How do you communicate your research impact to non-experts?

1 Know your audience

The first step to communicate your research impact is to know who you are talking to and what they care about. Different audiences have different needs, expectations, and backgrounds, so you need to tailor your message accordingly. For example, policymakers may want to know how your research can inform their decisions, media may want to know how your research can attract attention and interest, funders may want to know how your research can demonstrate value and impact, and the general public may want to know how your research can improve their lives or solve a problem. To know your audience, you can do some research on their goals, interests, challenges, and preferences, and use that information to craft your communication strategy.

2 Define your impact

The next step to communicate your research impact is to define what impact means for your research and how you can measure it. Impact can be defined as the change or difference that your research makes to society, the environment, the economy, or any other relevant domain. Impact can be measured in different ways, such as citations, media coverage, policy influence, social media engagement, or user feedback. To define your impact, you need to identify your research objectives, outcomes, and outputs, and link them to the indicators and evidence of impact. You also need to consider the potential benefits, risks, and limitations of your research, and how you can address them.

3 Tell a story

Crafting a story to communicate your research impact is essential to capture attention, generate emotion, and convey meaning. To do this, you need to have a clear structure, a compelling narrative, and a strong hook. To craft your story, consider the problem or challenge your research addresses or solves, the solution or innovation it offers or creates, the result or outcome it achieves or enables, the benefit or value it delivers or adds, and the call to action or recommendation it suggests or supports. By doing this, you can simplify complex concepts, illustrate examples, and highlight key messages.

4 Use visuals and multimedia

The fourth step to communicate your research impact is to use visuals and multimedia to enhance your story and make it more appealing and memorable. Visuals and multimedia can help you to illustrate data, explain concepts, show processes, and demonstrate impact. Visuals and multimedia can also help you to attract attention, increase retention, and stimulate interaction. You can use different types of visuals and multimedia, such as graphs, charts, maps, diagrams, images, videos, podcasts, or animations, depending on your audience, purpose, and platform. You can also use tools and platforms, such as Canva, Piktochart, Infogram, or YouTube, to create and share your visuals and multimedia.

6 Evaluate and improve

The sixth and final step to communicate your research impact is to evaluate and improve your communication efforts and outcomes. Evaluation and improvement can help you to assess your effectiveness, identify your strengths and weaknesses, and learn from your experience. Evaluation and improvement can also help you to adapt to changing needs, expectations, and opportunities. You can use different tools and metrics to evaluate and improve your communication, such as analytics, feedback, reviews, or testimonials, depending on your audience, purpose, and goals. You can also use best practices and guidelines, such as the Research Impact Framework, the Research Excellence Framework, or the Public Engagement Framework, to inform and enhance your communication.