MEASURE Communication Final Report - Population Reference ...

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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,
MEASURE Communication Final Report 27 public- and private-sector population and health programs, monitoring and evaluation units, donor agencies, and universities. The guide addresses a number of questions for developing effective presentations and includes a popular section on the most common do’s and don’ts for creating text and graphic slides. Other sections present practical techniques on how to organize and deliver effective presentations and organize a successful data dissemination seminar. The guide also contains two appendices with sample slides and reference material for preparing presentations in PowerPoint. The guide was used in at least five international workshops sponsored by MEASURE partners, as well as a workshop on HIV/AIDS and Adult Mortality sponsored by the UN Population Division. Examples of feedback include: “It’s with greatest pleasure that I forward my gratitude to you for availing such valuable information to me. I am one of the participants who attended the six-days workshop “HIV/AIDS and Adult Mortality in Developing Countries” in UN Headquarters New York. Thanks again for the publication and the CD. This is very useful for my day-to-day activities.” —Ivy Makoa, participant “I wanted to tell you that the presentation guides look terrific! I really like them. I do have a workshop starting next Monday with ten participants. If it’s feasible, it would be good if you can send me ten more to replace the ones I will give to each participant. We (all of us) have needed a guide like this for a very long time, and the powerpoint samples are great too!” —Larry Hartke, U.S. Census Bureau Excerpt from the DRUMBEAT/Listserv: “Dear colleagues, I would like to draw your attention to a recently released publication by the Population Reference Bureau on “Effective Data Presentation” The issue of effective data presentation is an increasingly pressing one. Inept presentations leave the impression that there is too much data and not enough meaning—making it hard to plead for more data collection. Some universities are now putting more effort on teaching their students basic communication skills - but still too many academic presentations are spectacular communication disasters. It’s great that the PRB [and their partners] who work in data collection and analysis are trying to help the population community with this manual.” —Armindo Miranda, Interregional Adviser, United Nations Population Division Population, Health, and the Environment Goals and Objectives MEASURE Communication’s work in Population, Health, and the Environment (PHE) promoted a better understanding of PHE problems, their causes, consequences, and the ways in which they can be addressed. The program contributed to MEASURE Communication’s Strategic Objective and all of its Intermediate Results. 17 Activities In order to meet MEASURE Communication’s objectives, the PHE program strengthened journalists’ ability to focus policy attention on key PHE issues; helped build PHE coalitions and networks; produced a range of publications; and conducted training to build local expertise to contribute to policy decisions. Strengthening journalists’ ability to focus policy attention on key PHE issues The PHE media activities addressed IR1’s agenda setting. To enhance awareness of PHE linkages, MEASURE Communication worked to expand the quantity and quality of news coverage on PHE linkages. Project staff supported collaborative media networks, prepared background publications, and conducted seminars, press conferences, and briefings. Following are three examples: ● In 2001, MEASURE Communication supported four members from the Malgasy journalists association Intermédias (Interprofessionnel des Médias pour le Social) to attend a training workshop on population and environmental linkages in Perinet National Park, Madagascar. During the workshop, journalists toured the park with guides trained by the national park service, then participated in writing exercises to incorporate what they had seen during the tour into a larger environmental context. ● In 2002, the project sponsored 15 developing-country journalists to cover the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD). 18 Participants were senior journalists from Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Madagascar, Bangladesh, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Thailand, Costa Rica, Colombia, and Brazil. PRB organized a two-day pre-summit seminar to expose the journalists to salient regional population and environment linkages, provide information about the WSSD, and introduce them to the terms and defini-
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