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How I harnessed media engagement to supercharge my research career

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Two people with a microphone in the foreground, recording a podcast during an interview in a studio.

Podcasts and radio appearance can disseminate your science and raise your profile.Credit: Mixetto/Getty

Eighteen months ago, I had zero media experience. I’m a physical-activity researcher in the school of Allied Health and Human Performance at the University of South Australia in Adelaide. In the three years since completing my PhD, I hadn’t written articles for anyone outside my scientific community, courted mentions in a newspaper or even thought about speaking on the radio or on podcasts. I was content to spend my days head-down in research, analysing data and aiming to publish papers. Media publicity was nowhere on my radar.

At the start of 2023, along with my colleagues, I published a major systematic review in the British Journal of Sports Medicine1 that summarized much of the research on how exercise can help to reduce depression and anxiety. It was unusual for two main reasons. First, we synthesized all the evidence in the field, which involved collating the results of nearly 100 systematic reviews. Second, we analysed the most effective exercise types, along with varying intensities and durations of exercise and the effects across diverse clinical and non-clinical populations.

We found overwhelming evidence that exercise improves mental health across numerous healthy and clinical populations. Higher-intensity physical activity was linked to more substantial improvements in symptoms, but the effectiveness of interventions decreased with longer programmes of training.

The findings stuck a chord with many people, so the review ended up getting a lot of attention. I received requests from around the world to do radio interviews and go on podcasts. I was also invited to give talks and presentations in-person across Australia and virtually for international events.

Researchers should court media attention responsibly, with the ultimate goal of informing the public about scientific breakthroughs. But I’ve found that it can also raise your personal profile and advance your career.

Spreading the message

Over the past year, my media exposure has continued, with my research being featured in outlets including The Wall Street Journal, CNN, the Daily Mail, Yahoo, Times Higher Education, Cosmos magazine, Medical News Today and Science Daily. This has opened up unexpected opportunities. It has resulted in researchers from around Australia reaching out to me to collaborate on further reviews and meta-analyses on topics related to physical activity and lifestyle behaviours, allowing me to expand my research into different domains.

My media exposure has also led to industry collaborations. One Australian start-up company, which runs an app that aims to help office workers to exercise, reached out and provided funding for me to evaluate the effectiveness of their tool. The results are being prepared for publication in a peer-reviewed journal. The opportunity not only enabled valuable research examining an intervention in a real-world setting, but also laid the groundwork for potential collaborations with industry partners.

Furthermore, media exposure has helped me to develop valuable transferable skills. I had to hone my presentation skills to prepare simplified explanations of my research and communicate across fields. Giving media interviews enhanced my skills in translating complex findings into everyday terms, using relatable analogies, being concise and staying composed under pressure. These have all proved invaluable for me in research, public speaking and collaborations beyond academia.

Portrait of Ben Singh sitting on a bench in a park.

Ben Singh learnt valuable skills through media exposure.Credit: Ben Singh

Although the media interest was serendipitous at first, I’ve learnt to be pro-active in boosting media engagement. I now pitch my published papers to relevant journalists and outlets, highlighting what’s new, useful and surprising about my research.

I also regularly write for the website The Conversation to practise communicating research to broad audiences accessibly. I use social media to showcase my work, build authority in my field, share updates, promote publications and connect with peers and the public. And I’ve attended media training offered by my institution, learning skills such as: crafting compelling narratives and soundbites; developing an engaging presentation style; preparing for different interview formats; and translating complex concepts into useful and easily understood analogies.

Prepare to push back

Not all media interactions are perfect. I’ve encountered overly simplified coverage, misinterpretation of my work and pressured timelines. For instance, in the discussion section of our review in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, we compared our findings with those from past reviews on how medications affect depression. On average, our results showed that exercise was 1.5 times better than medication at improving symptoms of depression, in terms of effect sizes. This comparison was not the main purpose of our review, but several media outlets portrayed our study as a head-to-head analysis pitting exercise against medication. This oversimplifies the complexity of treatment options and leads to misconceptions about the role of exercise in comprehensive mental health care. The comparison failed to account for the interplay of various factors and individual differences, and could lead people to make inappropriate generalized decisions about their treatment without consulting medical professionals.

