with over 10,000 LinkedIn followers, where she regularly shares remote job opportunities to help other researchers explore their options.
"To be honest, I am much happier now than when I was back at academia, and I think that's all about it. You know, you want your career to be fulfilling and that looks different for different people. But for me, what I'm doing now, it's fulfilling." – Sofia Oliveira
Whether you're a PhD student wondering what comes next, an early-career researcher eyeing the grim odds of landing a professorship, or simply curious about what else is out there, this episode offers honest data, practical strategies, and a refreshing perspective on career exploration.
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If you enjoy this episode and want to go deeper, check out Sofia’s Career Hub on Patreon – featuring the actual CVs she used to land interviews, live Q&A sessions, and group mentoring.
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Our conversation covers:The stigma around leaving academia – and how to move past it
Sofia's job hunting data: 140 applications, 11% interview rate, 8 offers
How academic success rates (grants, professorships) compare to industry job hunting
Types of roles researchers can transition into: science communication, technical writing, project management, consulting, and more
How to identify and articulate your transferable skills
The case for applying while you're still employed
Freelance vs part-time vs full-time: finding the model that suits you
Building a LinkedIn presence that attracts opportunities (in just 2-3 hours per week)
Why treating your career like an experiment might be the most scientific approach
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Find Sofia online:LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/oliveira-ss
Sofia’s Career Hub on Patreon — https://patreon.com/Oliveira_ss
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View the full show notes, including a summary of practical tips on the Amplifying Research website: https://www.amplifyingresearch.com/podcast/42-sarah-mclusky
Be honest: how many meetings, workshops, or conferences have you attended that felt like a waste of your time? Dr Sarah McLusky argues that most academic gatherings fail not because of bad content, but because no one stopped to ask why they were bringing people together in the first place.
Sarah is a research communicator, facilitator, and host of the Research Adjacent podcast — and she's spent years helping teams design gatherings that build trust, spark collaboration, and leave people feeling their time was genuinely well spent. In this episode, we unpack how to move beyond inherited templates and create in-person experiences that actually achieve what you need them to.
"What makes people turn up in the room on the day is the agenda, the talks, the subjects they're interested in — that's what gets people through the door. But actually what people remember afterwards, what they take away from it, is the people that they met." — Dr Sarah McLusky
Sarah brings extensive experience helping research teams, charities, and other organisations design meaningful in-person experiences — from stakeholder engagement workshops to patient involvement sessions to team away days. She's particularly passionate about creating spaces where different voices can genuinely be heard, and where power dynamics don't shut down the very contributions you're trying to invite.
This episode is a must-listen for anyone who organises meetings, runs workshops, or plans events — and suspects there might be a better way. Whether you're rethinking your team's regular catch-ups or planning a major stakeholder engagement session, Sarah offers practical wisdom on making gatherings that genuinely matter.
Find Sarah online:LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahmclusky/
Newsletter: Gathering with Purpose — https://sarahmclusky.com/gathering-with-purpose
Research Adjacent podcast — https://researchadjacent.com/podcast/
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View the full show notes, including a summary of practical tips on the Amplifying Research website: https://www.amplifyingresearch.com/podcast/41-michael-wheeler
Wish more people knew about your team’s amazing research, but worried you don’t have natural charisma or the “gift of the gab”? Never fear! Sci comms expert Dr Michael Wheeler argues that powerful communication comes down to two fundamentals: the quality of your ideas and the order in which you present them. In this episode, Michael introduces the hourglass method — a simple framework for structuring any research communication, from conference talks to grant applications to casual conversations at the pub.
Michael is a research fellow at the Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition at Deakin University, part of the University of Melbourne Science Communication Teaching Program, and co-host of the podcast Let's Talk SciComm with A/Prof Jen Martin.
In this episode, Michael walks through the hourglass method in practice, sharing examples from rocket scientists bursting through doors to heart disease statistics that make entire lecture theatres sit up and pay attention.
