A presentation on Research, Communication and Knowledge Management

1. Research, Communication and Knowledge
Management
Top tips from CDKN and ODI
“Research is like salt; it’s no good if you leave it on the shelf” (Sam
Bickersteth, CDKN)

2. What does effective research uptake
look like?

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Top Tips:
1. Get to know
your context
5. Target your
communications
6. Use others to
amplify your message
7. Go to where the
action is
8. Identify windows of
opportunity
2. Narrow down
your audience
3. Really get to
know them
4. Distil your
message

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No. 9
Be strategic, but be
prepared to adapt

5. Monitoring and
Evaluation
Agenda
Setting
Decision
Making
Policy
Implementation
Policy
Formulation
Civil Society
Donors
Cabinet
Parliament
Ministries
Private
Sector
Policy processes are complex...
And you’re just
one amongst all
these players

6. A common mistake
• Being vague
• Trying to
reach
everyone
and as a result
• Failing to
reach
anyone

7. Useful tools
• Theory of change – expected pathways of influence
• RAPID framework
External Influences
Socio-economic and cultural
influences,
donor policies etc
The links between policy
and research communities –
networks, relationships, power,
competing discourses, trust,
knowledge etc.
The evidence – credibility, the
degree it challenges received
wisdom, research approaches and
methodology, simplicity of the
message, how it is packaged etc
The political context – political and
economic structures and processes,
culture, institutional pressures,
incremental vs radical change etc.

8. Useful strategy tools

9. No.4
Distil your message,
then
distil it
again

10. Draw up a targeting matrix
Audience
Journal
Article
Policy
Brief
Video
Media
article
Face-
to-face
Training
module
Social
media
Etc.
The
Minister
Minister’s
advisors
Donor
agency
Field
staff
Academi
c peers
etc.
You can’t do all of these
well.
Which ones do you want
to concentrate on?

11. Working with knowledge brokers
Journalists
• International
• National
• Local
• Community
Networks
• Topic related
• Professional
• Communities
of interest
Other websites
• Blogging sites
• Portals
• Climate
Knowledge
Brokers Group

12. Grabbing those chances
good timing
+
good antennae
+
good networks
+
opportunism
+
a clear message
+
a bit of luck
A much better
chance you’ll
have some
impact
=

13. KM approaches

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KM Tool Box:
Policy briefs (examples and recommendations available)
Summary papers/brochures/newsletters
Blogs and social media (examples and recommendations available)
Media engagement
Short and longer films
Tools/users guides.
Off line approaches e.g. ‘games’ based approaches
Tailored events; public events, round tables, conference sessions, one to one
meetings.
Tailored engaged strategies
Networks to share results e.g. Climate Knowledge Brokers partners, Low
Emissions Development (LEDS) Global Partnership, academic networks
N.B. Method often changes based on your intended audience/s and expected results. (for
further materials, please visit: http://cdkn.org/resources )

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Emerging in a
changing climate
Rwanda: new
Green
Growth and
Climate
Resilience
Strategy
A better future
Shubh Kal:
from
information
to knowledge
and action
Documentary films to communicate
research and content

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Tool to communicate research and content
Caribbean
Climate
Online Risk
and
Adaptation
TooL -
CCORAL

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Influential piece of research
Climate change: addressing heat-health vulnerability in
rapidly urbanising regions of Western India
Blogs
Heat
Action
Plan
Posters

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Influential piece of research
Loss and Damage in Vulnerable Countries
Initiative
Research, reports
and case studies
films
Timing!

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Africa Climate Change
Resilience Alliance (ACCRA)
Offline promotion of research and content
Policy-makers’ trips to the field
“the field visit that opened my
eyes”

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Group discussion: Questions
1. Research partners: Reflections on your current communications
related deliverables? Have these been updated over the lifetime of the
project?
2. Government partners: what are your preferred methods for getting
key messages and insights from research?
3. What could change/stay the same on the projects and
approaches?

21. This document is an output from a project funded by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) for the benefit of developing
countries. However, the views expressed and information contained in it are not necessarily those of or endorsed by DFID, which can accept no
responsibility for such views or information or for any reliance placed on them. This publication has been prepared for general guidance on matters
of interest only, and does not constitute professional advice. You should not act upon the information contained in this publication without obtaining
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Copyright © 2013, Climate and Development Knowledge Network. All rights reserved.
www.cdkn.org