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IMCC4 WORKSHOPS

Pre-congress workshops will take place on Thursday, July 28, 2016, and/or Friday, July 29, 2016 offsite at the Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland. All pre-congress workshops require payment. This fee is addition to IMCC4 registration. The discounted fee for delegates from developing countries includes small island developing states. All pre-congress workshops do not include lunch; participants can purchase lunch at the Marine Institute in the cafeteria. Shuttles will run between the Memorial University dorms, the Delta Hotel, and the Marine Institute at designated times for pre-congress workshops. (A link to the shuttle schedule will be posted on this page when it becomes available.)

Workshop descriptions can be found below. Workshops that require pre-registration are marked "pre-registration is required." All others are are carried out on a drop-in basis.

Several lunchtime workshops will take place during IMCC. These workshops will be held at the Delta Conference Centre every day from July 31-August 2, 2016. Some lunchtime workshops may have an attendee capacity. Information on workshops from the Student Activities Committee and OceansOnline workshops can be found on the designated pages.

SPONSOR A WORKSHOP: Show your support by sponsoring a workshop that targets a specific audience. A $500 workshop sponsorship includes: company logo on presentation screen; opportunity to welcome the attendees; ability to place product literature on the tables in the workshop room. To sponsor a workshop, or for more information, contact Lori Strong.

Pre-Meeting Workshops
Workshops During the Congress
Pre-Meeting Workshops

Tales from the sea: Communicating science and conservation through storytelling
Organizers: Kirsten Grorud-Colvert, Oregon State University; Stephanie Green, Oregon State University; Heather Mannix, COMPASS; Erica Goldman, COMPASS

  • WS47: Thursday-Friday, July 28-29 (Two full days) 
  • Time: 8:30-17:30 both days (Lunch break:12:30-13:30)
  • Pre-registration is required (see application note below)
  • Workshop fee: $96USD for non-students from developed countries; $48USD for students; $36USD for delegates from developing countries/SIDS
  • Location: Marine Institute 155 Ridge Road St. John's NL A1C 5R3
  • Room: SOT Boardroom
  • Selected workshop participants will have the opportunity to perform their stories at a special event open to the public on Sunday, July 31 at the LSPU Hall in St. John's

Storytelling is a powerful way to transfer information and knowledge, evoke emotion, and build trust with an audience. During this workshop, participants will learn key elements of storytelling and use these elements to craft powerful stories to share their conservation science experience with public audiences. This 2 day workshop will consist of three main components: 1) identifying and developing a clear conservation science message, 2) developing an engaging story for public audiences, and 3) telling the story in a public forum. Part 1 will utilize the COMPASS Message Box to help participants distill their work into a clear and succinct message. Part 2 will focus on developing participants’ messages into a complete and compelling story. Participants will take part in a combination of group exercises, live and video demonstrations, and one-on-one story development with organizers. By the end of the workshop, each participant will have produced an engaging presentation of their conservation science story. During the conference, participants will have the opportunity to tell their story to a public audience. The participants' conservation stories will be recorded and hosted on the web as part of a new website and legacy project co-organized with the Society for Conservation Biology’s Marine Section (https://conbio.org/groups/sections/marine/stories/). Please note that participants will be contacted in July with a pre-workshop assignment to complete in advance of the workshop.

To apply for this workshop, please complete the online application form by 15 May 2016. Participant selection will be completed and all applicants notified by 1 June 2016. All those accepted into the workshop will receive a special registration link to register and pay for the workshop, as a separate process from regular conference registration, so please don't wait to register for the full conference. For more information on this session, please contact Kirsten Grorud-Colvert (grorudck@science.oregonstate.edu).

*Tales from the Sea workshop registration is open only to delegates with accepted abstracts.