"Context before detail. If you jump straight into the detail, you're gonna lose people immediately. The way I like to think about a piece of communication is like an hourglass. You start off big picture, you provide some context, then you narrow down into the detail, and then you return to something big picture at the end as a way of having a strong finish." — Dr Michael Wheeler
Whether you're preparing for your next conference talk, writing a grant application, or simply want to explain your research more clearly to colleagues outside your field, this episode offers a practical framework and actionable advice you can start using immediately.
For research leaders, Michael's insights on building diverse communication skills can help you think about professional development for your team. And for early-career researchers uncertain about your career path, Michael’s "academic Christmas tree" philosophy offers a refreshing perspective on keeping your options open.
Find Michael online:LinkedIn
Let’s Talk Sci Comm podcast
Deakin University profile
University of Melbourne profile
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View the full show notes, including the poster Leanne and Steph collaborated on here: https://www.amplifyingresearch.com/podcast/40-leanne-rees
"I never wanted to do a PhD only for it to sit as a thesis and no one to ever read it." If you’re a listener to this show, then I’m willing to bet you’ve probably had similar thoughts about your own work. Dr. Leanne Rees’ solution? To team up with creative professional Steph Hughes to craft a compelling comic-book-style visual based on the very words of the community members she partnered with for her research. The result: a vibrant piece of knowledge mobilisation that's now spreading across international networks, hanging on hospital walls, and empowering newly injured patients to see beyond limiting stereotypes — and a collaborative model I’d love to see more researchers and creative professionals embrace.
Dr. Leanne Rees has been a clinician for more than 20 years and is a research officer at MCRI with Prof Megan Munsie in the Stem Cell Ethics and Policy team. Her PhD explored the media portrayal of spinal cord injury, drawing on her extensive experience as a physiotherapist working with people with spinal cord injuries in rehabilitation, community, and acute care settings.
Steph Hughes is a multidisciplinary creative who's worked as a professional artist and visual communicator for more than 10 years. She also works at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation as a radio producer and specialises in communicating complex topics to broad audiences. Her background spans commercial illustration, community group projects, and museum collaborations.
Together, they've created an illustration that transforms Leanne's research findings into an accessible visual story - one that's been endorsed by international spinal cord injury organisations and adapted into an animation featuring the voices of people with lived experience.
"It's the relationships that you build over time not to ever let go of maybe a little dream that you've had at the back of your head and it's those relationship-building opportunities that can lead you to a path of okay, now's your chance!" — Dr. Leanne Rees
Whether you're sitting on research that deserves a wider audience, struggling to translate complex findings into accessible formats, or wondering how to build authentic partnerships with creative professionals, this episode offers a practical roadmap for community-centred collaboration that amplifies impact while empowering the voices at the heart of your work.
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View the full show notes, including a summary of practical tips on the Amplifying Research website: https://www.amplifyingresearch.com/podcast/39-robyn-mildon
Imagine discovering a breakthrough that could transform lives, only to watch it sit unused for nearly two decades. Sadly, this is the stark reality that faces researchers in many fields today — for example, $200+ billion is spent annually on healthcare research, but 85% of it never results in changes to practice, and the interventions that do make it to practice often take between 15 and 17 years to do so! Dr Robyn Mildon, CEO of the Centre for Evidence and Implementation, has dedicated her career to collapsing this devastating timeline through the systematic study of what gets in the way — and what helps — when moving research from lab to field.
Robyn is a global leader in implementation science who has seen firsthand both the devastating failures and remarkable successes that can occur when working to translate research into practice.
A pivotal moment came early in her career when, despite training 800 practitioners in evidence-based programs for parents with intellectual disabilities, only 9% actually implemented them as intended. This experience deepened her commitment to implementation science and understanding not just what works, but how to make it work in real-world settings.
"There are things that are well evidenced that aren't getting implemented. Then there's things that are well evidenced, getting implemented poorly, and then there's things that are well evidenced being ignored.”
