Strengthening communication in
N/S research partnerships for development

Date and venue: September 22â€�24, 2009 - Pho Hoi Riverside Resort, HoiAn, Vietnam

Research communication: Act now!

Over 45 participants drawn from all over Vietnam together with research colleagues from Denmark met for 3 days in Hoi An to develop their understanding of developing communication strategies and approaches for their projects.

The two projects involved are financed by Danida and are both examining the impact of climate change, one focussing on physical changes, while the other has a multidisciplinary approach including geographers, natural scientists and socio economists.

The workshop aimed to develop communication skills, build strategies and make practical products.

Group work in project teams ran through the three days, resulting in a draft communications plan for each project and the development of example products such as press releases and leaflets. These working sessions were interspersed with demonstrations, papers and presentations and culminated with a presentation exercise to explain the final results of each project team to the rest of the workshop.

The sessions covered standard methodologies to developing communication strategies, identifying target groups, establishing the aim of the communication, developing messages for that group and chosing the appropriate channel to reach them.

One of the most popular sessions was looking at new opportunities on the web for research communication and ways the projects could work with these systems.

Read more on the blog by Euforic, who co-facilitated the workshop. 

Concept note and programme [pdf, 113 kB]
Workshop reader: "Communicating research: More than a need, a necessity", by Chris Addison, Euforic [pdf, 98kB]
List of participants
Workshop and evaluation report, by Marianne Forti, DDRN, February 2010 [pdf, 406kB].

PRESENTATIONS:
Introduction
DDRN and introduction to programme of workshop: English presentation, by Anne Sørensen and Marianne Forti, DDRN

Other organisations and involved research projects
• Introduction of Center for Science and Technology Communication: Vietnamese presentation - English paper, by Mr. Nguyen Hoang Hai, Vice-director, Center for Science and Technology Communication, MOST
• Development of Climate Change Scenarios for Vietnam: Vietnamese presentation - English paper, by Prof. Tran Thuc, Direcotr, Vietnam Institute of Meteorology, Hydrology and Environment, MONRE
• Experiences from working with research communication at CIEM - achievements and challenges: Vietnamese presentation - English paper, by Dr. Tran Kim Hao, Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM)
• MA Follow-up and SGAs: Assessment and Communications: English presentation, by Maiko Nishi, United Nations University – Institute of Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS)
• P1: Assessing the Impact Trends of Climate Change on Physical and Environmental Conditions and Socio-Economic Development in Central Vietnam: Vietnamese presentation, by Dr Mai Trong Thong, Institute of Geography, VAST - Link to the website of the project
• P2: Climate Change and Estuarine Ecosystems in Vietnam: English presentation, by Dr. Lam Nguyen-Ngoc, Institute of Oceanography - Link to the website of the project

Training on communication
Effective communication - Overview and exercise: English presentation, by Chris Addison, Euforic
Messages and working with the media: English presentation - Vietnamese presentation, by Chris Addison, Euforic
Finding your way in the new web: English presentation, by Chris Addison, Euforic
Media and press releases: English presentation, by Chris Addison, Euforic
Start Day 3 and Internal communication: English presentation, by Chris Addison, Euforic
Case: Communications in an interdisciplinary project: Vietnamese presentation - English presentation, by Thai Thi Minh, Hohenheim University
Consolidating communications strategy: English presentation - Vietnamese presentation, by Chris Addison, Euforic