MEASURE Communication Final Report - Population Reference ...

26 MEASURE Communication Final Report
● Mali. The Center for Research and Population
Development (CERPOD) in Bamako, Mali, adopted
an institutional “Dissemination Protocol” for use in
the development of each new research proposal. The
purpose of the protocol is to mobilize resources for
anticipated dissemination efforts at the early stages of
the research development stage. The protocol outlines
examples of dissemination and data use activities and
includes estimated costs for each type of activity.
● Kenya. Linus Ettyang from FPAK states that as a result
of the training his institution now focuses more on
getting results out in useful formats.
● Ghana. Mr. Lawrence Damnyag, Programme Officer
of Reseau Ghaneen of the SADAOC Foundation in
Ghana, presented the results of what he learned at the
workshop at the organization’s international conference.
Based on his presentation and further discussions,
an institutional decision was made to
incorporate “strategic policy communication of
research findings to the stakeholders” into the organization’s
international work plans.
● Nepal. A team from CREPHA, an organization that
conducts research for several USAID-funded projects,
reports that “We began to give emphasis on ‘to the
point’ information rather than disseminating everything
at once. After the workshop, we prepared advocacy
and public education messages according to the
target audiences and began using the media channel
for dissemination.”
● Mongolia. Gelegjamts Uranchimeg reports that based
on strategies learned during the training, she has organized
an information repackaging core group that meets
once a month. The objective of the group is to assist in
the development of advocacy materials (fact sheets, policy
briefs, and lessons learned/best practices).
● Philippines. Elma Laguna instituted a more strategic
approach to communication and dissemination.
Based on the “communication plan” worksheets, she
helped her team map out a more detailed strategy
(specific audiences and approaches for each audience)
for disseminating results of the 2002 Young Adult
Sexuality and Fertility Study.
Policy Communications
Techniques
MEASURE Communication’s fifth Intermediate Result is
as follows: Policy Communications Tools and Techniques
Developed and Tested. MEASURE Communication made
substantial contributions to the field in expanding policy
communication training materials and refining a results
framework for the research-to-policy process
Workshop Materials
MEASURE Communication developed and field-tested an
extensive set of capacity-building materials to meet
regional and country needs. Materials include resource
binders on Communicating Population and Health
Information to Decisionmakers; Population and Health
Online Resource Guides; Strategic Planning for Information
Dissemination and Use; Connecting People to Useful
Information: Guidelines for Effective Data Presentations;
Data Use for Health Planning; and Training-of-Trainers
Manuals for Teaching Policy Communications. The
resource materials are divided into learning modules that
make it easy to tailor training programs for individual
program needs and timeframes.
Master’s Course
Building on the workshop format, the MEASURE
Communication team, in collaboration with faculty from
the regional training institutes, developed a master’s level
course syllabus for policy communications. The course
was structured around 16 three-hour class sessions and
includes readings and exercises on the models of policy
formation and implementation, policy content analysis,
bridging the research-to-policy gap, planning for strategic
communication and data use activities, state-of-the art
communication techniques, and managing conflict and
controversy. 16
As mentioned above, the course has been introduced
into two regional universities, the University of Mahidol
(Thailand) and the University of Costa Rica, and is being
taught by university faculty who have received training in
one of MEASURE Communication’s regional policy communication
workshops.
Framework
PRB staff believe that the results framework developed in
FY01 (see pages 5–7) made a contribution to the field.
Staff have used it to modify training modules and have
made presentations on the framework in many settings,
including, for example, the DHS-30 Year Symposium.
Presentation Guidelines
In FY03, MEASURE Communication produced a new
guide that gives practical advice and examples in the art
of presenting data to nonspecialist audiences. It was done
in collaboration with all the other MEASURE partners as
an output of the MEASURE Dissemination Working
Group chaired by PRB. The guide, called Connecting
People to Useful Information, was intended for people
whose positions require interpreting and disseminating
information to a variety of audiences who may not be
familiar with statistics. Potential users of the guide
include staff of statistical offices, research institutions,