Implementation science transforms the traditional "spray and pray" method of research dissemination into a strategic, evidence-based process that ensures breakthrough research actually reaches the people who need it most. The Centre for Evidence and Implementation, which Robyn leads, operates across 18 countries and focuses on closing what implementation scientists call the "know-do gap."
They're also gearing up for their 2025 Evidence and Implementation Summit in Melbourne this October, bringing together researchers, policy makers, and practitioners with the shared goal of bridging the research-practice divide.
Our conversation covers:Why the traditional "spray and pray" approach to research dissemination fails
The systematic barriers that prevent evidence from reaching practice
How to use stakeholder engagement and implementation planning to dramatically improve success rates
Real-world case studies from healthcare, education, and social services
Practical steps researchers can take today to increase their impact
Find Robyn online:Centre for Evidence and Implementation
2025 Evidence and Implementation Summit
Robyn on LinkedIn
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View the full show notes, including a summary of practical tips on the Amplifying Research website: https://www.amplifyingresearch.com/podcast/38-megan-munsie
Instead of spending years building your own audience from scratch, what if you could partner with organisations and voices that already have your target community's trust and attention? Professor Megan Munsie has spent two decades mastering this approach — what she calls "amplification strategy" — to reach patients, policymakers, and the public with critical stem cell research insights.
Rather than standing at lecterns delivering one-way presentations, she's learned to embed herself within the very networks her research aims to serve, from patient advocacy groups to media organizations to policy circles. Her approach transforms researchers from isolated communicators into collaborative partners within established community networks—multiplying impact while making the most of limited time and resources.
Megan is a professor at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute and a renowned expert in stem cell research who has dedicated her career to exploring the ethical, legal, and social implications of the field. Her amplification approach emerged from a practical realisation: "It doesn't really make a lot of sense if I'm just going to answer individual patient inquiries. So it's much more impactful if I work with those in the community who are already talking to the people I want to reach."
"It comes back to this idea of where is the best way to spend your time. What's the most impactful way to reach the audience and who can you partner with? Why would you want to start up your own YouTube channel when you could perhaps appear on something that already has a following?" — Professor Megan Munsie
Over two decades, Megan has built strategic partnerships across diverse sectors—from working with spinal cord injury peer leaders to collaborating with policy officers at the Australian Academy of Science, from appearing on ABC's 7.30 to writing for The Conversation. Her methodology centers on long-term relationship building, authentic collaboration, and the crucial insight that effective communication requires being invited into communities rather than imposing yourself upon them.
Whether you're overwhelmed by the thought of building your own social media following from scratch, struggling to connect with the communities your research aims to serve, or looking to multiply your impact without multiplying your workload, this episode offers a practical roadmap for finding and partnering with the voices that can amplify your message to the right people.
Our conversation covers:Understanding amplification strategies and how they differ from traditional outreach
Building authentic partnerships with patient advocacy groups and community organisations
Working effectively with mainstream media, policy organisations, and social media platforms
The importance of humility, curiosity, and adaptation in all stakeholder relationships
Practical steps for identifying and approaching potential amplification partners
Why starting small and learning from colleagues is more effective than trying to "conquer the world"
Find Megan online:LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/megan-munsie-27013136
University of Melbourne — https://findanexpert.unimelb.edu.au/profile/379400-megan-munsie
Murdoch Children’s Research Institute — https://www.mcri.edu.au/researcher-details/megan-munsie
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View the full show notes, including a summary of practical tips on the Amplifying Research website: https://www.amplifyingresearch.com/podcast/37-phillip-dawson
Imagine having an exceptional talk in your back pocket that you can confidently deliver anywhere, anytime... A talk that consistently wows audiences and builds your reputation as a go-to expert in your field... A talk that might even turn into a book one day. Prof Phillip Dawson shares how developing repeatable talks can transform speaking from a last-minute scramble into a sustainable career-building practice.
