# data[].attributes.body
This is a place to share and learn from all those STEM communication experiences that, despite our best efforts ended up Fluffed* Up Beyond All Recognition. Use this as your chance to finally get those FUBARs off your chest, read about other people's 'epic fails' and reflect on the amazing learning and development that can inadvertently stem from experiences that didn't go exactly to plan.

# data[].attributes.body
What didn't work?

Why did it go wrong?

What was learned?

What's the positive?
Maybe 'failure' is the wrong word
The audience often might not know something has gone 'wrong'

# data[].attributes.body
What didn't work?

Why did it go wrong?

What was learned?
Get training, be prepared, think about your audience ahead. Sometimes your organisation might not want to hear about failure - find a way to process it and improve your individual practice
What's the positive?
Acknowledging a failure is a STRE

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"Mistakes" always feel worse to you on stage, but the audience may not even realise.

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"Mistakes" always feel worse to you on stage, but the audience may not even realise.

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They can be used as points of humour to engage an audience, certainly as points of relfectionas a practitioner afterwards

# data[].attributes.body
What didn't work?

Why did it go wrong?

What was learned?
Always think about the barriers that your audiences might face to participation - physical and otherwise. You won't know everything but a little thought goes a long way!

What's the positive?
Coming out of our comfort zones gives us new opportunities to do different stuff and reach different people

# data[].attributes.body
The importance of listening to audiences and colleagues
Audiences don't always know what was intended
learning and getting better  Progress not perfection
rehearsals in the space and with the audience
Failure is part of science so it's important to model this.
Tensions about being the expert while still making mistakes.

# data[].attributes.headline
Intentional mistakes and experiments designed to go wrong can be great for learning - and for comedy value

# data[].attributes.subject
Intentional mistakes and experiments designed to go wrong can be great for learning - and for comedy value

# data[].attributes.body
if you recognise you need the extra training, go to people that know more than you (whenever possible). Listen to members of the communities you want to serve

# data[].attributes.body
We discussed what kind of objects people actually *can* find around the home & what can be used if you dont have e.g. paperclips. Necessity, invention etc

# data[].attributes.body
That you shouldn't try to hide mistakes from funders as being honest about what went wrong can help to make events better/funding more successful in the future.

# data[].attributes.headline
Failure is important for learning and progressing in science - so a great thing to teach our audiences.

# data[].attributes.subject
Failure is important for learning and progressing in science - so a great thing to teach our audiences.

# data[].attributes.body
We reflected on the pitfalls of giving a new audience too much choice/requiring them to provide input at the start of a project. Even if co-production is an important part of your work, you need to start somewhere, probably with some tried and tested, accessible activities.

# data[].attributes.body
Build what you've learnt into future plans so others can learn from you/be protected from the same experience (I was nearly assaulted, I ensure my events team have back up).

# data[].attributes.body
Identify potential pitfalls or failures before the event/project. Sometimes it can help plan for them but other times it is just useful to know where things might go wrong even if you do your best to avoid it.

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Need time for evaluation, both at beginning and end of planning and delivering activity

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Need time for evaluation, both at beginning and end of planning and delivering activity

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Sometimes our well meaning failures impact the underrepresented audiences that we should aim to do our best for. Even when they don't seem like a "priority" make it one

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You can always learn, especially from 'failure' but it means than you do need to think in advance about the process of how you will learn.

# data[].attributes.subject
You can always learn, especially from 'failure' but it means than you do need to think in advance about the process of how you will learn.

# data[].attributes.body
Get training, be prepared, think about your audience ahead. Sometimes your organisation might not want to hear about failure - find a way to process it and improve your individual practice

# data[].attributes.body
Welcome to the FUBAR Wall!
Welcome to the FUBAR Wall!
This is a place to share and learn from all those STEM communication experiences that, despite our best efforts ended up Fluffed* Up Beyond All Recognition. Use this as your chance to finally get those FUBARs off your chest, read about other people's 'epic fails' and reflect on the amazing learning and development that can inadvertently stem from experiences that didn't go exactly to plan. 
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Group 1
Group 1
What didn't work? 

Why did it go wrong?

What was learned? 

