Masterclasses

On Tuesday May 25th of the 18th Australasian Vertebrate Pest Conference we’ll be holding two Masterclasses along side the concurrent sessions of the program.

These Masterclasses are an opportunity to develop your skills in media training (elevator pitching) and designing surveys and questionnaires’. 

More on these 90 minute sessions are listed below.

Tuesday May 25th – 1100-1230 AEST

Led by Dr Lynette McLeod, School of Psychology, University of New England

An important research tool for any practitioner is a well-designed questionnaire. Questionnaires provide a relatively cheap, quick and efficient way of obtaining large amounts of information, such as opinions, preferences, intentions, and behaviour from a large sample of people. This workshop will provide an overview of the principles behind designing a questionnaire, from planning through to implementation and making sense of the information you have collected.

What are the learning objectives?

• Better understand the importance of defining the purpose of your questionnaire, and how this determines the best research approach, target audience and sampling protocol,
• Learn how to word your questions to avoid response errors and biases,
• Be aware of the different levels of measurement available, and how this influences the type of conclusions you can make from your data,
• Gain an appreciation of the reliability and validity of your measured variables, and how this influences the quality of your collected data,
• Strengthen your knowledge on how to analysis your data and present the results.

Who should attend?

Conference participants interested in developing and delivering a better questionnaire to improve the effectiveness of their management programs.

Tuesday May 25th – 14:00-15:30 AEST

Led by Adjunct A/Prof Ian McDonald, Centre for Invasive Species Solutions in collaboration with Prue Adams, ex-ABC Landline, leading rural reporting and Paul Ramadge, ex editor in chief of The Age.

With the rise of digital media and a 24/7 news cycle, trying to get your message heard among the noise can be difficult.

How do we do this effectively and why is it a valuable communication method?

This 90 minute Masterclass will provide delegates an opportunity to rise above the noise and develop initial skills to pitch your work to the media. It will include presentations from the best in the business and provide delegates with an opportunity to pitch their work in front of Prue Adams and Paul Ramadge to receive feedback.

What are the learning objectives?

• Communication 101 – when (and when not) to talk publicly.
• What are key messages and talking points and why are they important?
• Tailoring your message to your audience
• The who, what, when, where, why and how of a media release
• The elevator pitch
• Best practice interview skills

Who should attend?

Conference participants who are interested in learning how to refine their messages and get some more confidence talking to the media.