Phillip is the co-director of the Centre for Research in Assessment and Digital Learning at Deakin University, and he's given talks at nearly every Australian university, as well as countless institutions worldwide. What makes his approach unique is that he's developed a sustainable speaking strategy built around just 1-2 exceptional presentations that he continuously refines and reuses—a stark contrast to the academic norm of creating unique talks for every opportunity.
"If you book me to give a talk, you're going to get something good. And I just don't know if I have it in me to keep on creating brand new good things," Phillip explains. "The badge of honour is quality."
This approach evolved organically from Phillip's research practice. While working on a big project, his team developed a slide deck that kept getting requested at different venues. "Eventually it became part of my strategy on big projects to say to the team, Hey let's collaborate on making one really good slide deck for this thing," Phillip explains.
He now maintains two signature talks — one on assessment security and AI, another on feedback literacy — each refined through dozens of presentations and evolved into career-defining assets.
Whether you're struggling with speaking preparation burnout or looking to transform your occasional talks into career-defining presentations, this episode offers a practical roadmap for developing sustainable speaking practices that build your reputation while saving your sanity.
Our conversation covers:The strategic process of developing your signature talk topics
How to iterate and refine presentations through low-stakes testing
Balancing customisation with consistency across different audiences
Structuring talks for maximum impact and audience engagement
Handling difficult Q&A sessions and challenging audiences
Negotiating speaking opportunities and setting boundaries
The unexpected career benefits of repeatable excellence
Find Phill online:https://philldawson.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/philldawson
https://experts.deakin.edu.au/14967-phillip-dawson
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View the full show notes, including a summary of practical tips on the Amplifying Research website: https://www.amplifyingresearch.com/podcast/36-sarah-morton
How can we move beyond hoping for impact to systematically creating it? What tools can we use to plan for the impact we want to see in the world, evaluate whether it's happening, and tell compelling stories about the change we're contributing to? Dr Sarah Morton takes us through the Matter of Focus framework and software designed to do just that.
(We’re releasing this ep a little early, between our usual monthly drops, to coincide with the ARMA UK conference. If you’re in Edinburgh, drop by the conference to say hi to Sarah and give OutNav a try in person! We’ll be back to our regular release schedule on July 1st with a new episode featuring returning fan-favourite guest Prof Phillip Dawson — all about his approach to crafting killer academic talks.)
Sarah spent 16 years working in knowledge exchange at the University of Edinburgh before co-founding Matter of Focus. Her team's approach to impact planning and evaluation stands out for its focus on using plain language and breaking things down in ways that are really easy to understand, and they’ve developed the software tool OutNav to help make all this practical..
"I think where the approach works best is if it becomes really part of the way you work. We've got to have more of a feedback mindset because people are doing great things, but they're often not reflecting on them and people are making huge assumptions about engagement, for example, that they're engaging the people who are most important to the change that they see, and quite often they're not." -- Dr Sarah Morton
Sarah walks us through Matter of Focus' four-step process: setting out your theory of change using plain language headings, auditing what evidence you already have, identifying gaps and collecting meaningful data, and building your impact narrative over time. We explore how this cyclical approach transforms impact work from bureaucratic afterthought to strategic advantage.
