USGS Workshop Woods Hole, Mass. February 6-8, 2001
Making USGS Information Effective in the Electronic Age
Description | Agenda | Porter | Frodeman | McDermott/Wendt | Hutchinson | Accomodations
Analyze this . . . and then Communicate
An interactive session on audience analysis and communication tactics
The intent of the audience analysis session is to provide a model and techniques for determining what groups you want to communicate with, particularly in terms of the Knowledge Bank and the National Assessment products of the USGS Coastal and Marine Geology Program. We see the session as a practical exercise where the theories and philosophy discussed in the previous sessions are incorporated into actual use. About half of the session will be exercises and discussion as you work through the audience analysis model, think about appropriate messages, and determine the communication vehicles that will have greatest impact in reaching your audience and achieving your communication goal.Simple audience typology models will be discussed with a focus on a model that looks at the spectrum of audiences - ranging from the general public to the intentional partner. A sample inventory of various audience types for the Coastal and Marine Geology Program will be developed. Next steps in the group's work will focus on developing messages and choosing the communication vehicle that best fits the audience.
In preparing for the session, think about existing communication vehicles and information products in the Coastal and Marine Geology Program and then ask yourself these questions (try to come with a rough list of your answers):
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About your audience:
Who do you think are the audiences for your science?
What are your assumptions about your various audiences?
What do you want to say? To whom? About what?
Who needs to know (what you are communicating)? Why?
Who should know? Why?
Who would like to know? Why?
About your communication vehicle:
How do you address audience needs in a communication vehicle?
Is a passive product appropriate? Active?
What is your sense of how passive or active products work for an intended audience? Print, online, interaction?
How will you disseminate and maintain your communication? Gather feedback?
About the public audience in communication:
As a government science agency, what responsibility do you feel you have - or do you want to take - in communicating with non-scientific audiences?
What communication works best for the general public?
How can you enlist other customers in serving public needs?
Communication can be one of the most effective allies of science, but it requires a commitment of resources and energy to be done right. What you say, how you say it, to whom you say it, and why you say it are all crucial steps in the communications process. Communications needs to be part of the overall Program plan. Whether it is a news release to the public, a fact sheet targeted to the marine community, a one-page briefing sheet for a Congressional staffer, or a listening session with your customers, your communication, if effectively crafted and targeted to an appropriate audience, will help to promote the interests of your program and support the mission of the USGS. We look forward to seeing you.
Mike McDermott
Gail Wendt