Who are the public and how can you ensure that you engage with them effectively?
Whether you are interested in disseminating your research findings, consulting the public on your research or working in partnership with community groups to collect data, you will need to consider ways to ensure your planned activity is appropriate and relevant to the target audience to allow beneficial engagement to take place.
Often people talk about engaging with the public. However, the 'public' is everyone: your family and friends, your line manager, a school pupil, potential future funders or members of your local community. It is often helpful to break this down into different types based on categories such as age, gender, ethnicity, location and interests.
Examples include:
- Adults
- Black, Asian, Minority Ethic (BAME) groups
- Community groups
- Family groups
- Older people
- Service users
- Students
- Underserved audiences
- Young people
- Business and industry
- Government and policy makers
You can read more about understanding your target audience by downloading our guide.