To prevent this kind of misrepresentation, I learnt to articulate the actual objectives and limitations clearly up front during interviews, conferences and seminars. I also realized that I needed to be prepared to correct any inaccurate portrayals rapidly by providing proper context and caveats.

The potential rewards have made proactively seeking media opportunities worthwhile, even if it felt daunting at first. Rather than leaving it to chance, I’ve been strategic in promoting my own research through media engagement as an early-career academic. The visibility, credibility and skills I have gained have amplified my findings and fuelled my career advancement. I’m glad I stepped out of my comfort zone to embrace media exposure.

This is an article from the Nature Careers Community, a place for Nature readers to share their professional experiences and advice. Guest posts are encouraged.

Competing Interests

The author declares no competing interests.

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Supercharge Your iPhone: Lesser-Known Tips & Tricks

iphone Tips

If you’re an iPhone user looking to elevate your experience with the device, you’re in for a treat. A recent video tutorial from iReviews has meticulously compiled a treasure trove of iPhone functionalities that are bound to make your interaction with the device not just more efficient but truly delightful. From harnessing the full potential of iMessage to customizing your control center for quick access to your most-used features, this guide is your ticket to mastering your iPhone. Let’s dive into some of these hidden gems that can transform the way you use your iPhone daily.

1. Mastering iMessage Like Never Before: Did you know you can adjust the playback speed of voice messages right within iMessage? Yes, you heard it right. From the standard 1x speed to a brisk 2x speed, listening to long messages has never been more convenient. Furthermore, customizing the message menu allows you to rearrange or replace quick access features to suit your preferences, streamlining your communication.

2. Personalizing Your iPhone’s Look: One of the joys of owning an iPhone is making it uniquely yours, and what better way to start than with your wallpaper? The guide shares a simple trick to swap lock screen and home screen wallpapers effortlessly, without the hassle of manually searching for images in your gallery.

3. Dual SIM Management Made Easy: For users juggling work and personal contacts, managing dual SIMs efficiently is crucial. The tutorial illuminates how you can rename your SIM cards for better recognition and automate data switching between SIMs based on signal strength, ensuring you’re always connected.

4. Keeping Tabs on Data Usage: In today’s digital age, monitoring data usage is paramount. The guide not only explains how to keep an eye on data consumption on your iPhone but extends this functionality to your Apple Watch, allowing you to control which apps use your cellular data.

5. Home Screen and Control Center Shortcuts: Imagine redeeming App Store codes with a simple press, accessing weather updates for different cities instantly, or scanning documents directly from your home screen or control center. These are just a few of the shortcuts demonstrated to make your iPhone more responsive to your needs.

6. Focus Mode Scheduling: Setting a Focus mode for specific times can significantly enhance your productivity by eliminating distractions. The beauty of this feature is its ability to deactivate automatically, saving you the trouble of remembering to turn it off.

7. Navigating Your iPhone with Ease: Adjusting volume settings and navigating the emoji keyboard can now be done more efficiently, thanks to the insightful tips shared. Additionally, the tutorial reveals how to disable in-app ratings and reviews requests, ensuring a smoother, uninterrupted user experience.

8. Quick Navigation Tips: Various gestures and shortcuts, like tapping the status bar to quickly scroll to the top of a page or utilizing the tab bar for faster navigation within apps, are covered. These tips are golden for users looking to navigate their device with finesse.

9. Locking the Keyboard in Uppercase: For those moments when you need to type in all caps, a simple double-tap on the shift key locks it in uppercase mode, making continuous capital letter typing a breeze.

By integrating these tips and tricks into your daily iPhone use, you’ll not only enhance your productivity but also enjoy a more personalized and enjoyable experience with your device. Whether you’re a seasoned iPhone user or new to the iOS ecosystem, there’s always something new to learn that can make your digital life more efficient and enjoyable. So go ahead, explore these functionalities, and take your iPhone experience to the next level.