Our conversation covers:Why contribution analysis beats attribution thinking for complex changeThe four-step Matter of Focus process for impact planning and evaluation
How to map pathways to impact using plain language frameworks
Practical data collection methods that busy researchers actually use
Moving from "broadcast mode" to strategic stakeholder engagement
Embedding impact thinking into daily research practice
How institutions can better support systematic impact work
Find Sarah online:Website: Matter of FocusLinkedIn: Dr Sarah Morton
Resources discussed:
Software: OutNav
Article: The Matter of Focus framework
Article: An overview of the Matter of Focus approach
Article: 3 feedback tools to help you track your outcomes and impact
Article: How to bring different voices into your evaluation
Article: 4 simple steps to start evidencing your research impact
Case Study: Using OutNav to assess the impact of the Global Kids Online research initiative
Book: How Do You Know If You Are Making a Difference? A Practical Handbook for Public Service Organisations
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View the full show notes, including a summary of practical tips on the Amplifying Research website: https://www.amplifyingresearch.com/podcast/35-john-c-besley
Passionate about sharing your research and want to ensure your comms efforts deliver meaningful results? Professor John C. Besley shares insights from his book Strategic Science Communication, and the SCREE framework, to help you move beyond hoping for impact to designing for it. In this conversation, he reveals why many research communication efforts fall short – not because researchers aren't trying, but because they haven't been asked the fundamental question: what specific behaviour do you want to change? John and I discuss how to identify clear goals, understand the beliefs that drive behaviours, and align your communication activities accordingly. Whether you’re the director of research org, working in comms/operations, or an individual researcher, John shares practical tips that can help you start improving the outcomes of your comms and engagement today.
John is a Professor at Michigan State University's College of Communication, Arts, and Sciences, where he's spent more than 20 years researching public views about science and scientists' views about the public. His mission is to help science communicators be more effective by encouraging evidence-based and strategic communication choices.
"Often the scientists I'm talking about, if they have research that maybe they think somebody could use, they want people to use it. They want people to consider that science when making decisions. And if you want that to happen, you can just hope that it happens. Just hope for it. Or you can start making the choices that increase the likelihood that people will consider that research." — John C. Besley
The SCRREE framework emerged from John and his colleagues' recognition that while many researchers are committed to communication, few have ever been asked what they hope to achieve from their efforts. SCRREE stands for Strategic, Cumulative, Reflexive, Reciprocal, Equitable, and Evidence-based — principles that transform ad-hoc outreach into sustained impact. Through their consulting work with research organisations, they've developed a practical process that helps teams move from vague aspirations like "increasing awe and wonder" to specific behavioural goals like "getting policymakers to consider evidence in environmental decisions."
Our conversation covers:Why strategic communication matters for researchers in today's funding and impact landscape
How to identify “audience-specific behavioural goals” that actually matter for your research
The practical process of asset mapping: aligning your existing activities with your goals
Why "engagement" really means giving people time to stop, think, and form beliefs
Common mistakes like focusing only on risks while ignoring benefits, norms, and efficacy
Building trust through demonstrating expertise, caring, integrity, shared values, and openness
The importance of cumulative thinking: why one-off activities rarely create lasting change
Practical tips for researchers at any level to start being more strategic today
How organisations can better support strategic communication through hiring and infrastructure
Find John online:Website — strategicsciencecommunication.com
Resources — http://strategicsciencecommunication.com/resources
LinkedIn — linkedin.com/in/john-besley
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View the full show notes, including a summary of practical tips on the Amplifying Research website: https://www.amplifyingresearch.com/podcast/34-lisa-grocott
Imagine stepping into a future where your research is creating the impact you've always hoped for. That's exactly what happens in a Tomorrow Party – an innovative method where researchers and stakeholders physically experience their desired futures rather than just planning for them. In this episode, Prof Lisa Grocott explains how this approach helps close the "imagination gap" that often prevents meaningful change. By creating spaces where people collectively imagine themselves already living in their preferred futures – speaking, feeling, and celebrating as if those futures are real – Tomorrow Parties generate the emotional connection and collective hope that traditional planning methods rarely achieve.
Lisa is Professor and Co-Director of WonderLab at Monash University and an Honorary Professor of Play at Design School Kolding (DSKD) in Denmark. Born in Aotearoa, New Zealand, Lisa is of Ngāti Kahungunu descent on her mother's side, with whakapapa from the UK on her father's side.
Her approach to designing for impact draws on both her co-design practice and Indigenous knowing, and is centered on creating transformative experiences that shift perspectives and unsettle everyday norms.
