Dr Michelle Dickinson: Communicating for impact

Date: 24 May 2024

Community sector workers are passionate about the work they do, and they understand every aspect of the issues they’re trying to address, inside and out.

Knowing an issue like the back of your hand is one thing, but are you able to effectively communicate that issue to the wider public, who you may need to win over to help your fight?

Shifting conversations from closed communities into the public arena is paramount if you want to make widespread change. How do you communicate in a way that maximises engagement and impact?

Dr Michelle Dickinson MNZM has years of experience communicating scientific research outside the academic community. At Communities in Control, Dr Dickinson will discuss the importance of inspiring and fostering curiosity to cut through the noise and demonstrate why the work you do is so important.

This Webinar will take place live on:

Friday 24 May 2024

Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart: 1pm-2pm
Adelaide, Darwin: 12.30pm-1.30pm
Perth: 11am-12 noon

Price:

Individual session: $139 (inc GST)

This session is a part of Communities in Control. Check out the whole program here, and save big by booking for the entire online conference.

Dr Michelle Dickinson
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Dr Michelle Dickinson Headshot 1

Dr Michelle Dickinson (MNZM) is a Nanotechnologist and Materials Engineer. She has spent the last two decades contributing to cutting-edge technologies, researching solutions for medical and technology applications for clients who range from small start-ups to large corporates.

Having set up and run New Zealand's only nanomechanical testing laboratory that specialises in making and breaking tiny things (nano and micro), Michelle spends her time helping companies with board advisory around science and technology commercialisation including technical consulting for investors and VC's looking for ROI advice for high-tech start-ups. Her experience spans academia, government labs and large-scale R&D departments. She says the key to success is not necessarily how great the technology is, but how well the science is communicated and how diverse the engineering team is.

Michelle's success comes from her hard work and lots of lucky opportunities, allowing her to break the poverty cycle she grew up in through education. This experience led her to Co-Found Nanogirl Labs, a socially conscious business designed to create beautiful and engaging content to help everyone build confidence around STEM.

Nanogirl Labs is both an in-person and a digital platform that highlights positive, diverse role models with fun and engaging storylines and kinaesthetic based learning helping everyone to see that they can be a creator not just a consumer. Nanogirl Labs's goal is to help people have a meaningful relationship with technology no matter their educational background or socioeconomic status. Their projects include the bestselling book The Kitchen Science Cookbook and TV show, a digital STEM platform and STEM education in schools in the pacific islands.

Michelle became a household name during New Zealand's COVID-19 response, often called upon by the media and government to present the complex happenings in layman's terms. During this time, she was praised for her work in the education sector to explain the disease and its implications to children - her videos and content became a highly sought after resource by parents and teachers. She is now also helping businesses who are concerned about their staff's wellbeing.

Michelle has been recognised for her many services to New Zealand for her work in STEM including; becoming a Member of New Zealand Order of Merit for services to science in the 2015 Queen's Birthday Honours, awarded the Sir Peter Blake Leadership award in 2015, was the winner of the Women of Influence award for science and innovation in 2016, winner of the Prime Minister's Science Media Communication Prize and the New Zealand Association of Scientists Science Communicators Award in 2014.

What's a Webinar?

A Webinar is a seminar that's conducted over the internet.

Viewers watch a remote presentation on their own screens at a set broadcast time and can participate by typing and submitting questions they would like answered by the presenter.

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Why Webinars work

You'll learn at a time that suits you
If you can't join us at the scheduled time, we will automatically send you a recording you can watch at your own pace.

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Our Webinars include a 45-minute presentation followed by a 15 minute interactive Q&A session where you'll call the shots. You do so by typing your questions during the Webinar.

You don't need an IT degree
There's no complicated software involved. You just need a reliable internet connection to participate. We'll email you instructions at each step too. Simple!

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