Michelle Laurie Knowledge management specialist

South Asia Urban Knowledge Hub12-14 March 2015, Kathmandu

Communications “Taster”

What is research communications?

Research communication is defined as the ability to

interpret or translate complex research findings into

language, format and context that non experts can

understand.

DFID

Distillation of findings

Plain Language

Accessibility

(use visuals)

Tailored for Different Audiences

We will cover:

• Audience

• Key messages

• Your elevator pitch

• Data visualization

• Media

• Policy brief

Lessons to address WASH in urbanization

It’s a process

Key Messages… the process

1. Start by choosing something to work on.

2. Pick a priority audience you must communicate with and define:

– Knowledge– Attitudes– Practice– Where they get information– Information they need

10 minutes, fill in page 1 of your worksheet – go!

Key Messages… the process

3. Developing communication objectives

Knowledge: what new things do you want them to learn about your subject?

Attitudes: what changes in opinion do you want to stimulate?

Practice: what new things would like them to do? What should they stop doing?

Ex: chocolate as meeting snack

• New Knowledge: – Latest price of chocolate, health benefits,

emotional benefits• New Attitudes:

– You should want to eat (and provide) chocolate during meeting breaks rather than other snacks.

• New Practice:– Meeting organizers should buy chocolate for all

our meetings

Developing communications objectives

3. What do you want to achieve in communicating with this audience?

• Page 2 of your handout – your ideas

• 5 minutes – go!

Developing Comms Objectives Cont’d

• Objectives should relate to audience needs and interests

• Objective should be SMART (see worksheet)

Goal: Better Meetings

Project Obj: To allocate budget for chocolate at all K-Hub Mtgs

Audience Needs:Benefits re: happiness, performance, productivity, relative price

Communication Obj.

Show mtg organizers that providing chocolate as a snack leads to more productive meetings and outcomes.

Ex. SMART Comms Objectives

• Knowledge– To ensure at least 50% of K-Hub members understand that

chocolate is economical, nutritional and provides energy, by Dec 2015.

• Attitude– To persuade at least 2 K-Hub meeting organizers that chocolate

is the snack of choice for effective and productive meetings by Dec 2015.

• Practice– To increase the number of K-Hub meetings with chocolate by

50% by Aug 2017.

Communication objectives

• Develop communication objectives for the areas of change

• Page 3• Column (communication objs)• 5 mins

Convert obj to a key messageRecall project objective:

– To allocate budget for chocolate at all K-Hub meetings.

Recall communication objective:– To show mtg organizers that providing chocolate as a snack leads to more

productive meetings and outcomes.

Messages:

• Chocolate is brain food

• Eat chocolate during meetings to sustain people’s energy

• Happy meeting participants equals great results

• People want to attend your meetings when you serve chocolate!

• One chocolate tastes better than 10 carrots – choose chocolate and save

money.

Considerations:• Language and style (for your audience)

• Tell them something new

• Give information they can use

• Move your audience to take action

• Use stories

• Snappy slogan

• Visuals, engaging presentations

• Clear and understandable

Key messages

4. Develop key messages

• 2 min inspiration– Power of Words

• Page 3 of handout, column Key Messages

• 5 mins – go!

An Elevator Pitch

• It’s a world of sound bytes, convey your message in a very short amount of time

Some quick examples

• A billion for a billion (1 minute)

• The Girl Effect (Nike), 2 minutes)

5. Create your pitch

1. Who are you?2. What do you do?3. Why are you unique?4. Goal?

• 3rd floor = 30 seconds• Page 4 in your handout• 15 mins – go!

Let’s Practice!

• Find a partner – deliver your headline pitch– give and receive feedback (5 mins)

• Volunteer to give your pitch to plenary (PRIZES)– Feedback (10 mins)– The winner is…?

• Discussion on messaging (5 mins)

• Another example by WaterAid

Communication tasters (1 hr each)

• Data visualization

• Media

• Policy brief