unu-merit online comms workshop 2015

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  • 8/10/2019 UNU-MERIT Online Comms Workshop 2015

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    Paradigm OnlineNew communications strategies for public policy impact

    Howard Hudson, April 2015

    http://www.merit.unu.edu/about-us/profile/?staff_id=1295http://www.merit.unu.edu/about-us/profile/?staff_id=1295
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    Framing the problem

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    http://bit.ly/1wxLQZV

    Effective research communication is a vital element in

    ensuring that research makes a difference; without it,

    a lot of research effort is wasted.

    Why are we here?

    Many of the answers to major development

    challenges are already known but the informationis inaccessible, unusable, or unavailable.

    [For] southern countries communication of

    research is a moral imperative, not an option.

    http://bit.ly/1wxLQZVhttp://bit.ly/1wxLQZV
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    http://bit.ly/1wxLQZV

    Researchers are not expected to be expertcommunicators, but they should be encouraged

    to work with communication specialists.

    What can help?

    Support is needed in three areas: 1.to improve

    incentivesfor researchers to communicate; 2. to

    build skills at personal and institutional levels to

    more effectively communicate; 3. to strengthen

    capacity for evidence in policy and practice.

    Communication should be an integral part of the

    research cycle and not an add-on all bilaterally

    funded research programmes should allocate a

    minimum10% of the budget to communication.

    http://bit.ly/1wxLQZVhttp://bit.ly/1wxLQZV
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    Why are policymakers hard to reach?

    Policymakers find it hard to use research-based evidence because of the 5 Ss:

    http://bit.ly/1vl6Qmd

    1. Speed: they have to make decisions quickly

    2. Superficiality: they cover a wide brief

    3. Spin: they have to stick to a decision,

    at least for a reasonable period of time

    4. Secrecy: many policy discussions have to

    be held in secret

    5. Scientificignorance: few are scientists

    and many dont understand the scientific

    concept of testing a hypothesis.

    http://bit.ly/1vl6Qmdhttp://bit.ly/1vl6Qmd
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    Survey of >300 UK civil servants (2014)

    http://bit.ly/1zen8v8

    What sources?Policymakers read briefings(79%), media reports of academic outputs

    (61%), and social media / university websites

    (51% combined).

    What roles?UK policymakers want academics

    as knowledge providers (86%), as informal

    advisors (67%), and as trainers (63%).

    Whats new? Social media and web presence

    are increasing in importance.

    What do policymakers want #1?

    http://bit.ly/1zen8v8http://bit.ly/1zen8v8
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    What do policymakers want #2?

    Survey of >200 US policymakers (2014)

    http://bit.ly/1rfsnHM

    What style?Policymakers find much scholarly

    work inaccessible. They want them to write in

    plain English Reports >15 pages not useful.

    What roles?US policymakers want scholars as

    informal advisors (87%), as creators of new

    knowledge (72%), and as trainers (54%).

    What sources? Policymakers find newspapers

    as useful as classified information (both

    >60%) Op-eds are influential due to where

    they are published and for their short length.

    http://bit.ly/1rfsnHMhttp://bit.ly/1rfsnHM
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    How to get the message across?

    World Bank reports (2008-12)

    http://bit.ly/1uevrXs

    Never cited: 86%

    Dead ends = Jargon-filled PDFs

    Downloaded

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    United Nations University AR2014

    Websites: UNU HQ: 3.31m pageviews

    UNU-MERIT: 0.81 million pageviews

    highest institutional web traffic after HQ

    Video: UNU HQ YouTube: 5.4m views

    UNU-MERIT: 65,766 views

    highest institutional video channel after HQ

    Social: UNU HQ Facebook: 11,100 followers

    UNU-MERIT: 4,000 followers

    highest institutional social media after HQ

    Media articles: Almost 4,580 stories

    in 2,130 global online sources

    Are we making an impact?

