Message - Audience - Tools: Planning an effective Research Communications Strategy
Dates: 7 - 8 Juli 2011
Location: Bonn
Venue: EADI Secretariat
Ultimately, communicating development research needs to lead to better-informed decisions that will result in positive change. Providing easy access to research, encouraging awareness and debate, arming people with useful knowledge and thus a better understanding of development issues will hopefully enable them to make better decisions. Effective communication is about providing the right kind of information to the right audience at the right time. Setting clear objectives, knowing who you want to reach and the best way to reach them are all crucial elements of an effective communications strategy.
Trainer
The workshop will be led by Louise Daniel, an independent research communicator with over 15 years experience in this field at the UK Institute of Development Studies (IDS) and the International Fund for Agriculture and Development (IFAD) in Rome.
Who is the course for?
For staff in research institutes, university departments, NGOs, think tanks and so on who have been tasked with leading on research communication in their organisation but with little experience of doing so.
By the end of the two days you will have a good understanding of communicating research to diverse audiences using a variety of tools and approaches to reach different audiences in developing countries and elsewhere including policymakers, NGOs, practitioners and the general public.
Programme
Day 1: 09:00 - 17:30 h
Strategies & approaches - exploring and assessing case studies
- Why communicate? Define your aims and objectives
- Research uptake - what is needed to make it work? Is access to research enough?
- Exploring case studies: what works and what doesn't? We will examine and assess several different research communications strategies for different types of communication projects and programmes and consider the merits, pros and cons of each.
- Key elements of a successful communications strategy.
- Planning: what are your key messages? Problem - solution - recommendation. Tailoring messages for multiple audiences.
Day 2: 09:00 - 17:00 h
Tools
Who do you want to reach? User and stakeholder analysis - this is key to achieving impact. The more you know about your 'target' users and how they access information, the easier it will be to reach them.
How: Principles of clear written communication - writing in plain English
How: Activities and channels
- What channel will work best for your target audiences?
- What are the pros and cons of each?
- Real examples - case studies and activity: Web 2 tools, policy briefs, intermediary organisations, conferences, seminars, face-to-face meetings
Activity: Planning a communications strategy for your research.
The workshop will be in English.
Terms and conditions:We reserve the right to cancel any class with insufficient registration, in which case, the tuition fee will be refunded.
Registration
For registration please complete this form and send it to us via email or fax. The participation fee is 650 EUR. There is a special discount of 100 EUR for EADI members and partners and also for students with valid student ID. Lunch and refreshments are included. Please be aware that EADI does not offer any funding.
Contact
Golo Kronenwerth and Miriam Zeh
European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI) Kaiser-Friedrich-Str. 11
D-53113 Bonn
Tel.: (+49) 228/26 18-102
Fax: (+49) 228/26 18-103
E-mail: masterclass(AT)eadi.org