"What we realized at the end of the three days together was that almost every good idea we'd come up with had been seeded in that 30 minutes of us goofing around at the beginning... We realized that every time we tried to make it look a bit more like this intentional strategy it took away from something that the guests were telling us was the most important part of it, which was this idea that they never got to practice engaging with the future with their imaginations." -- Lisa Grocott
The Tomorrow Party began as a playful exercise before a funding application and evolved into a formal methodology supported by the Wellcome Foundation Trust. Unlike traditional planning methods that use scenarios or economic models, Tomorrow Parties invite participants to speak and act as if they're already living in futures 1, 3, or 5 years ahead. As Lisa describes it, participants don't just envision these futures cognitively – they actually feel them, creating emotional connections that drive genuine motivation and action.
Whether you're looking to align your research team around impact goals, engage meaningfully with diverse stakeholders, or simply break free from ineffective planning approaches, this episode offers a practical methodology you can start using immediately. Lisa walks us through the three-act structure of a Tomorrow Party and shares powerful stories of transformation – from Aboriginal community leaders finding their voice to cynical academics surprised by their own capacity for hope – demonstrating why this playful yet profound approach might be the missing element in your impact strategy.
Our conversation covers:How researchers can use imagination to bridge the gap between knowledge and meaningful action
The origins and evolution of the Tomorrow Party methodology
How emotional engagement and "felt experiences" create more memorable and motivating visions for the future
The connection between imagination, hope, and collective action
How to host your own Tomorrow Party to align teams, engage communities, or develop partnerships
Why unsettling established perspectives is critical for transformation
How to transform the feeling of possibility into practical action
Ways to keep the energy and vision of imagined futures alive in daily work
Find Lisa online:WonderLab (Monash University) -- https://www.monash.edu/mada/research/project/wonderlab
The Tomorrow Party -- https://tomorrowparty.org
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View the full show notes, including a summary of practical tips on the Amplifying Research website: https://www.amplifyingresearch.com/podcast/33-mike-schafer
How is generative AI transforming the way research is communicated and understood by different audiences? Prof Mike S. Schäfer gives us a state of the union on the rapidly evolving world of AI and science communication.
Mike is a professor of science communication, the director of CHESS (Centre for Higher Education and Science Studies), and head of the Department of Communication and Media Research at the University of Zurich.
"In science communication, dialogue often, by many, is seen as the best way of doing science communication, but the challenge is having a dialogue with people who are not interested in science to begin with... It's difficult to scale up if you actually want to do face-to-face dialogue. And AI is great at that." -- Mike Schäfer
Whether you're a research leader looking to build your team's communication capacity or an individual researcher seeking to develop your skills, this episode offers practical advice on making training work for the long term.
Our conversation covers:How the general public is increasingly using tools like ChatGPT to get answers about science
The characteristics of early AI adopters and concerns about digital divides in AI literacy
How AI hallucinations and "pink slime" could impact scientific knowledge
The ways that ChatGPT and other models conceptualise and communicate science
Practical applications for researchers to experiment with AI in their communication efforts
The future of AI in science communication and the importance of keeping "humans in the loop"
Find Mike online:LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikesschaefer
CHESS — https://www.chess.uzh.ch/en.html
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View the full show notes, including a summary of practical tips on the Amplifying Research website: https://www.amplifyingresearch.com/podcast/32-brendon-bosworth
Looking to implement communication training that creates lasting change? Communication specialist Brendon Bosworth shares practical insights on choosing the right trainer, designing effective programs, and embedding communication skills in your research team.
Brendon Bosworth is a science communication trainer and principal consultant at Human Element Communications. He works with leading international organisations, research institutes, and universities including the UN Environment Program, FAO, and the University of Cape Town to make research on topics of global concern more accessible to non-specialists.
"My encouragement here is to really make science communication part of your mandate and your vision so that it's woven into the institutional way of doing things right from the start." -- Brendon Bosworth
Whether you're a research leader looking to build your team's communication capacity or an individual researcher seeking to develop your skills, this episode offers practical advice on making training work for the long term.