Using social media to make your marine science matter
Organizers: David Shiffman, University of Miami; Keni Rienks, Cape Fear Academy; Edward Hind, Manchester Metropolitan University

  • WS95: Friday, July 29 (Half-day workshop in the morning) 
  • Time: 8:30-12:30
  • Pre-registration is required
  • Workshop fee: $36USD for non-students from developed countries; $24USD for students; $12USD for delegates from developing countries/SIDS
  • Location: Marine Institute 155 Ridge Road St. John's NL A1C 5R3
  • Room: C3208

If used effectively, social media can be rewarding and informative for scientists and conservation professionals. Social media is a significant means of communication for the general public, organisations and agencies. In fact, recent polls have shown that internet-savvy adults (and children) get a substantial portion of their news via social media and the web. Social media campaigns can take advantage of built-in audiences and the ease with which those people can share and promote your message, increasing the reach of your outreach. Social media and internet resources can also be used effectively for data collection and citizen science campaigns. We will discuss the importance of conservation communication and having an online and social media presence. We will also give how-tos and tips on successfully using various online tools and social media outlets. We will walk participants through setting up accounts with different social media outlets, the benefits of each and tips on successfully utilising each outlet. We will help each participant set up desired accounts for themselves or their organisations – including Twitter, FaceBook, Pinterest, Instagram, WordPress, Periscope, Storify, etc. – they can begin using during IMCC4.

Talking the talk: Giving effective and engaging presentations
Organizers: Marianne Teoh, Fauna & Flora International-Cambodia; David Shiffman, University of Miami; Samantha Oester, George Mason University; Edward Hind, Manchester Metropolitan University

  • WS96: Friday, July 29 (Half-day workshop in the afternoon) 
  • Time: 13:30-17:30
  • Pre-registration is required
  • Workshop fee: $36USD for non-students from developed countries; $24USD for students; $12USD for delegates from developing countries/SIDS
  • Location: Marine Institute 155 Ridge Road St. John's NL A1C 5R3
  • Room: C3208

This workshop, aimed at students and those who need public speaking experience, will give participants tips and advice on giving presentations in various outlets, including science conferences. The SCB Marine Section Communication Committee will go over tricks on calming nerves, effective presentation organisation, how to edit down slides, what aspects to focus on and tailoring presentations for different audiences. We will also go over helpful suggestions on public speaking and having a confident “stage” presence. Participants who are presenting at IMCC4 will get the chance to practice giving their presentations during the workshop, and will get feedback on visuals and the oral presentation.

Marketing methods to translate marine science into relevant conservation behaviors
Organizers: Tjerk Van Rooij, Rare; Diogo Verissimo, Rare/Georgia State University

  • WS30: Friday, July 29 (Full-day workshop) 
  • Time: 8:30-17:30 (Lunch break: 12:30-13:30)
  • Pre-registration is required
  • Workshop fee: $48USD for non-students from developed countries; $36USD for students; $24USD for delegates from developing countries/SIDS
  • Location: Marine Institute 155 Ridge Road St. John's NL A1C 5R3
  • Room: E2311

Two challenges of marine sciences are to communicate the results of this work in meaningful ways to stakeholders, policymakers and the public and to transform that information into relevant actions that improve marine conservation and societal well-being. These same types of challenges have been addressed in the field of public health. One of the key lessons learned is that communication campaigns will have, at best, a small effect on behavior. It has also been found that efforts to reach and change behaviors on a broad-scale, such as community-based and national programs, require strategic management throughout their planning, implementation and evaluation. Social marketing techniques have been shown to lead to more effective, efficient, sustainable and equitable solutions. This workshop focuses on how the social marketing approach can be applied to encourage and support behavioral changes and citizen involvement to conserve the marine environment. Participants in this workshop will be introduced to and learn to apply the latest advances in the field specifically to marine conservation issues: use of segmentation and persona development, value co-creation, the jobs-to-be done framework, journey mapping, the use of social objects in social media efforts, and the social marketing planning canvas.

Communicating ecosystem services conservation using collaborative learning and mental models
Organizers: Dr. Christine Feurt, University of New England and Wells NERR

  • WS89: Friday, July 29 (Full-day workshop) 
  • Time: 8:30-17:30 (Lunch break: 12:30-13:30)
  • Pre-registration is required
  • Workshop fee: $48USD for non-students from developed countries; $36USD for students; $24USD for delegates from developing countries/SIDS
  • Location: Marine Institute 155 Ridge Road St. John's NL A1C 5R3
  • Room: W1043

