Welcome to the Presenter Network

Science Oxford manages the Oxford hub of The Presenter Network – a local, national and international network set up for presenters to share best and worst practices. There are hubs across the UK united under the same Presenter Network Manifesto but operating on a local level. The Royal Observatory Greenwich hub coordinates the network as a whole.

About The Presenter Network

Who is it for?

The Presenter Network is for people who are actively involved in presenting in museums, science and discovery centres, visitor centres, educational institutes, other public spaces and in the media. This includes science communicators. The network was created so that presenters can get together and share best practice as well as watch others in action to develop their presenting style. The Oxford Hub is managed by Daniel Scholes of Science Oxford and he coordinates the local meet-ups.

How much does it cost?

Taking part in network events is FREE and the network is not specifically funded. This group operates purely on the good will of our members with all meet-ups, leaders, speakers and workshops facilitators offering their time and experience for free. We are incredibly grateful to all the members for their enthusiasm, generosity and help to keep this network alive.

Why do you focus on presenting?

Quite simply because there is a demand for it. There are many other fantastic networks out there with a much wider remit than just presenting. We don’t compete with them, but rather complement them, by dedicating our focus to addressing a very specific aspect of public communication.

How often do they run?

We plan our sessions to suit our local network. Hubs usually meet once every three months and always start between 3pm and 5pm. There is also an annual conference held at the Royal Observatory Greenwich.

What is the structure of a session?

The order of the sessions is always the same: one hour taking part in a facilitated workshop followed by a one-hour facilitated group discussion. Every topic idea for a session comes from the network. This could be that someone has presented something new and learned things they want to share, or they could be having difficulty with something and looking for advice.

Sign Up

If you are actively involved in presenting in museums, science and discovery centres, visitor centres, educational institutes, other public spaces and in the media, you can join The Presenter Network for FREE.

To join the Oxford hub, your first need to register via the main Presenter Network (PN) website and remember to select Science Oxford! It is super easy to join as a member – just click here.

Once you’ve registered, our PN colleagues will pass your details to us so we can drop you a line to say ‘Hi.’

We won’t be bombarding you with emails, so don’t worry if you don’t hear from us for a little while. We will only get in touch with you when we have a training session coming up. You can join discussions safely and securely with other network members both locally and more widely on PadLet. We will also use PadLet to share presenting opportunities with you.

Contact the Oxford hub co-ordinator at [email protected].

 

Join us at our next event

Theme: Presenting to diverse audiences

Knowing your audience is an important part of presenting, but when your audience is made up of a wide variety of people with different ages, experiences, or understandings, how do you ensure that every member of your audience is engaged?

Join us for our next event at the Berkshire College of Agriculture Zoo. We’ll be given a tour of the zoo designed for the diverse audiences of Home Educator groups and we’ll discuss what works well. You’ll observe a different style of presentation in a unique educational centre and network with others in the industry.

When and Where

Date: Wednesday 28th February 2024
Time: 3pm until 5pm
Venue:
BCA Zoo (Berkshire College of Agriculture)
BCA, Hall Place
Burchetts Green
Maidenhead
Berkshire
SL6 6QR

There is parking on site and signage will direct you to the visitor reception area.

Format

The format of sessions is always the same. The first half will be observing a live presented session followed by a discussion afterwards. On this occasion, the live presentation will involve moving around the zoo, seeing some of the animals. The discussion will focus on the presentation and sharing experiences and tips for presenting to diverse audiences.

Booking

As always, we operate on a first come first served basis, so be sure to reserve your space quick by emailing me at [email protected] and let me know that you would like to attend. We also ask that organisations don’t send more than 3 members of the same team along to one session so we can make sure we have a real mix of people to be able to share their experiences.