Distilling “your” messageTwo tools for helping faculty to convey their work

Susannah Gal, Ph.D. – Associate Dean of Research and OutreachPenn State University – Harrisburg campusFaculty in Biology- lots of different research projects and grantsProgram Officer at NSF 2 years

Challenges in communicating research

https://www.slideshare.net/Implico/challenges-of-data-communication

Forresearchfundingandgeneralpublicweneedtogetto-

Essential to “Publicize your research”

10/19/17, 4:00 PMTell the World What You Do - The Chronicle of Higher Education

Page 1 of 4http://www.chronicle.com/article/Tell-the-World-What-You-Do/241437?cid=at…accca37aa75347f1b9395aaebbba72cd&elqaid=16141&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=6975

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� PREMIUM ACCESS PROVIDED BY PENN STATE UNIVERS..

NEWS OPINION DATA ADVICE JOBS

FEATURED: SECTIONS The Lure of the Lazy River An Era of Neglect The Daily Briefing How to Be a Dean

L

Kurt Stepnitz

Stephen Hsu is vice president for research and graduate

studies at Michigan State. "We need everyone to understand

why what we do is important," he says in a video shown at a

faculty workshop on publicizing research.

How to Explain Your Research

Michigan State and other colleges teach facultymembers how to explain why their work matters.That's key to getting lawmakers and a skepticalpublic to appreciate universities' contributions.

Communication 101 for Professors

Is Professorial Branding for You? Yes, It

Is

FACULTY

Publicize Your ResearchBy Audrey Williams June OCTOBER 15, 2017 � PREMIUM

egislators and the public are often

skeptical that higher-education tax

dollars are being put to good use.

Colleges see it as more important than ever,

then, for academics to be able to explain their

research in lively, accessible ways. At

Michigan State University, a group of faculty

members recently gathered to learn how.

The leaders of a three-hour workshop

outlined a number of ways to to

communicate beyond academic peers.

Among them: 30-second elevator speeches,

jargon-free writing, linking your work to real-

world problems, and cultivating a certain level of media savvy.

Equally important is a sense of urgency. "We need everyone to understand," says Stephen

Hsu in a video that kicks off the training, "why what we do is important."

Michigan State, where Mr. Hsu is vice

president for research and graduate

studies, hopes that encouraging

researchers to spread the word about

their work will pay off. When faculty

members position themselves as experts

in topics that are hard to understand or at

the center of heated public debate, it can

enhance their stature as well as the

university’s. And scholars who can talk

clearly to policy makers and others about

their work and why it matters can help

maintain public support for research

funding. That’s crucial at a time when

some lawmakers and public officials use

a narrow set of metrics to measure an

institution’s effectiveness.

Easier said than done, though. Many academics have spent their careers in the singular

pursuit of an idea or topic that they’ve typically written about at length for clusters of like-

minded peers in their field. They see communicating to a broad audience as rife with

pitfalls. Some of those are real: It can be tricky to simplify complicated subject matter. Some

are assumed, and damaging to academe: Talking to the public is a waste of time.

� PREMIUM

Search

Challenges for faculty = challenges for RD

• Communicating research to a non-specialist is essential

I will describe:• Two strategies to engage faculty • One created for funders, the other for media/policy makers • How I have used both

I will provide:• Electronic copies of both

Strategy One- Concept Paper

• A set of questions given to faculty ahead of time

• Workshop to share their Concept Papers

• Get feedback from other faculty (and us)

• Better able to “describe” and “sell” their research

•Developing a Concept Paper

•What is it?•How do I get started?•How can I use it?

•What is a Concept Paper?

• It is a short description of a proposed project• aka “White paper” or “Letter of Intent”

• What? How? Why? For how much?

• Why might this be useful?• Based on something from the Penn State College of

Medicine at Hershey

Questions to answer1. What are you trying to do? Articulate your objectives using absolutely no jargon. What is the problem? Why is it hard? Why is it important?2. How is it done today, and what are the limits of current practice?3. What’s new in your approach and why do you think it will be successful?4. Who cares? 5. If you’re successful, what difference will it make? What impact will success have? How will it be measured?6. What are the risks and the payoffs?7. How much will it cost?8. How long will it take? 9. What are the midterm and final “exams” to check for success? How will progress be measured? Milestones?

(fromcompellingquestionsdevelopedbyGeorgeHeilmeier)

Focus on these questions to start• 1. What are you trying to do?• 2. Who cares? • 3. If you’re successful, what difference will

it make?

• Your homework- write up answers to all questions then share with others- practice “selling it” to others

• Let’s try an example

• Example 1-• 1. What are you trying to do?• I’m hoping to study the effect of HIT on the quality of care for

several DRGs. This is an important problem for hospitals since many have to input patient data into IT systems.

• 2. Who cares? • Hospital administrators care since use of IT by the staff is

required to implement PPACA guidelines and may affect their efficiency.

• 3. If you’re successful, what difference will it make?• If we understand the effects of HIT on efficiency and care, we can

help hospital staff better serve patients.

Good orBad? Why?

• Example 1-• 1. What are you trying to do?• I’m hoping to study the effect of HIT on the quality of care for several DRGs.

This is an important problem for hospitals since many have to input patient data into IT systems. Contains jargon and is not clear.

• 2. Who cares? • Hospital administrators care since use of IT by the staff is required to

implement PPACA guidelines and may affect their efficiency. Is this enough for you to care?

