"A university's research output is a unique competitive advantage. Why would you not want to communicate that effectively?"

Description

How can the impact of those comms activities be tracked? And how can research communicators be better supported by their institutions?

In this episode of Research Unravelled Peter is joined by Alexander Buxton, Head of Strategic Communications at the University of Oxford.

They discuss why the 'specialism within a specialism' of research comms matters to universities, and how those involved with research comms can ensure that their efforts are aligned with the wider strategic objectives of the institutes they work for.

Conversation

The below excerpt has been heavily condensed and edited from the original for the sake of brevity.

What does being Oxford's "key storyteller" for research involve?

Alex: My team and I aim to craft compelling narratives that engage audiences, shape perceptions, and communicate key messages that help further business objectives or strategic priorities of the university.

My team sits at the centre of over a hundred communications teams around the university, so we also set up the systems, processes, tools, and guidance for professionals engaging with research communications.

A key part is around collaboration - we work with internal stakeholders, researchers, external partners from private companies, government, NGOs, think tanks, and communications agencies to identify stories that define and reinforce the organisation's mission, vision, and values.

What aspect of your work is especially complex?

Alex: It was the complexity that drew me to this specialism. If I had to pick just one aspect, it would be the real-world complexity of what we do. One of the reasons I love what I do is that the subject matter we are talking about is real and has real potential to benefit people in different ways.

For example, we recently ran a campaign on artificial intelligence research, which featured breakthroughs in AI and ethics. When putting that campaign together, we had to balance fear versus optimism, translate very complex subject matter, and address the rapid speed that AI research has been advancing. We faced the polarising debate around AI's transformational potential while acknowledging it needs to be done responsibly with considerable risks. We had to consider how to frame the research to highlight positive impact, create simplifying analogies, use case studies, and engage thought leaders - all while balancing transparency with optimism.

How do you unravel that complexity?

Alex: Being collaborative when developing messaging is essential, working with a range of stakeholders and subject matter experts. Message testing helps you understand how things will land and pull through the most important elements, really condensing to those key messages you're trying to convey.

Making things as tailored for different audiences as possible is critical, considering the use of various channels and multimedia as part of that tailoring. Also being proactive is important, particularly when a topic is potentially contentious - using foresight and transparency, understanding what the issues could be, and preparing for them. Sometimes you need to tackle concerns head-on to allay people's fears or present the most accurate information.

How do you tailor messages for different audiences?

Alex: A great methodology is the UK Government Communication Service’s OASIS model for campaigns. Within that, you've got your O for Objectives, A for Audience, S for Strategy, I for Implementation, and S for Scoring/evaluation.

For tailoring messages, if you understand your objectives, the next step is audiences. A large part will be around your audience insight - knowing who you're trying to target, how they like to receive information, and ideally having done an audit so you have a baseline of their existing perceptions. From that, you can start to think about the strategy and implementation components. Really strong audience insight is the best way to tailor your messaging, underpinned by understanding what objectives you're hoping those messages will further.

Can you share a success story about measuring the impact of your communications?

Alex: We had an opportunity for one of our vaccine scientists to go on BBC Radio 4's Today program to talk about pandemic preparedness. We had some lead time, so I spoke to our development office about what projects they were working on related to pandemic preparedness - they were raising funds for our new Center for Pandemic Science Institute.

We discussed appropriate messaging and what language they were using with donors. I then spoke with the Professor of Vaccinology about the talking points and shared some of the asks. Together we came up with wording he could weave into his interview about how critical this work was and how we were looking for support.

The interview went well, and within an hour of it airing, someone called our Pro Vice Chancellor for External Affairs and Development and said, "I'd like to give the university a million pounds towards the new Pandemic Science Institute." I was stunned! This showed the direct cause and effect and was the tipping point that made me think we need a mechanism for capturing these outcomes regularly to demonstrate value and impact.