Let’s engage! Communicating research to policymakers using engaging written formats

The workshop consists of two parts, a 3-hour workshop covering the theory followed by a 2-hour practical session a week later.

Main workshop (19 October, 13h30-16h30, Zoom)
Are you looking to engage policymakers with your research?
This interactive workshop will offer practical tools, examples and ideas for how to effectively communicate findings beyond academia. The key to making your research understood is to speak plainly and to communicate findings in short and accessible formats. This is the mantra of Research Retold. This online workshop will draw on our experience from working with academics around the world in creating visual and accessible summaries, presented at important forums to governments and global institutions. Practical session available 1 week after the workshop.

Practical session (26 October, 14h00-16h00, Zoom)
Following on from the main workshop on communicating research beyond academia, you are invited to produce a visual format based on your research. This is a practical workshop for which you will need to do some homework. Come prepared with the draft text and use the workshop to refine your material and create a visual document. 

Goals

The aim of these workshops is to offer researchers practical tools, case studies and ideas of how to communicate their research beyond academia, as well as concrete support to communicate their research.

Main workshop:

• Define research communication & benefits
• Potential audiences (focus on policy makers, include businesses, policymakers, media and the general public) and key considerations for each
• Formats one-pager, policy brief (main focus), infographic, visual summary
• Process of creating a communication format: goal, audience, structure, text, visual elements
• Overview of the structure and the design
• Set out the homework for the practical session

Practical session:

• Brief recap of the 4 formats
• Working on text
• Working on the design – using Canva/PowerPoint
• Answering questions and challenges, providing support

Course material

In the main workshop the participants receive a digital workbook that includes a content handout, the exercises and links to relevant resources.

Total time investment

3 hours for the main workshop

2 hours for the practical session and approximately an additional 2 hours outside of the workshop to prepare for the practical session.