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    New trends

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    New political landscape

    http://bit.ly/1ATuJDX

    More than the entire populations

    of South Korea, Spain or Kenya

    http://bit.ly/1ATuJDXhttp://bit.ly/1ATuJDX
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    New political landscape

    World leaders on Twitter:2011: 42%

    http://bit.ly/1ATuJDX

    2013: 100% of Senate, 90% of House

    EU lawmakers on Twitter:

    2011: 34% of MEPs2014: 68% of MEPs

    US lawmakers on Twitter:

    2011: 44% of Senate, 38% of House

    2013: 80%

    http://bit.ly/1ATuJDXhttp://bit.ly/1ATuJDX
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    New media landscape

    When we go online, each of us is our owneditor, our own gatekeeper. N.Kristof, NYT

    Why and how do we open our gates?

    We act on (social) recommendationsfrom friends and other trusted sources

    But often in a rush, while multi-tasking

    We scan about 4 words / second.

    Articles hook or miss very quickly

    (e.g. because of jargon)

    http://bit.ly/1yPUulT

    http://bit.ly/1yPUulThttp://bit.ly/1yPUulT
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    Two-way mindset

    Despite distractions, Web 2.0 big advantage: We remember about 10% of what we

    read, 50% of what we read and hear,

    and 90% of what we do (i.e. interact with)

    Liking, sharing or commenting on our

    blogs, infographics or videos gives peoplea virtual stake in our work

    Mass micro-engagement (virality) builds a

    collective consciousness. This can have

    political and social ramifications >

    e.g. Obamas 50m followers on Twitter

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    New guidelines

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    UN guidelines

    The extremists are afraid of books and

    pens. The power of education frightens

    them. Malala Yousafzai, Nobel Laureate

    2. BE DIRECT: State facts and ideas directly:

    use concrete rather than abstract words

    3. BE DYNAMIC: Use verbs instead of nouns

    wherever possible. Verbs are dynamic andaction-oriented

    4. BE DIGESTIBLE: Favour short words and

    sentences. Present one idea per paragraph

    5. BE SELECTIVE: Use appropriate language,

    adapted to your audience and purpose

    1. BE ACTIVE: Use the active voice rather than

    the passive voice. This shows who is responsible

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    UN(U) guidelines

    The Concise Oxford English Dictionary,

    11thedition, is the current authority for

    spelling in the United Nations. Heres the

    latest usage summary of United Nations

    University and Maastricht University:

    - Basic spelling: analyse, labour, organisation,

    programme

    http://bit.ly/1EuT2WU

    - Basic rules: Our readership is global, so avoid

    colloquial words and phrases

    - Dont get technical: Explain terms on first

    use. Presenting complex academic or scientific

    information in plain English means less

    confusion for readers.

    http://bit.ly/1EuT2WUhttp://bit.ly/1EuT2WU
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    Where to start? Flesch Reading Ease Test

    - Built into MS Word. For the 2010 version:File > Options > Proofing > Show readability statistics (Tick box).

    100: Very easy to read. Average sentence

    2 syllables.

    http://bit.ly/1uSkuHZ

    http://bit.ly/1uSkuHZhttp://bit.ly/1uSkuHZ
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    Blogging basics- Online diary for sharing ideas, insights

    and observations: What did you learn at

    a big event? What MOVED you and why?

    - Write as you speak: quite informally and

    using the I/we form to be active

    - Invite and respond to comments: like an

    informal peer review

    - Good practice for op-eds, policy briefs

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    Structure = inverted Front-load articles: begin with the main

    problem or position, add key info, then

    essential context: Inverted Pyramid

    Present one idea per paragraph

    Add chapter headings for chunks of

    text: be concrete rather than abstract,

    especially for international audiences

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    Headlines and block quotes Use a simple and vivid title (3-5 words)

    with an explanatory subtitle (10-15 words)

    Use block quotes to highlight

    major / controversial ideas

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    Assignment: Translate

    texts into everyday English- Take one of your papers

    - Change the title into a journalistic

    headline; convert the intro, key data

    and conclusion into a 400-word blog

    - Tap into a wider audience via topicalissues and universal (UN) problems:

    human survival, development, welfare

    - Share your personal insights and

    observations: this is your take!

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    Any [email protected]

    ??

    ?

    mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]