A Collaboration

In conjunction with British Council Seminars and the Knowledge and Learning Centres, the Science team piloted a number of video conference (VC) based Café Scientifiques. These events involved creating a multilateral debate between audiences located in British Council offices in various locations worldwide such as Belgrade, Delhi and Malaysia. You can read the report on the pilot projects.

Through inviting various leading British scientists to make short speeches on a specific topics and then subsequently debate the issues raised with audiences in two British Council offices around the world simultaneously, the concept provides the perfect opportunity for participants of contrasting cultural backgrounds to contribute often different ethical perspectives on major scientific issues.

Communication diagram

As well as the speaker, the role of the facilitator is vital in ensuring a lively free flowing debate with the two audiences. The diagram below provides a basic overview of the video conference format. You can download a Word document version of this diagram or read a full planning document designed to help you plan your event.