What's the positive?
Maybe 'failure' is the wrong word
The audience often might not know something has gone 'wrong'
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Anonymous 1m
BIG is a fantastic community to share things that have gone well, not so well and to ask for advice
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Anonymous 1m
Be honest and learn from your mistakes
Avatar of 
Anonymous 1m
regrouping and taking stock of how it went is really useful
Avatar of 
Anonymous 1m
Don't assume you know what your audience wants, ask them!
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Anonymous 1m
Rehearsals help, and rehearsing with your intended audience is even better
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Anonymous 1m
Spilling milk can be funny...
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Anonymous 1m
If somethings breaks / doesnt work, consider how you can do it in a different, maybe more simplisitc way, you might even find its better in the edn
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Anonymous 1m
bring along backup equipment/quick fixes in case of equipment disasters
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Anonymous 1m
Getting 'buy-in' from others/other teams can sometimes be key
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Anonymous 1m
Style it out. "LIVE SCIENCE!" (jazz hands) = science sometimes doesn't behave how you expect
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Anonymous 1m
Science IS failure. We only discover new things through seeing what works and what doesn't work.
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Group 2
Group 2 
What didn't work? 

Why did it go wrong?

What was learned? 
Get training, be prepared, think about your audience ahead. Sometimes your organisation might not want to hear about failure - find a way to process it and improve your individual practice
What's the positive?
Acknowledging a failure is a STRE
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Anonymous 3m
get to know your audience - and ask a member of your intended audience for any feedback on content (eg culturally appropriate)
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Anonymous 1m
Acknowledging a failure is a STRENGTH!
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Anonymous 1m
Reflecting on how you could have avoided the problems is always useful - even if it turns out that it was a one off
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Ask the experts!
if you recognise you need the extra training, go to people that know more than you (whenever possible). Listen to members of the communities you want to serve
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"Learnings"
"Learnings"
We discussed what kind of objects people actually *can* find around the home & what can be used if you dont have e.g. paperclips. Necessity, invention etc
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That you shouldn't t
That you shouldn't try to hide mistakes from funders as being honest about what went wrong can help to make events better/funding more successful in the future.
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Kirsty Hayward 1m
And funders encouraging this is always fab.
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Failure is important for learning and progressing in science - so a great thing to teach our audiences.
Failure is important for learning and progressing in science - so a great thing to teach our audiences.
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Anonymous 1m
You can always learn something, especially from 'failure' so that's always a positive, but it doesn't mean that you do have to think in advance about 'how' you will learn.
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Engage_at_Roslin 1m
Yes! The trial and error involved in science communication is a lovely mirror to the same process in science itself #howscienceworks
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We reflected on the
We reflected on the pitfalls of giving a new audience too much choice/requiring them to provide input at the start of a project. Even if co-production is an important part of your work, you need to start somewhere, probably with some tried and tested, accessible activities. 
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Make sure you don't overpromise!
Make sure you don't overpromise!
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Anonymous 1m
I have definitely done this too often
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Learning for the future
Learning for the future
Build what you've learnt into future plans so others can learn from you/be protected from the same experience (I was nearly assaulted, I ensure my events team have back up).
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What we discussed
What we discussed
The importance of listening to audiences and colleagues
Audiences don't always know what was intended
learning and getting better  Progress not perfection
rehearsals in the space and with the audience
Failure is part of science so it's important to model this.
Tensions about being the expert while still making mistakes.
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Group 3
Group 3
What didn't work? 

# data[].attributes.body
Piece of self-reference, this padlet is here:
https://padlet.com/lfitzsimmons1/BIGHOTDWFUBAR

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Something I've learnt about myself - I am much more scared of how other people will react to my failure than to failing. I'm not scared of failure, I'm scared of being told off! Not sure what we can learn from that or how to get past it, but thought I'd share.

# data[].attributes.body
Make sure you don't overpromise!
Make sure you don't overpromise!
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1 comment
Avatar of 
Anonymous 1m
I have definitely done this too often
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What we discussed
What we discussed
The importance of listening to audiences and colleagues
Audiences don't always know what was intended
learning and getting better  Progress not perfection
rehearsals in the space and with the audience
Failure is part of science so it's important to model this.
Tensions about being the expert while still making mistakes.
favorite_border
0
Your avatar
Add comment
Group 3
Group 3
What didn't work? 

Why did it go wrong?

What was learned? 
Always think about the barriers that your audiences might face to participation - physical and otherwise. You won't know everything but a little thought goes a long way!

What's the positive?
Coming out of our comfort zones gives us new opportunities to do different stuff and reach different people

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4 comments
Avatar of 
Anonymous 1m
being creative to overcome barriers when you're forced to by circumstances can help us engage underrepresented groups
Avatar of 
Anonymous 1m
Zoom is a really difficult platform to share with your audience - no one really wants to listen to an hour lecture
Avatar of 
Anonymous 1m
Geat to hear that funders are being more open about engagement as a process where things can go wrong, rather than a guaranteed menu of things that "work"
Avatar of 
Anonymous 1m
Easy to focus on what goes wrong e.g. low engagement but people who did engage are more important and their positive experience matters