Communicating for Impact

Communicating for Impact - Fall 2022

The work your organization does matters. The Communicating for Impact course is designed to help your research team sharpen their communication skills and grab the attention of organizational leadership, media, policymakers, and end users.

Start Course

Course curriculum

1. Welcome and Introductory Instructions
2. How to use this course
3. Welcome Video
4. Course Workbook (Download & Save)
5. Knowing Your Audience Video Introduction
6. Influencer Mapping and Audience Profile Instructions
7. Audience Influencer Map (Download & Save)
8. Audience Profile (Download & Save)
9. Homework Assignment: Abstract Submission (Due September 12)
1. Module 2: Live Call Recording
2. Homework Assignment: Audience Map (Due by September 19)
1. Foundations of Effective Messaging Video Introduction
2. Message Mad Lib Instructions
3. Message Mad Lib (Download & Save)
4. Homework Assignment: Madlib (Due by September 26)
5. Module 3: Live Call Recording
1. Reaching Your Audience Introductory Video
2. Reaching Your Audience Resources Instructions
3. Translate Your Pitch (Download & Save)
4. Collateral Planning (Download & Save)
5. Visual Abstract Template
6. Module 4: Live Call Recording
1. What Is “Communicating for Impact?"
2. Optional Reading: Policy Communications Case Studies

About this course

Free
24 lessons
4.5 hours of video content

This course will teach researchers how to:

Advance their visibility and impact
Better understand the needs of target audiences
Craft compelling messages that inspire action
Use storytelling and visuals to better explain key findings

Meet Your Instructors

Senior Director of Communications and Marketing Lauren Adams

A former journalist, Lauren has led communications efforts in government, science, higher education, and health care for more than 10 years. She regularly leads trainings for researchers on the development of effective communication strategies and co-taught a course on the application of marketing principles to influence behavior at American University. She is senior director of communications and marketing at AcademyHealth.

Vice President, Strategic Communications Kristin Rosengren

With 25 years in health communications and public relations, Kristin has deep expertise in identifying the right audiences to drive change, understanding their motivations and influences, establishing trust, and providing timely and relevant information to spur action. She regularly draws on her experience to provide virtual and in-person communications and messaging training for researchers, advocates, and scientists. She is vice president of strategic communications at AcademyHealth.

Testimonials

“We could all use improvement on communicating research findings! This course helped me to obtain objective feedback on my own communication skills to increase my impact.”

“I now have a greater understanding of how to strategically communicate. Will be using the tools and skills learned to amplify my work.”

"This course was excellent. The information was new to me and gave me a strong framework and concrete steps to consider when communicating research findings to different stakeholders. The instructors were knowledgeable, and the course leveraged different modalities for presenting information well (live call, breakout groups, recorded presentations, etc.)."

"[As a result of this course], I will think more strategically about how to communicate my work, using the steps outlined in the training. I typically do this in a much less coherent and organized fashion, but now I have a blueprint for how to do it better."