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The Essentials of Communicating Research CCW - SaciWATERS Kathmandu, 19 June 2013
The Essentials of Communicating Research
CCW - SaciWATERSKathmandu, 19 June 2013
Climate Change and Water program goal:
‘support applied, policy relevant research to help people adapt to the water related impacts of climate change’.
CCW prospectus (2010)
Why Communicate?
Success in our work can be judged by:• the quality of our work and the RELEVANCE of our results• how well it is noticed - PROFILE
Visibility determined by:• how well you promote your research outputs
All to achieve IMPACT:• Successful research uptake means policy impact• Continued investment in research area – sustainability of outputs
Climate Change Impact: how do we get from here to here?
What is communication?
≠Communication Dissemination
What is communication?
≠Communication
Message sent!
What is communication?
¿CommunicationMessage received!
1. Be clear about your message2. Know your audience3. Don’t assume people know what you are
talking about!4. Pick your tools carefully
How to communicate…..
Be clear about your message…..
Put yourself in their shoes- what is important to them?
Know your audience…
Adapt your message to fit your audience
Keep complex concepts simple – KISS rule
Make you message relevant to the audience eg. human stories; smart economic solutions; sustainable growth; etc.
A picture can tell a thousand words…..
Don’t make assumptions…
Don’t assume prior knowledge of a topic
Avoid jargon and too much technical detail
Avoid…
…overloading people with one-way information
Use appropriate tools for appropriate tasks
• Look at the tools that your peers are using for good and BAD examples
• Take advice from skilled communications officers
• Observe current trends on the web, social media, video, radio and in print
(web pages are not ‘cut & paste’ from project docs)
• Choose media interventions carefully
• Take advantage of external events you can participate in without the burden of organization
Cont.• Choose and ‘use’ your champions carefully
• Be prepared for two-way communication and be ready to provide appropriate follow up
• Learn from other sectors
• Be prepared to change your message – if you have been saying the same thing for 20 years without any success you need to REPACKAGE or CHANGE THE MESSAGE
1. Be clear about your message2. Know your audience3. Don’t assume people know what you are
talking about!4. Pick your tools carefully
How to communicate…..
Thank-you!
Acknowledgements: Anna Katrami, EU Comms Unit
