Confessions of a New Education and Public Outreach (E/PO) Lead: If only I knew then what I know now. Thursday September 15, 2005

If I'd known then what I know now... what are the biggest mistakes and E/PO lead can make?

• Assuming E/PO is Easy. It is not.
• Not developing good goals to begin with. It is important to establish good goals from the very beginning. Goals make evaluation of an E/PO program much easier and can help ensure that you are on target and being effective.
• Not taking risks and being willing innovate. As an E/PO lead it is important not to limit yourself and to think too small. When brainstorming, think big and consider the impossible. 9 times out of 10 it will lead to nothing; however, that 1 time could lead to something new and innovative that could change the direction of E/PO as we know it or at least for your program.
• Wanting to do everything. This is one of the hardest points to accept. There are a lot of good outreach programs and efforts out there. It is easy to want to do it all. You simply can't. It is important to carefully pick and choose where your focus will be.
• Talking too local or too national. In order to have an effective E/PO program, you need a good balance between the two.
• Giving a presentation or preparing materials that are beyond the knowledge level of the audience. Be sure to know your audience and be able to adapt the content accordingly. Be sure to take into consideration your audience's background when debeloping any materials.
• Underestimating or underutilizing local resources available such as local schools, teacher, museums, etc. A successful E/PO program can only happen In the presence of strong partnerships. Effectively using local resources can make your efforts more effective and can help leverage available resources.
• Thinking you can tell teachers and schools what they need. All good E/PO efforts start with a needs assessment. Find out what the target audience truly needs, not what you think they need.
• Assume it doesn't cost much and won't take time. In my experience, everything costs more and takes a lot more time than anticipated. Always keep this in mind and be flexible.
• Not being strategic.
• Take the time to research what others are doing. Find out what other programs are out there and which are effective and which are not and how to use that information to develop a better E/PO program. Talk to others involved in E/PO.
• Not picking the best partners to work with on various E/PO programs or working with a partner and not having enough time to really forge the partnership. Good partnerships are key to leveraging available resources and creating effective E/PO programs with broader impact. Bad ones will simply cost you time and money.

How can an E/PO lead implement a successful local program on a national level without exceeding limited resources?

• Adapt a locally used activity to a web-based medium. Make sure to take full advantage of what the medium has to offer (make it more than simply placing the activity description on the web).
• Use the internet to distribute the program and various ways one can adapt and implement it in other geographic locations. Let the others do the implementing. You provide the resources and support to get them started.
• Distribute materials and programs through existing groups or national organizations (such as astronomy clubs, the Night sky network, Solar System Ambassadors, etc.).
• Talk about it. Present proven materials and efforts at various meetings (AGU, NSTA, ASP, etc.). Make your efforts available and let others know what you are doing.

How can an E/PO lead gain the support and involvement of scientists and engineers in E/PO efforts?

• Just say hello. People don't generally respond to something as impersonal as email. Get to know the engineers and scientists you are working with and build a personal relationship. When you do approach them for help, they will be more likely to say yes.
• Obtain "buy-in" from program management and program scientists and get them involved from the start. Having the support of upper management can prove invaluable in getting scientists and engineers involved.
• Attend staff and science team meetings. During these meetings you gain first hand info on important milestones and events, current happenings and gaining a general understanding of what is important to those attending. Attending these meetings will also help build personal relationships with the engineers and scientists working on the project.
• Help scientists and engineers understand that E/PO can easily fit into their careers and does not have to take up a lot of their time. A little can go a long way. Participation in E/PO can help bring back some of the excitement and enthusiasm in their work.
• Approach people with specific requests they are more likely to say yes and actually do it than if simply asked would they help out with outreach events occasionally.
• Set volunteers up for success. Take small steps. As their level of comfort increases and they see how enjoyable and rewarding outreach can be, you can get them more involved.
• Show enthusiasm and gratitude. Recognize the efforts of those who do participate in outreach. Be careful. Some will appreciate being recognized publicly some would prefer. Be considerate to their wishes and recognize their efforts in other ways via email or by thanking them in person.
• Emphasize to scientists and engineers that education and outreach is important for ensuring the future of science and engineering. It is important to help raise the literacy levels of science, math and engineering of students, the general public, and administrators.

There are a lot of good E/PO programs and products already out there. When should you "reinvent the wheel," and when is it better to complement the efforts of others?

• Dependent on community needs. Does the community need new and different E/PO opportunities or would collaboration with already existent programs be in the communities best interest? In any E/PO program or activity, it is important to perform a needs assessment.
• In many cases, adapting existing materials and program to address individual needs and constraints is a more efficient and effective approach to outreach then starting from scratch. This can help stretch limited resources since most of the groundwork has already been done.
• There are cases when starting from scratch is the best way to proceed. If there is a need yet there is no existing product or if what does exist is not of quality, then the opportunity is there to design something completely new.