Research can make a difference! Workshop on communicating and disseminating research

1. Research can make a difference! Workshop on communicating and disseminating research Facilitation - Chris Mitchell Manager, Research and Consultation, Fife Council

2. What do we want from the workshop? • Share experience? • What works? Why? • What doesn’t work? Why? • Some new ideas? • What else? • Dissemination planning? • Some nuggets to take away?

3. Who needs to know and how? • Client – brief, project management, report, seminar, findings…. • Related services – research programme, consultation diary, seminar, findings… • Elected members – findings, research bulletin • Senior managers, partners – targeted mail shot, findings, management team briefing • Other authorities, SG, academics – bulletins, networks, conferences, journals, fairs …… • Research participants – FEEDBACK! – mailing, posters, their networks, newsletters • Who else……?

4. When is the right time to think about dissemination? • Writing the report for Committee or Board? • Doing the first draft report? • Writing the brief? • Who needs to know? • What will they do with it? • What is the best format for them to get the evidence messages? • When will it have most influence?

5. Some questions from a standard research brief template • Outcomes - How will the research be used to make a difference and what implications has this for output? • Output – better knowledge and understanding of what? (see aim) How is it to be presented and disseminated? Format might include report, presentation, seminar, poster, stories, training events, web pages, data (software requirements) etc. Normally, a Know Fife Findings summary will be part of the output.

6. Learning from experience! Scottish Borders Council is in hot water over its Transforming Children’s Services consultation. The BBC Scotland website recently carried a story headlined Consultation labelled confusing, and cited the Plain English Campaign as being very unhappy at the gargantuan, online paper – complete with 150 Appendices (yes 150!) and a 44 page summary. Appendix 37 is a Glossary of Acronyms ...and contains approx 159 items!

7. Some ‘Hows’ of dissemination • Findings

8. Get the Findings out there! Joseph Rowntree Foundation model • Short and simple • Archive of knowledge • Web based with links to related research for each bullet of findings • Mailed to registered interests when fresh • Tried and tested • Format copied by Scottish Government, KnowFife and many others because it works

10. Get the Findings out there Joseph Rowntree Foundation model • page 1 - the hook for the busy reader • One paragraph on what it’s about • bullet points of main findings and what’s new • pages 2 to 3 • evidence captured and analysis • implications/recs. for policy/practice • page 4 • background, method, who by, contact information and access to main report • Make a requirement of brief

12. Some more ‘Hows’ of dissemination • Findings • Web portal

15. Some more ‘Hows’ of dissemination • Findings • Web portal • Build network of interests • Fife Policy and Research Network, Fife Health Intelligence Group • IDeA Communities of Practice • Serve network with quality alerts and bulletins • Fife Research e-bulletin

18. Some more ‘Hows’ of dissemination • Findings • Web portal • Build network of interests • Serve network with quality alerts and bulletins • Briefings on implications of others’ research • Research database, search engines in portal • send report or abstract to IDOX and libraries • Contextual Targeting • Personal contact

19. target timely mailing at execs Snowball to middle managers Fit form to function and person Research Study Front line staff service briefings/workshops for practice change Feedback & deliver to users Monitor and review

20. Some more ‘Hows’ of dissemination • Findings • Web portal • Build network of interests • Serve with quality alerts and bulletins – IDeA • Briefings on implications of others’ research • Research database, search engines, IDOX? • Contextual Targeting • Personal contact. Informal and personal briefing • Knowledge champion at high table • “where is the evidence?” • Foster knowledge or evidence aware cultures • Graphic presentation, GIS, cartoons, surprises

23. Some more ‘Hows’ of dissemination • Findings • Web portal • Build network of interests • Serve with quality alerts and bulletins – IDeA • Briefings on implications of others’ research • Research database, search engines ,IDOX • Contextual Targeting • Personal contact. Informal and personal briefing • Knowledge champion: “where is the evidence?” • Foster knowledge or evidence aware cultures • Graphic presentation, GIS, cartoons, surprises • Stories, scenarios, role play • Research Fair

24. Planning the disseminationMatrix tool • Used in Fife Migrant Workers Research and Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 2009 • Blank matrix – fill in some blanks • a good example, • or some research or evaluation you plan • Does it work for you?

25. Generic features of effective practices to increase research impact (Using Evidence: Nutley et al) • Research must be translated - tailoring findings to specific policy and practice contexts • Enthusiasm- of key individuals - personal contact is most effective • Contextual analysis - understanding and targeting specific barriers to, and enablers of, change • Credibility - strong evidence from trusted source, inc. endorsement from opinion leaders • Leadership - within research impact settings • Support - ongoing financial, technical & emotional support • Integration - of new activities with existing systems and activities

26. Interactive models of research use Moving away from ideas of ‘packaging’ knowledge and enabling knowledge transfer – recognising instead: • Interaction with other types of knowledge (tacit; experiential); • The importance of context; • Multi-voiced iterative dialogue; • ‘Use’ as a process not an event