How to cater to different types of audiences? How to communicate on social media? What’s the impact of AI in science communication? How to work effectively with policy and communication-focused professionals in universities?
These were some of the questions discussed at a packed research-policy communication event at Somerville College, hosted by OICSD, ZERO Institute and the Oxford Climate Research Network, in collaboration with Nature Portfolio on 28 October. The title of the event was ‘From Research to Policy – the Nuts and Bolts of Effective Communication’.
Professor Radhika Khosla, Associate Professor in the Smith School of Enterprise and Environment and the Research Director at the OICSD was in conversation with Subhra Priyadarshini, Chief Editor of Nature India and Ehsan Masood, Senior Editor at Nature.
The three speakers shared insights from their experience communicating research to different audiences, with a focus on policymakers.
The audience included researchers across the university’s departments and divisions but also communication professionals from various Oxford networks. The event was oversubscribed resulting in a last-minute venue change.
Here are four key takeaways from the evening:
ONE: Know your audience and learn how to pitch
Start by identifying your audience and what is important to them. Then think about where these audiences go for their communication needs. The needs of those who read peer-reviewed journals or specialised science-media platforms will be different to the needs of people not in research.
Identify relevant publications and also platforms where you would like to be published. Find and write to relevant editors, including a summary ‘pitch’ of your research and what you want to say.
Be sure to take the time to read and study articles already published on your chosen publication or platform. That will help you to learn about the structure and style of content that a particular publication or platform prefers.
A helpful exercise if writing for mass media is to ask yourself: how would you explain something to a school-age person? Or to parent and grandparents? Try to humanize data. Adding visual elements, for example charts and illustrations, helps make data more accessible.
TWO: Know your policy and how it is different to research
Most policymakers are short of access to scientific knowledge and short of time. But policymakers are often keen users of research-informed knowledge that is well-timed timed and delivered in an accessible way. How can you help them?
Consider if your research is topical. Why is it relevant, or important at the present time?
Can you boil down the essential take-home message, and the importance of your message in a single page? Don’t be afraid to use bullet lists.
Policymakers come in different shades and types. A Member of a Parliament has a different role to someone who works in a department in a government. People in companies and in non-profit organizations also have policy roles. Decide what kind of policymaker are you looking to communicate with and what are their needs?
Don’t try to over-sell your paper. Increasingly, policymakers want to understand where a finding sits in the overall spectrum of knowledge. There is a lot more interest now in what is called evidence synthesis.
THREE: Work with your university’s communication and policy teams
Oxford has communication teams across departments and colleges. Reach out to them to discuss your research, the audiences you wish to reach and why. These colleagues are very practised at communicating with media, policymakers and other stakeholders. They can offer advice, support including training resources. The Oxford Policy Engagement Network (OPEN) for example helps researchers to engage with policymakers more effectively. Your colleagues are there to help you and working with them and others can help you shape your research communications strategy.
FOUR: Use social media, but use it with care
Someone who is communicating research on social media should not lose sight of fact-checking before posting. Make sure statements can be supported in evidence – ideally a consensus of evidence.
Do not post directly onto a platform but write a draft first and get a second person to read your draft before posting, as if they are your editor or proof-reader.
These are the conventions that science publishing and other forms of publishing developed to ensure accuracy in mass-produced information. They should apply just as much today as they did in the early days of the printing press.
The entire recorded session is available online and we have included some relevant links below.
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