Plenary Policy Impact

Organizing, Managing, Communicating and Leveraging Information and Knowledge to Support and Deliver CRP Results: A hands-on Workshop on Approaches, Tools, Systems and Services

Addis Ababa, 17-20 October 2012 Co-organized by IWMI/Water, Land & Ecosystems and ILRI/Livestock & Fish Back to the agenda page

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Plenary session: Communicating for policy impact

Michael

It’s not just having your evidence and being able to present that to someone

Policy making is not linear

It’s a constant interaction

Evidence based policies- how do you get these into practice?

It’s the engagement with the policy makers, researchers have to engage in the process of policy making, you cannot just sit on the outside

Evidence plays a relatively small role in policy, its dominated by political expendancy

Policies are made- it’s about being there are the right time

How do we use not just our evidence but put that into a story that policy makers can understand?

We have to see policy making as a participatory process

It’s about the discourse

What are we looking for?

It’s how we influence this discourse, put new ideas into the thinking of policy processes

Recognize the external drivers that drive the policy process

Strategic communication: how do we start to use this for policy input?

Not just about PR and public info, not about creating the buzz but how we go about doing it and making that sure that comms support policy engagement processes

Social network analysis:

• o By using social network analysis you can see how it changed
• o Method for collecting and analyzing how people interact and linked to each other
• o Where is it coming from?
• o You can start to strategically think about how you can place information
• o Where are their nodes

Trying to find some entry points

Innovation and multi-stakeholder platforms are important ways

Do you make a multi stakeholder platform on your own or engage with what’s already there?

How do you bring these together?

Use of intermediaries is really important

• o Engage with staff of policy makers- secretaries, speech writers
• oLooking for those who convey your message

§ Influential people who can convey your message § Developing and sustaining networks

• oUse your own networks

§ Informal networks

• oWhat are the networks that we have?

§ Researchers are often incredibly connected

- Promote the evidence in different ways

• o How do we take the research reports and put them into policy briefs and other ways that policy makers will read and want
• o What are the most effective types of policy briefs
• o Infographics
• oUse of media

§ Using the media to get results into the wider public § Media can grab attention § If you can get the evidence out there through the media, it really legitimizes the impacts § Relations need to be carefully managed and developed- it’s about building trust, it’s about educating the researcher how to talk to the media and educating the media about the research., it’s an interactive process

- Social media

- Building upon the needs of policy makers

• o Turn it around and ask the policy makers what they need and what’s the information that they’re looking for
• o Getting them involved in the beginning
• o Asking them what they want

- What are we doing as comms people?

• o Media linkages and network
• o Comms products for policy makers- ways to get the evidence out there
• o Move to this new form of engagement- facilitate policy dialogues or platforms
• Help researchers with the networking and engagement
• Being an information broker- knowing where to get the information and when

Kathy (IITA)

using agriculture as a vehicle for transforming economic development in Nigera- former IITA staff became the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development - the power of networks and champions

through example, getting these different groups to reach out to us as centers to help transform livelihoods in a particular locale in Nigeria.

Face to face communication is always best (combine with ppts and materials but face to face is always best) Focus on targeted stories/messages (they need to get the information quickly and in short bits) Building and nurturing relationships and networks Fostering partnerships – not turning away anyone who wants to partner - Walk in requests to talk to scientists - Terms of engagement may change in the future

Useful tools: - Printed materials

• Flyers (one page- crisp messages directed to what they’re looking for)
• Extension materials

- Face to face - Videos - scope for using traditional media - Event days where stakeholders and invited - Relationship building, linkages and alliances - Personal networks

Nathan (CIAT):

Michael Victor mentioned a study of personality types and communications among scientists. I don't know whether this is it, but this is interesting reading nevertheless: Personality type differences between Ph.D. climate researchers and the general public: implications for effective communication.