What are the best practices for communicating research during digital transformation?

1 Know your audience

The first step in communicating research during digital transformation is to understand who your audience is, what their needs and expectations are, and how they prefer to receive information. You may have to communicate with different groups of people, such as senior executives, customers, partners, or employees, who have different levels of familiarity and interest in your research topic. You should tailor your message, language, format, and channel according to your audience's characteristics and preferences. For example, you may use a short and visual presentation for busy executives, a detailed and interactive report for customers, or a webinar or podcast for employees.

4 Incorporate visual elements

The fourth step in communicating research during digital transformation is to incorporate visual elements to enhance your message and make it easier to understand and remember. Visual elements, such as graphs, charts, images, icons, diagrams, or videos, can help you present complex or abstract data and concepts in a simple and appealing way. You can use visual elements to highlight key points, show trends or patterns, compare or contrast data, or illustrate processes or relationships. You should choose the appropriate type and amount of visual elements for your message and audience, and make sure they are clear, consistent, and relevant. For example, you can use a dashboard to show the key metrics and indicators of your research performance or impact.

5 Solicit feedback

The fifth step in communicating research during digital transformation is to solicit feedback from your audience and stakeholders. Feedback is essential for improving your communication skills, understanding your audience's reactions and opinions, and measuring the effectiveness and impact of your communication. You should seek feedback from different sources and methods, such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, or analytics, and use it to refine your message, format, channel, or frequency. You should also acknowledge and respond to feedback, and show how you incorporate it into your communication or research. For example, you can use a survey to ask your audience about their satisfaction, comprehension, and action after receiving your communication.

6 Collaborate with others

The sixth and final step in communicating research during digital transformation is to collaborate with others who can support or enhance your communication. You may have to work with other researchers, communicators, designers, or developers who can help you create, deliver, or distribute your message. You should establish clear roles and responsibilities, communicate regularly, and share information and resources with your collaborators. You should also leverage the existing platforms, tools, or systems that can facilitate your communication, such as intranet, social media, or email. For example, you can work with a designer to create a visual identity for your research project or a developer to build a website or an app for your research findings.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?