Our conversation covers:How to choose the right trainer and training approach for your needsThe four S's framework: Strategy, Simplicity, Storytelling, and SolutionsWhy most one-off workshops don't create lasting changeTailoring communication training to your organization's goalsThe importance of practice and ongoing supportBuilding science communication into organizational cultureCreating internal networks to maintain momentumPractical ways to keep developing skills after training Find Brendon Bosworth online:Linked In — https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendonbosworth/
Human Element Communications — https://www.humanelementcommunications.com
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View the full show notes, including a summary of practical tips on the Amplifying Research website: https://www.amplifyingresearch.com/podcast/31-cameron-mcknight
Looking to run events that researchers actually want to attend? Cameron McKnight shares practical insights on building sustainable research communities and running events that deliver real value.
Cameron McKnight is a PhD candidate at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute, where his research focuses on modeling mitochondrial diseases using CRISPR-edited human pluripotent stem cells. He's also a passionate advocate for building better research communities, having led several successful programs designed to support researchers at all career stages.
"In the end, all of this is volunteer work for scientists. We don't get paid to run these events... But if you're going to do it, you're better off making a huge effort and changing it more dramatically." -- Cameron McKnight
From scheduling that works for busy researchers to documentation that ensures long-term success, Cameron offers practical advice you can start implementing today to make your research events and communities more impactful.
Our conversation covers:Why research networks and collaborations are crucial in modern science
Common pitfalls in running research events (and how to avoid them)
Practical strategies for organizing sustainable events on a budget
How to build consistency and continuity into volunteer-run programs
Making events accessible and valuable for all participants
Simple tools and systems for effective event organization
Building communities that extend beyond single events
The importance of proper handover documentation
Find Cameron McKnight online:Linked In — https://www.linkedin.com/in/cameron-mcknight-78740b44
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View the full show notes, including a summary of practical tips on the Amplifying Research website: https://www.amplifyingresearch.com/podcast/30-ken-and-dani
When Dr Kenneth Strahan developed research-backed archetypes to help understand how different people respond to bushfires, Danielle Teychenne and her colleagues saw an opportunity to create real change. Together, they embarked on an ambitious project to translate this research into practical tools for communities. In this episode, they share candid insights about what it takes to build successful research translation partnerships - from finding the right collaborators to navigating real-world implementation challenges.
Ken is a researcher with 30+ years of experience in bushfire research in Australia, and Dani is currently a learning designer at BehaviorWorks, and she has a background in digital learning.
So in this episode, we'll hear from Ken about how his work identified seven distinct archetypes that reflect different ways people respond to bushfires — research that could save lives if effectively implemented.
We’ll then discuss the implementation or translation piece, how Danielle and her colleagues tapped into Ken's research, collaborated with him and put together a new project centered on helping communities better prepare for bushfires.
"People wanted to see tailored education... They wanted to feel empowered. They didn't want to have their autonomy taken away from them. They didn't want to be told what to do." – Danielle Teychenne
Whether you're a researcher hoping to see your work create change, or someone looking to adapt research for real-world use, this episode offers valuable lessons on building bridges between research and practice — including frank discussion of what worked, what didn't, and how to navigate the challenges that emerge along the way.
Our conversation covers:The journey from research insight to practical application
Creating archetypes or user profiles as part of your research
Build productive research translation partnerships
Strategies for tailoring research for different audiences
Navigating implementation challenges and roadblocks
Tips for measuring real-world impact
The importance of starting small and building incrementally
Balancing rigour with practical constraints
Find Dr Kenneth Strahan online:Linked In — https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-kenneth-strahan
Find Danielle Teychenne online:LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielle-teychenne
Bluesky — https://bsky.app/profile/lisagiven.bsky.social
More details on the project:https://climatethrive.com.au/bushfire-tool
https://climatethrive.com.au/noosa
https://climatethrive.com.au/penrith-cald
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View the full show notes, including a summary of practical tips on the Amplifying Research website: https://www.amplifyingresearch.com/podcast/29-lisa-and-wade
Looking to make 2025 your most impactful year yet? Prof Lisa Given and Dr Wade Kelly share practical tips for planning ahead to make impact manageable - from carving out time in your calendar to building the right relationships.