Source & Image Credit: iReviews

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How ChatGPT Can Supercharge Your Creative Workflow

ChatGPT Workflow

This guide is designed to show you how to use ChatGPT and AI tools to improve your creative workflow. In the contemporary digital era, where speed and innovation are paramount, creativity emerges as an indispensable skill for professionals in a myriad of sectors. This spans from the dynamic realms of marketing and journalism, where captivating storytelling and engaging content are key, to the fields of design and education, where originality and inventiveness are paramount. Navigating the path from a nascent concept to a fully realized and polished end product often presents a series of obstacles and challenges that can impede progress and stifle creativity.

Enter ChatGPT, a sophisticated and state-of-the-art language model that stands at the forefront of artificial intelligence technology. ChatGPT’s advanced capabilities enable it to play a pivotal role in the creative workflow. By leveraging the robust power of AI, ChatGPT offers more than just assistance; it acts as a catalyst that can profoundly streamline and amplify the creative process, transforming how ideas are conceived, developed, and brought to fruition in this fast-evolving digital age.

Conceptualization and Brainstorming

  • Idea Generation: ChatGPT can assist in the early stages of the creative process by generating a wide array of ideas, prompts, and concepts. This is particularly useful for overcoming creative blocks or when seeking fresh perspectives.
  • Collaborative Brainstorming: With its capacity for natural language processing, ChatGPT can simulate a brainstorming session, offering responses and suggestions in real-time, which can be invaluable for solo practitioners or remote teams.

Research and Information Gathering

  • Efficient Research: For projects that require in-depth knowledge or background information, ChatGPT can quickly pull up relevant data, summaries, and explanations, thus saving considerable time and effort.
  • Data Analysis and Interpretation: Beyond mere fact-finding, ChatGPT can analyze and interpret complex data sets, providing insights that can inform and enrich creative projects.

Content Creation and Refinement

  • Drafting and Editing: ChatGPT excels in generating written content, from initial drafts to more refined versions. It can suggest improvements in grammar, style, and coherence, making the editing process more efficient.
  • Creative Experimentation: With its ability to produce diverse styles and formats, ChatGPT encourages experimentation. Whether it’s writing scripts, articles, or marketing copy, it can adapt to various tones and voices, sparking creative innovation.

Feedback and Iteration

  • Instant Feedback: One of the most significant advantages of ChatGPT is its ability to provide immediate feedback on written work, from basic proofreading to more nuanced critique.
  • Iterative Development: ChatGPT facilitates a rapid iterative process, allowing creators to refine their work through successive versions based on the model’s feedback and suggestions.

Project Management and Organization

  • Task Management: ChatGPT can assist in organizing creative workflows, from setting up timelines to prioritizing tasks, ensuring that projects stay on track.
  • Meeting Deadlines: By automating and accelerating various steps in the creative process, ChatGPT helps in adhering to deadlines, a critical factor in professional settings.

Ethical and Practical Considerations

  • While ChatGPT is a powerful tool, it’s important to use it ethically and responsibly, particularly in terms of intellectual property and data privacy.
  • Additionally, users should be aware of the model’s limitations, including potential biases and the need for human oversight in the creative process.

Summary

ChatGPT stands as a groundbreaking innovation in the domain of creative endeavors, marking a transformative shift in how creative tasks are approached and executed. Its integration into the fabric of the creative workflow heralds a new era of possibilities, encompassing everything from the initial stages of brainstorming, where ideas are as ephemeral as they are vital, to the critical phase of managing deadlines, where time is of the essence. By bringing AI into the mix, ChatGPT offers professionals across various sectors the opportunity to tap into previously unattainable levels of productivity and foster a culture of innovation that goes beyond conventional boundaries.

The utility of ChatGPT, akin to any advanced tool, is intricately linked to the manner in which it is employed. The effective use of this technology necessitates not just a basic understanding, but a deep, nuanced appreciation of its capabilities and limitations. For those who are keen to explore the full spectrum of what ChatGPT has to offer, adopting a methodical and well-informed strategy is crucial. It involves a commitment to continual learning and adaptation, ensuring that the integration of this AI model into their creative process is not just about harnessing a new tool, but about reshaping the very landscape of their creative endeavors for maximum impact and success.

