TELLING OUR STORIESBy Leslie McIntosh, Research Facilitator, Fanshawe College

WHY?

Why tell our stories?

Research is of public interest, we have something to share

Can educate, inform and help improve the human condition, increase understanding of a complex world and identify solutions

Lets people know that valuable, useful work is being undertaken

Shows accountability to taxpayers, i.e., responsible use of tax dollars

Shows our “people” focus -- socially responsible and community connected

Raises profile and demonstrates community impact

Fulfills funders’ requirements to disseminate widely

Why should institutions care?

Perceived by community as valuable community asset worthy of respect and support

Seen as a leader

“Relevant”, “responsible” and “winner” image can attract new research partners, donors, sponsors, friends, advocates

Recruitment tool -- prestigious institutions become destinations of choice for quality graduate and undergraduate students, including international students

WHERE?

Where can we share stories?

Employee publications, newsletters (print and electronic)

Employee and student portals

Presentation opportunities (e.g., research events, poster presentations, speakers series, presentations to faculties, departments, service areas or alumni/retiree groups)

Employee professional development events

Meetings/advocacy events hosted by the institution

Open houses for public

Community groups and presentations (off campus)

Where can we share stories?

College/university publications (print), e.g., official newspaper, community report, annual report, alumni magazine, fundraising publications, etc.

College/university website

Research Services web pages

Social media

External and student news media (media releases/advisories/updates)

Campus TV or radio programs

Journals and trade publications

HOW?

Communication channels

Print

Broadcast Media (TV and radio)

Web (text/photos/blogs, videos, podcasts and live, interactive events)

Social media

• Print isn’t dead, it’s evolving• Print and online edition readership up for major papers like the Globe and Mail

(+5%), Toronto Star (+7%), Vancouver Sun and The Province (+3%)• 78% of respondents to a 2012 national survey say they read both print and

online editions of newspapers• 41% of respondents aged 18-25 read newspapers regularly (print and online),

rising to 64% for respondents over 64• 18-25 group more likely to read online, 35+ more likely to use print• Print editions remain the most popular format, with 46% saying they read the

news the day before• Only 9% say they rely solely on the Internet for news

Source: Newspaper Audience Databank (NADbank)

Characteristics -- print

Pros and cons -- print

Pro Con• Labour intensive• Can be costly to produce, reprint• News/time sensitive content can

quickly make content dated• Distribution issues unless a PDF is

available online

• Tangible, familiar, comfortable• Can be read over time, anytime, most

places• Some prefer hard copy rather than

onscreen, especially older people• High credibility – editorial better than

advertising• Can be saved as PDF file, printed out or

posted to a website

• More than 14 million Canadians watch television every weeknight• 62% of respondents to 2013 survey watch TV and browse the web

simultaneously, and 63% go online to research a product or service seen on TV• The average viewer spends 23.3 hours per week watching TV• Local TV stations have detailed information on demographics and ratings per

program, which can vary according to location and type of programming• Radio listeners spent an average of 18 hours per week in 2007, mostly on music

stations, with senior women spending about 22 hours a week and teens, only about 7 hours**

• About 10% of radio listeners tune into talk radio**

Sources: Television Viewing Preferences and Online Synergy 2013, Television Bureau of Canada; **Statistics Canada, Radio Listening Survey, September 2008.

Characteristics -- broadcast

Pros and cons – broadcast media

Pro Con• Little content control• Hard to target specific audiences• Fleeting, quickly gone• Doesn’t do numbers or statistics well• Can’t cover subject in depth or

complex issues• Small amount of time devoted to

telling story

• Broad reach, many viewers/listeners, general audience

• Credible• TV good for stories with pictures, action

and emotional people stories• Radio great for sound-based events

• 50% of Canadians have a social media profile• Breakdown for profile is 82% (18-34), 62% (35-54), 43% (55+)• 45% visit a social media site weekly, 30% visit daily• Facebook is tops, 86% of social media users have a Facebook profile; 687

million users worldwide, 16.6 million in Canada• 65% of Facebookers, 55% of Twitter users, 79% of LinkedIn users and 63% of

Pinterest users are aged 35+ • Twitter is #2 after Facebook -- currently more than 500,000 users, 175 million

tweets sent each day• Women are biggest users of social media; 59% on Twitter, 57% Facebook, 82%

Pinterest• 71% of Google+ users are men, heavily technical, under 24• LinkedIn has equal number of men, women, mostly 45+

Sources: Inside Network.com; Social Media Statistics, dazeinfo.com; The State of Twitter 2012, mediabistro.com; Social Demographics, mashable.com.

Characteristics – social media

Pros and cons – social media

Pro Con• Can’t cover subjects in depth, only

provides headlines, links, due to character limits, e.g. 140 characters for Twitter

• Best as a channel to drive traffic to website

• Posts can disappear quickly as more items are added at the top and people may be reluctant to scroll down very far

• Repetition important

• Immediate and interactive• People can engage, react and respond

quickly• Portable, used on all devices and across

all platforms with pictures• Helps people feel “connected”• Increasing being adopted by

professionals (LinkedIn)• Best times early morning and early

evening for most demographics

Choosing channels

How, where and when you communicate depends on who you are trying to reach and what you want to say. Key questions to ask yourself:

Who is my audience(s)?

What information am I trying to convey?

Key message(s)

Where does this audience get its information?

What are the expected results?

What do I want people to do after they receive this information?

Most people use multiple communication channels, only 9% rely on the Internet exclusively

TIPS

Writing for general audiences

• Readers ultimately want to know what the research means for them, their lives and how it affects people -- put yourself in their shoes

• Keep it simple -- don’t assume people are familiar with the subject

• When interviewing researchers, there is no such thing as a stupid question

• Researchers sometimes don’t see the big picture or the implications, “newsiness” of their work

• Use plain, clear language, average Canadian reading level is Grade 7, and have a non-expert read the draft for comprehension

REALITY CHECK!

Challenges

Research department is not the marketing department

May not have resources – people, time, etc.

Have limited access to website, external media

Communication and information management policies, branding and corporate identity rules

May encounter internal resistance/barriers, e.g., research stories take a back seat to recruitment and other priorities, people don’t think its news

Researchers may be shy/reluctant to participate

Internal politics and agendas

Strategies

Find a champion(s) in senior management who recognizes the value of communicating research

Connect with marketing, alumni and development, find out what stories they can use and provide them, build mutually beneficial alliances

Ask to be included in media advisories/updates, alumni publications, fundraising and other promotional materials; consider freelancers to document your stories if budget permits

Marketing often busy, not disinterested; find ways to get tips to them about newsworthy, timely stories

Prominently feature respected, “early-adopter” researchers who are eager to talk about projects, others will follow their lead