Lisa is Director of RMIT's Social Change Enabling IMPACT platform, and Wade is a Senior Lecturer in Deakin University's Researcher Development Academy. Together, they unpack how researchers can balance career progression with their impact goals, and tap into opportunities within their university.
"It's about understanding how organisations work. Most people can only see one system below them, one system above them, maybe two. So if you're within a lab, you might understand your school and faculty, but you really aren't looking at what's going on in the university. Keeping abreast of all of those levels to be an empathetic researcher is important because it'll allow you to pitch your work in ways that respond to those different levels." – Dr Wade Kelly
This episode is essential listening for any researcher wanting to make impact a sustainable, practical part of their work. From protecting your time to building the right relationships, Lisa and Wade offer actionable advice you can start implementing today.
Our conversation covers:How to carve out time and energy for impact when juggling multiple commitments
Balancing career progression goals with impact goals
Finding and creating opportunities within your university
Protecting your time and learning to say "no"
Building relationships that support your impact goals
Making impact work manageable and sustainable
Planning for the year ahead while staying flexible
The importance of face-to-face connections
Finding your community and support network
Find Dr Wade Kelly online:Linked In — https://www.linkedin.com/in/wade-kelly/
Bluesky — https://bsky.app/profile/wadekelly.com
Find Prof Lisa Given online:LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/lisagiven/
Bluesky — https://bsky.app/profile/lisagiven.bsky.social
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View the full show notes, including a summary of practical tips on the Amplifying Research website: https://www.amplifyingresearch.com/podcast/28-reema-harrison
Today’s episode is a deep dive with Prof Reema Harrison on how to embed diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) throughout the entire research process — from study design to dissemination.
Prof Harrison leads a program of research at the Australian Institute of Health Innovation, focusing on how increasing stakeholder engagement can contribute to improved healthcare quality, experiences, and outcomes, and she has published extensively on the use of peer support, mentorship, and co-design approaches to create impactful change in healthcare.
We discuss practical strategies for building diverse research teams, effectively engaging with various communities, and ensuring that your research outputs are truly relevant and impactful.
"Diversity, inclusion, impact, stakeholder engagement are all part of a research approach. They're not something to add on after you've designed a project. They are how you develop work and a program of work and sustain it." — Dr Reema Harrison
If you’re a researcher committed to making your work more inclusive and impactful, or if you’re part of a research organisation looking to better support DEI in your projects, this episode is packed with valuable insights and actionable advice!
Our conversation covers:Why meaningful co-design and stakeholder engagement should start from the very beginning of a research project
Practical strategies for building diverse research teams and why diversity in the research team matters
The importance of ongoing stakeholder relationships and community engagement as standard practice, and how it contributes to improved outcomes
Approaches for effectively engaging with diverse communities, ensuring their voices are heard and respected
Practical advice on handling conflicts and power dynamics in diverse teams and stakeholder groups
The role of research institutions in supporting DEI initiatives
Tips for early career researchers on building networks and engaging with diverse stakeholders
How to use peer support, mentorship, and co-design methods to foster inclusivity in research
How to navigate challenging conversations and build emotional intelligence in research settings
Ensuring that research outputs are relevant and impactful for all community groups, not just the majority.
Challenges researchers may face when trying to embed DEI into their work and how to overcome them.
Resources:CanEngage project website
“Providing review and feedback as a co-author – a guide for consumers“
“Visual summary of a national analysis about multicultural consumer engagement practices“
“Audit for Consumer Engagement (ACE) Tool“
Find Dr Reema Harrison online:LinkedIn — https://www.linkedin.com/in/reema-harrison/
Macquarie University — https://researchers.mq.edu.au/en/persons/reema-harrison
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