Engaging stakeholders in ecosystem service conservation in marine and coastal environments is one of the greatest challenges facing researchers conducting assessments and policy makers implementing science based programs. High impact communications about the value of ecosystem services can motivate people to act in ways that protect and sustain the services they care about. Decision-making about ecosystem services requires engaging people with diverse and conflicting perspectives in dialogues about what is at stake, who benefits and who stands to lose. This workshop provides participants with practical and effective techniques immediately applicable in a variety of contexts to improve ecosystem service conservation communication and stakeholder engagement. Collaborative Learning is a powerful stakeholder engagement process that can move groups forward in spite of conflicts, uncertainty and complexity. Collaborative Learning, designed with knowledge of the mental models used by stakeholders, can reduce conflict, contribute to development of shared meaning among the group and facilitate actions that conserve the ecosystem services recognized as important. This workshop is for conservation professionals whose work depends upon effective science communication, collaborative partnerships and on-going adaptive management approaches to value, manage and sustain ecosystem services. Participants will learn how to design stakeholder processes and to improve communication and learning to achieve desired outcomes.

Workshops During the Congress

Using a pencilfish to write whales: Communicating conservation and science through poetry
Organizers: Anna Zivian, Ocean Conservancy; Samantha Oester, George Mason University; Stephanie Januchowski-Hartley, Université Paul Sabatier; Natalie Sopinka, Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research

  • WS15: Lunchtime workshop
  • Time: July 31 1:15-2:45pm
  • Room: Salon C of the Delta Conference Centre

Engaging, compelling communication about science and conservation requires diverse techniques and platforms, including academic, digital, and more traditional art forms like poetry and fiction. There is growing interest in expanding and integrating different communication methods to broaden the reach of science and conservation. Exploring the range of techniques and platforms we use to communicate science and conservation can help us synthesize and convey complex information, promote new ways of looking at issues, touch people’s emotions, and create a celebratory atmosphere (sensu Curtis et al. 2012). Our workshop thus has three main goals: (1) to introduce participants to different techniques and platforms for communicating science and conservation through poetry; (2) to teach terminology and highlight techniques for enhancing creative writing about science and conservation through poetry; and (3) to demonstrate how participants can use poetry to communicate their own or others’ research, work, and studies. Poetry is ideal for imparting complex information--it can evoke emotion, rhythmic wording is memorable, and messages have to be concise. Organizers will present their own experiences and different approaches to inspire writing, provide engaging exercises to help participants explore poetry as a way to communicate, and offer participants opportunities to workshop and present their own writing throughout the conference.

Approaches to conserve far-ranging species in a changing environment
Organizers: Aliki Panagopoulou, The Leatherback Trust; Mariana M.P.B. Fuentes, Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science, Florida State University; Sara M. Maxwell, Old Dominion University

  • WS37: Lunchtime workshop
  • Time: July 31 1:15-2:45pm
  • Room: Salon B of the Delta Conference Centre

Anthropogenic pressures have led to the decline of many large marine vertebrate populations, which after thriving in the world’s oceans for millions of years, face a number of challenges to survive in the 21st century. Exploitation of the world’s oceans, which provide key foraging, breeding and developmental habitats and migratory corridors is now thought to be at record levels and ocean pollution (including plastic, oil and endocrine disrupting chemicals) appears to be increasing at a vast rate. Rapid human population growth and increases in the demand for seafood has led to overfishing with concurrent increases in the bycatch of non-target species. Further, predicted climate change is expected to impact populations of large marine vertebrates, affecting distribution, behavior, reproduction and demographics. Large marine vertebrate species such as cetaceans and sea turtles, which exhibit long-range migrations and are dependent on diverse marine habitats, are thought to be particularly vulnerable to these threats. In order to successfully protect these species, managers must use an array of scientific approaches to address challenges and apply the acquired knowledge to design holistic, flexible and dynamic conservation approaches and strategies. The aim of this symposium is to showcase how novel approaches in marine science and interdisciplinary research can be applied to enhance the conservation of far-ranging marine species in this changing environment.

Communicating your science: An introduction to the Message Box
Organizers: Heather Mannix, COMPASS

  • WS69: Lunchtime workshop
  • Time: August 1 1:15-2:45pm
  • Room: Salon E of the Delta Conference Centre
  • Capacity: Limited to the first 50 delegates

Effective communication with peer and non-peer audiences requires the mastery of two essential and interrelated skills: 1) knowing your audience, and 2) clearly conveying the “so what” of your science. In this 90-minute workshop led by COMPASS, you will learn how to think about your audience’s needs, and practice pulling relevant messages from your own research. You will learn to use a tool called the Message Box to sharpen your ability to distill your complex knowledge into the key messages that can engage audiences such as journalists, policymakers, or others who are not subject matter experts. Peer-to-peer exercises offer opportunity to practice delivering your message, as well as to give and receive feedback.

