Discussion groups as strategy for organizational communication. The practical example of Tertúlias FNACiência

Abstract

For a science-oriented organisation to communicate with different audiences, strategies are nceded at the level of external communication along with a relational approachto society. At University of Minho, the School of Sciences (ECUM) conducted a project called'TertuliasFNACiencia', with the support of FNAC stores. The context of infonnal sessions,the panel of guests, and the topics chosen have contributed to confirming the discussion groupsas one of the most successful communication initiatives. This article describes the communicationstrategy adopted by the organisation in order to bring up science (especially scienceproduced in the region of Minho), Portuguese researchers and scientists, the public, and in~creasing awareness of ECUM as a reference.