• 3. If you’re successful, what difference will it make?• If we understand the effects of HIT on efficiency and care, we can help

hospital staff better serve patients.Wouldn’t patients and insurance companies want this?

• Example 2-• 1. What are you trying to do?• Over 11% of children are diagnosed with attention deficit disorder (ADD) each

year and have difficulty focusing in school. We want to develop an intervention that will improve the ability of a child with ADD to get the most out of their classroom activities and lessons.

• 2. Who cares? • Parents of children with ADD will benefit from this since their children will be

able to get more out of the school lessons. Teachers and other students in the class will benefit as the classrooms will be less disrupted and more productive.

• 3. If you’re successful, what difference will it make?• Children with ADD will be more able to function in society and are expected to

be less likely to become burdens to the system as delinquents or criminals.

Good orBad? Why?

• Example 2-• 1. What are you trying to do?• Over 11% of children are diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity

disorder (ADHD) each year and have difficulty focusing in school. We want to develop an intervention that will improve the ability of a child with ADHD to get the most out of their classroom activities and lessons.

• Might suggest saying about 3 million children instead of 11%

• 2. Who cares? • Parents of children with ADHD will benefit from this since their children will

be able to get more out of the school lessons. Teachers and other students in the class will benefit as the classrooms will be less disrupted and more productive.

• Are these the only potential groups that would care?

• 3. If you’re successful, what difference will it make?• Children with ADHD will be more able to function in society and are expected

to be less likely to become burdens to the system as delinquents or criminals.

• Might want to reconsider some of this.

Questions your Concept paper should be able to answer…. Without you

• What are you trying to do?• How is it done today? • What are the limits of current practice?

• What’s new in your approach and why do you think it will be successful?• Who cares?• If you are successful, what difference will it make?

• What impact will success have? • Is success defined and How will it be measured?

• What are the risks and the payoffs? Measurable?• How much will it cost?

• Salary, Benefits, travel equipment, supplies, consultants/contractors and F&a

• How much time will the project need for completion? Can it be done in phases?• Years, semesters?

• How will progress be measured?

Strategy Two- Message Box

• A blocked diagram on a worksheet aimed at media and policy makers

• Includes Audience, Problem, Benefits, Solutions

• Prepare and then practice saying it

• Get feedback from other faculty (and us)

• Better able to “describe” and “sell” their research to a non-specialist audience

HowToDoItandHowItHelpsYouEllen Stockstill, Stephanie Winklejohn Black- facultyYvonne Harhigh- staff in Marketing and Communication

Insights from a faculty using media

EllenStockstill- AssistantProfessorofEnglishPennStateHarrisburg

Insights from Marketing staff

YvonneHarhigh- Co-directorofMarketingandCommunicationsPennStateHarrisburg

• Pitchinganidea

• Localpaperorradio

• TheConversation

• Mediarequestsforexperts

• Sometimesfacultyarereluctanttospeakwiththemediaasan“expert”

• Dependsonaudience

• NewsReleases

• AllofthesearewaysthatultimatelyexpandthereachofthescholarshipatPennStateHarrisburgandbringgreaterawarenessofthegreatworkthattakesplacehere

The Message Box

ApproachdevelopedbyCompasstohelpenvironmentalsciencefacultyexplaintheirworktomediaandpolicymakers

https://www.compassscicomm.org/message-box-workbook

The “So what?” depends on the audience

The components of the Message Box

How to use it- example then you go• Here’s an abstract of a project from a grant proposal• Convert it to the Message Box format

“Exclusionorself-exclusionofwomenfromcommercializationofscienceandpatentinghurtsbothwomenandscience,whilealsoshortchangingsociety.”[Rosser2012]Withthenumerouschallengesintheworld,weneedallcreativemindsworkingtowardabetterunderstandingofthephysicalandlivingworldsothatsolutionstothosechallengescanberealized.AtPennStateHarrisburg,wehaveincreasedthenumberofnon-tenuretrack,contingentfacultysignificantlyinthelast5years,whichincludesseveralwomen.Thesecontingentfacultymaybeunabletoconductresearchprojectsduetothetimerequiredfortheirteaching,effectivelydiminishingtheirabilitytocontributetogeneratingsolutionsfortheimportantsocietalchallengesoftheday. AtPennState– Harrisburg,wewishtounderstandthelimitations,realandperceived,forthesewomenfacultyanddevelopwaystoaddressthelimitationsintheprojectdescribedhere,sothatthesewomenfacultycansucceedinresearchcareers.ThelossofthisresearchactivitybywomencontingentfacultyinSTEMfieldsreducesboththenumbersanddiversityofcreativetalentthatcandevelopsolutionstoaddresschallengesintheworld.

Now your turn• I’ll provide a research article/abstract• Half of you will develop the Message Box• Half will develop the Concept Paper • Then we will share

Helping Faculty to learn to Distill their message helps YOU!

Takeawaysfromthisworkshop• Twoapproachesforhelpingfaculty

• ConceptPaper- setofquestionsaimedatfunder/collaborator• MessageBox- setofquestionsaimedatmediaorpolicymakers

• Outlinesfortwoworkshopsusedto“teach”facultyhowtousetheseapproaches

• Facultyhelpeachothertomakepresentationstronger

• Workshopscaninvolveotherdepartmentsoroffices- MarketingandDevelopment

Questions and DiscussionCONTACT ME

Susannah Gal, Ph.D.• sjg5538@psu.edu