Local action, global learning: Sharing blue solutions
Organizers: Janina Korting, GIZ; Marie Fischborn, IUCN

  • WS16: Lunchtime workshop
  • Time: August 1 1:15-2:45pm
  • Room: Salon C of the Delta Conference Centre

Across our planet ocean, a multitude of inspiring “blue solutions” exist, which successfully help overcome challenges to sustainable development and human wellbeing in the marine and coastal realm. Yet, how can we ensure successful models, tools, approaches or processes can be scaled and replicated? This requires inter-sectorial and cross-regional knowledge transfer as well as mutual learning. Such an innovative approach to sharing solutions is one of the key areas of action of the Blue Solutions Initiative. As part of that effort, the Blue Solutions Initiative highlights inspiring experiences on an online platform, the “Solutions Explorer”, that features not only marine and coastal experiences but also success stories related to protected areas gathered through IUCN’s Panorama Initiative. This workshop will introduce participants to the online platform “Solutions Explorer” and include an introduction that enables participants to understand the options this platform offers to better share knowledge as well as an interactive element in which participants experience how this existing knowledge can be used to design new solutions to challenges. This aims to connect people and knowledge in networks, build relationships around tested solutions, build innovation competency, and document solutions. Finally, we will discuss options for engagement and contribution to the initiative and the global solutions exchange platform with the participants. Please bring your laptop/tablet.

The science of conservation communication: Effective outreach through the media
Organizers: Edward Hind, Manchester Metropolitan University; David Shiffman, University of Miami; Eilidh Gilbert, Johns Hopkins University

  • WS94: Lunchtime workshop
  • Time: August 1 1:15-2:45pm
  • Room: Salon A of the Delta Conference Centre

The importance of science communication has been known for decades, but communication needs to be effective to be successful. Communication-savvy scientists and communication professionals will speak on the importance of conservation communication, effective science communication and tips on working with the media. In this workshop, scientists, journalists, editors and writers will give the inside scoop on effectual and powerful communication through the media. The panel will also discuss how to connect with and build relationships with publications. The workshop will end with a panel discussion on common interview pitfalls, as well as a question-and-answer session.

Making YOUR marine science matter: Optimize the real-world impact of your work
Organizers: John Davis, OpenChannels; Nick Wehner, OpenChannels

  • WS86: Lunchtime workshop
  • Time: August 2 1:45-2:45pm
  • Room: Salon A of the Delta Conference Centre

This workshop will instruct marine scientists on how to optimize the real-world impact of their work. Based on 15+ years of insights from OpenChannels, MPA News, MEAM, and related media, this workshop will provide tips on: (1) improving your writing for your intended audience(s); (2) creating better data visualization for optimal uptake; (3) sharing data and research with your peers; (4) creating a website to publicize your work; (5) harnessing media to disseminate your work to practitioners.

Building a career in ocean science and conservation
Organizers: Andrew Lewin, Spatial-Conserve Inc.

  • WS36: Lunchtime workshop
  • Time: August 2 1:15-2:45pm
  • Room: Salon B of the Delta Conference Centre

This workshop is designed to contribute to the professional development of young marine conservationists that are searching for a career in Marine Science and Conservation. The job market in 2015 is a tough one. Funding to science and conservation is low and paying, full time jobs are few and far between. Combined with the fact that there are more marine scientists and conservationists graduating every year, finding a job is even more difficult. This workshop is designed to help students and recent graduates apply a strategy to plan their careers in Marine Science and Conservation. The workshop will consist of technical and non-technical tips that will help students focus on 1 or 2 career paths, which will allow for job seekers to put together a better application as they are more focused in a specific field rather than a more general approach. Job seekers can apply to one or two positions and take the time to customize their application for those positions increasing their chances of getting an interview. The strategies and tips offered in this workshop will provide job seekers with the necessary tools to confidently pursue a career in Ocean Conservation.