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Supercharge Your Productivity: Master ChatGPT in 10 Easy Steps

Supercharge Your Productivity

This guide is designed to show you how to supercharge your productivity with ChatGPT. The digital age has promised efficiency, but reality often paints a different picture. To-do lists overflow, inbox notifications dance a taunting jig, and deadlines loom like storm clouds. In this frenetic landscape, ChatGPT emerges as a potent weapon in the war against wasted hours. This powerful language model, honed by OpenAI, is not just a fancy chatbot; it’s a productivity powerhouse waiting to be unleashed.

But wielding this AI assistant effectively requires more than just firing off prompts. To truly master ChatGPT and supercharge your productivity, you need a strategic approach. So, buckle up, because we’re about to embark on a 10-step journey to unlock the full potential of this revolutionary tool.

Step 1: Befriend the Basics

Before unleashing ChatGPT, understand its strengths and limitations. It excels at generating creative text formats, translating languages, and writing different kinds of content. However, it doesn’t replace your critical thinking or research skills. Treat it as a collaborative partner, not a magic solution.

Step 2: Define Your Goals

Knowing where you’re headed is crucial. What tasks drain your time? Brainstorm specific areas where ChatGPT can assist, be it writing emails, brainstorming marketing ideas, or generating outlines for reports. Specificity breeds success.

Step 3: Craft Compelling Prompts

Think of prompts as blueprints for ChatGPT’s output. The more detail and clarity you provide, the better the results. Instead of a vague “Write a poem,” try “Write a haiku about the challenges of facing a blank page, using vivid imagery and a hopeful tone.” Remember, ChatGPT thrives on specific instructions.

Step 4: Embrace Iteration

Rarely does the first draft nail it. Treat ChatGPT’s initial output as a springboard, not the final product. Refine your prompts, provide feedback, and iterate. This collaborative dance yields remarkable results, showcasing the true power of human-AI synergy.

Step 5: Overcome Writer’s Block with Brainstorming

Stuck staring at a blank page? Ask ChatGPT to list ideas, keywords, or outlines related to your topic. This sparks creativity, helping you move past the dreaded block and get those juices flowing. Consider it a brainstorming session on steroids.

Step 6: Conquer Content Creation

ChatGPT can be your content creation Swiss Army Knife. Need blog posts, social media captions, or even product descriptions? Craft specific prompts, define the target audience, and watch as ChatGPT whips up engaging content in minutes. Just remember to edit and tailor the output to your unique voice.

Step 7: Master the Art of Translation

Breaking down language barriers is another superpower of ChatGPT. Need to translate documents, captions, or emails? Craft clear prompts specifying the source and target languages, and voila! Communication bridges are built, opening doors to global collaboration.

Step 8: Automate Tedious Tasks

Let ChatGPT handle the mundane. Need to summarize long articles, extract key points, or generate data tables? Craft focused prompts, and watch as hours of tedious work vanish. Free your time for higher-level thinking and strategic activities.

Step 9: Unleash Your Creative Muse

ChatGPT isn’t just a productivity tool; it’s a creativity catalyst. Need help brainstorming song lyrics, story ideas, or marketing campaigns? Spark your imagination with AI-generated prompts, then refine and build upon its suggestions. Let ChatGPT be your co-pilot on the journey of creative exploration.

Step 10: Remember, You’re in Control

Never forget, ChatGPT is your tool, not your master. Always maintain critical thinking and ethical considerations. Fact-check its outputs, avoid plagiarism, and remember that AI-generated content should never replace human judgment.

Bonus Tip: Explore the Community

The world of ChatGPT is vibrant and ever-evolving. Join online communities, forums, and social media groups to learn from other users, share best practices, and discover new ways to unlock the potential of this powerful tool.

Summary

Mastering ChatGPT in 10 steps isn’t a linear journey; it’s an ongoing exploration. Experiment, have fun, and embrace the learning process. As you delve deeper into this AI wonder, you’ll witness a remarkable transformation: your productivity soars, your creativity unfurls, and the endless possibilities of the future beckon. So, take the first step, craft your first prompt, and watch as ChatGPT supercharges your journey to success. Remember, with the right approach, ChatGPT isn’t just a tool; it’s a productivity revolution waiting to be unleashed.

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