Workshop 2 Tools of Research Communication

8/10/2019 Workshop 2 Tools of Research Communication

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The tools of research communication

Degarrod (2008)

Geographies of the imagination

http://nakashimadegarrod.com/

Fiona Shearer PhD, Massey University



Workshop outline

• Introductions

• Powerful symbols and language

•

Creating messages and staying on message• Methods: Visual, performative, written,

audio, online

•

Publicity• Dialogue

• Communication Evaluation



“When you're drowning you don't think, I would

be incredibly pleased if someone would notice

I'm drowning and come and rescue me. You just

scream.”

― John Lennon



Powerful symbols and language

• Contested nature of language, symbols, ideas

• Any words/terms/ideas/symbols in your

research that might be –

– appealing for your audience(s)

– antagonistic to your audience(s)

– mean something different to your audience(s)

– meaningless to your audience(s)



Powerful symbols and language

Maths?Mark Blyth, Professor of

Political Science, Brown

University, U.S.

http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsoci

alsciences/2013/08/01/impact-

interviews-mark-blyth/

• What are your responses to

Mark Blyth?

• Do you agree with his

comments on communicatingresearch?

• What is it that he wants to

achieve in communicating his

research?

http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2013/08/01/impact-interviews-mark-blyth/













Always making friends?

• Are there common messages and arguments

you want to dispute?

• Are there common messages that you want to

agree with/add more to?



Creating key messages

• Who are your audiences?

• What are the key messages for each of these

audiences? (One or two sentences/images for

each)?

• Ideas - how will you communicate this – what

methods/channels will you use?



My key messages to participants

• “I will carry this research out ethically”

• “I need you to tell me what your needs are”

• “There may be times we disagree, but I want

to work this through”



Staying on message

“When we stay on message, we communicate exactlywhat we want our audience to know. We create

harmony between our words, visuals and actions and

we deliver a clear, powerful and irresistible call to

action” Celia Arlario, UC Santa Barbara

Acknowledge the question/perspective

Build a bridge from their question/perspective to your

message

Communicate your message

(Adapted from Arlario, 2014)



Methods: Exhibitions, performance,

visual and oral media

• Film - Sturgis 2.0

(Gieseler, 2012)

• Rap symposium

(Mandell & Liebler,

2012)



Methods: Briefs, reports, booklets

Policy brief –

suggestions for

outline - Introduction,

evidence and analysis,policy implications

and

recommendations,research parameters,

project identity

From Voices Tilley et al. (2007)



Methods: Online

**** Blogs ***** Twitter/websites/links

Podcasting *****Open Access



www.eSocSci.com

What do I want to achieve? Who is myaudience? What are my key messages?

Submit aresearch report,

resource,

contribute to a

forum…



Research communication plan



Publicity

• Presence online – research profiles, academia

edu, etc.

• Up-to-date contacts and networks list

• Practicing talking about research







Communication evaluation

• How will I know if I have done what I have set

out to do?

• Refer to your objectives

• Do informal formative and summative

evaluation

• Keep a diary/powerpoint/pressie/drawings to

see how your communication has

changed/progressed and review these

regularly



What next?

What has been most helpful in this

workshop?

What do you want to action first?











More resources cont’d

European Commission. (2010). Communicating research for evidence-based

policy-making: A practical guide for researchers in socio-economic sciences

and humanities. Retrieved from http://ec.europa.eu/research/social-

sciences/pdf/guide-communicating-research_en.pdf

Documents

Workshop 2 Tools of Research Communication