How to create, capture, & communicate research impact
Workshop overview
The “Create, Capture, Communicate Research Impact” workshop, affectionately called the triple C, is a comprehensive and practical programme that introduces participants to the fundamentals of research impact. This workshop is designed to help you understand what research impact is, how to strategically plan for it, and how to create more opportunities to elevate your work. Whether you’re applying for grants, reporting to funders, or seeking to articulate your impact to key stakeholders, this workshop will empower you with the skills and tools to succeed.
Spanning three interconnected modules, the workshop guides participants through the entire impact lifecycle. Participants will undertake interactive exercises, hear about real-world examples, gaining practical insights and actionable strategies to plan, measure, and articulate their research impact effectively.
Workshop Elements
Create
Build the foundation
- Develop a clear vision, mission, and pathway to research impact.
- Understand the “why” behind your work and align it with stakeholders’ needs to create a compelling roadmap for real-world influence.
- Explore impact terminology and definitions, including translation and impact.
- Learn what a pathway to impact is and how to map your own successful pathway.
- Identify and design meaningful impact activities and outputs.
Capture
Measure and Prove
- Master the art of documenting impact through logic models, indicators, and evidence collection.
- Learn to measure both prospective and retrospective impacts effectively, ensuring your outcomes are demonstrable and meaningful.
- Understand indicators for impact and how to collect relevant evidence to support your claims.
- Identify key impact elements, including outcomes and benefits, to present a robust and persuasive case.
Communicate
Articulate and Share
- Refine your narrative to highlight the significance and reach of your research.
- Learn to write persuasive impact statements and craft problem-focused, evidence-driven stories that resonate with diverse audiences.
- Tailor your message to your audience, considering their needs and expectations.
- Structure your key message and problem statement in a logical and clear way.
- Use real-world examples and a ten-step checklist to ensure clarity, relevance, and impact in your writing.
Learning outcomes
- Impact Planning: Develop clear pathways to impact and create opportunities to maximise your research’s real-world influence.
- Practical Tools: Gain hands-on experience with frameworks, models, and checklists to plan, measure, and communicate your impact.
- Confidence in Communication: Master the skills to craft compelling narratives that resonate with funders, stakeholders, and collaborators.
Why choose this workshop?
Impact knowledge and communication skills are increasingly essential across all disciplines. For researchers, these skills are critical for competitive grant applications, promotions, and responding to the growing emphasis on impact assessment. For non-profit and funding professionals, this workshop provides the tools to evaluate and articulate the value of your work, ensuring a solid return on investment and securing continued funding.
Key benefits include:
- Plan for and create more opportunities to elevate your work.
- Develop narratives that resonate with reviewers, stakeholders, and funders.
- Demonstrate impact with confidence using robust evidence and compelling stories.
- Gain a competitive edge in grant applications, assessment case studies, and reporting.
Your workshop facilitators
Dr Tamika Heiden
Tamika has dedicated over a decade of her career to impact pathways through knowledge translation and the identification and assessment of research impact. Tamika is passionate about making a difference and delivering projects that create significant and lasting change for her clients.
Tamika’s more than a decade of career experience as a researcher and research manager in the fields of health, sport and medical research, along with her formal qualifications in knowledge translation and impact make her one of the few specialists that doesn’t just talk the talk. Tamika enjoys helping her clients to form partnerships, develop impact plans, and be rewarded for their efforts.
More recently, Tamika founded and hosted the annual online Research Impact Summit. Tamika’s passion for impact, along with the summit success, has led to her becoming known as the “Australian powerhouse of Research Impact”, and resulted in her winning the 2018 Knowledge Mobilization Forum award for Innovation. With a 4000 strong audience representing 47 countries, Tamika has interviewed more than fifty experts in the fields of stakeholder engagement, translation and implementation, and research impact.
Cathie Withyman
Cathie Withyman is a research impact communication specialist. She has worked with leading universities and government departments both domestically and internationally to develop and craft engaging and insightful impact narratives.
Cathie possesses over 15 years experience partnering with researchers, program managers and communication professionals to facilitate training and skills development in the effective communication of research and program impacts. She is a master at drawing out the true nature of impacts and weaving this into a compelling narrative.
A key achievement of Cathie’s to date has been the compilation of a leading Australian University’s submission to the Australian Research Council’s 2018 Impact and Engagement Assessment. Cathie managed the development and authoring of 12 Impact Case Studies and 10 Research Engagement Narratives over an intense six-month period.
She is skilled at coaching and mentoring research academics to plan, record and report on research impact. She has developed training programs and resource materials to support academics in this increasingly important area of their work.
Feedback from our attendees!
I walked out with a notebook full of genuine 'aha!' moments
Having worked in and around the research ecosystem for almost two decades, I walked into the Impact Workshop expecting a helpful refresher. Instead, I walked out with a notebook full of genuine ‘aha!’ moments.
Even with years of experience, it is remarkably easy to get caught in the familiar rhythms of academic output. This workshop reorientated my perspective, particularly around research translation. It pushed me to look past the usual dissemination metrics and deeply interrogate how our work bridges the gap between theory and real-world application and highlighted the importance of continued relationships with those most likely to experience impact.
Super trainers
Super trainers, with excellent knowledge, fundamental understanding of academic landscape so kept it relevant but integrated with their knowledge of other sectors to create bigger picture. They made excellent guides through the materials. And the materials themselves great in depth and breath and usefulness in and beyond the workshop.
Great work!
The workshop is a great for those who are starting with their research but are not confident about the larger impact that their findings could create in the scientific community and clinical practice, the team was great and effectively delivering the path to making research meaningful and accessible to all. Great work!