There are a variety of obstacles that make it challenging to communicate the value of research, and they may differ from institution to institution. To diagnose the current state of research communications on your campus and identify opportunities for improvement, use our research communications self-assessment from our Research Communications Toolkit.
An effective research communications strategy requires both faculty and staff buy-in. Unfortunately, decentralized structures and competing priorities hinder staff effectiveness and faculty engagement.
To improve campus-wide efforts, leaders must equip faculty and staff with tools for communicating research to non-expert audiences. Use our media conversations planning worksheet from our Research Communications Toolkit to help faculty and staff prepare to speak with reporters.
External stakeholders do not understand academic jargon and are uninterested in long research articles. Research offices should create and share concise content that demonstrates the impact of research in a relevant way for external stakeholders. To create a one-page fact sheet that shows research impact, use our template from our Research Communications Toolkit.
Research offices need to establish an ongoing communications presence to build name brand recognition among the public. This is best done through online platforms like research websites and social media. To learn how to leverage different platforms to promote research, read our guide on social media in Tool 5 of our Research Communications Toolkit.
Universities should use more intensive and…