Visual notes

Visual notes are a useful way of capturing key messages in visual form. Note taking occurs in real time, at a conference, meeting or presentation and the image(s) produced are the artist’s interpretation of what is shared. The visual note consists of reactive pieces for key concepts shared that when viewed together give a feel for the overall […]

Infographics

Infographics are an engaging way of making data accessible and easy to share. Used to present numbers and words visually, they can be particularly useful at making numbers impactful and complementing text heavy reports. An infographic artist or designer will distil key take-away points and convey them in a visually appealing way. Find someone who can produce […]

Journal Club

Journal Clubs are a great way of supporting your research to reach a new audience. It is unlikely that you will have reason to establish your own journal club but there are some steps that you can take to make it easier for your work to be used at existing ones. Identify an article about […]

Critical summaries

Critical summaries can be a helpful way for your research to be evaluated for it’s potential impact. They provide a critique of the what, why and how of your research, often together with some thoughts on its applicability or use in practice. You are unlikely to be removed enough from your work to write a […]

Lightning Talks

There are many different versions of lightning talks that you could use e.g. Pecha Kucha or Ignite, what they all have in common is that the time available to present and engage your audience is usually no more than 5mins, and never more than 10mins. Condensing what you have to say into five minutes takes […]

Online Discussion

There are many elements of the research and impact process that can benefit from an online discussion e.g. collecting ideas or input, sharing progress, planning dissemination activity, sharing findings. Pretty much any point that could be helped by a discussion, could benefit from an online discussion. The added advantage of holding that discussion or conversation […]

Posters

Academic poster sessions are usually held at conferences, meetings or symposia. They are often the first step onto an academic publication ladder. Identify what information you need to relay on your poster and why it is relevant to the audience Posters should capture someone’s interest, not answer all their questions. Think of them as an […]

Twitter

Twitter is a micro blogging social network that limits updates to no more than 140 characters. Like any social network the benefits only become clear after investment of time and effort in building your network and contacts (see Network Building), however it can be a great way to reach new audiences, or specialists in your […]

So What? Summary

Usually you will write an end of study report for your research, and an executive summary. A So What? Summary would compliment these, translating the research findings into useful implications. People want to know that rigorous research is available, but they do not necessarily want to read it all themselves. Your So What? Summary should contain enough […]

Network Building

Developing a network of supporters and people interested in your work is useful for individuals, research projects and departments or research groups. Network building is the effort applied to increase the size, activity or intensity of a part of the whole of the network. Identify stakeholders (see Stakeholder Mapping Tool) Identify core and peripheral members and network […]