Communication

In a previous post we introduced the importance of communication in the context of European-funded projects, and we defined three modules for establishing efficient communication: A) Internal Communication Tools B) Communication Activities C) Website After describing the tools for internal communication, we now address communication activities and the website. Why do we need Communication activities? They are the core of internal communication among project members and external communication with stakeholders. They define how the various actors in a project, including project members, scientists, external stakeholders, funding agencies, and citizens, communicate. They are usually described in the Communication Plan. ...

Communication is often considered a structural pillar in several domains. The commercial domain, of course, makes extensive use of every kind of communication tool, from social networks to storytelling techniques and traditional advertising, to engage users and ultimately increase profit. However, the importance of communication has also been recognized in science, and in particular in science projects funded by the European Community. Documents like Communicating EU research and innovation: guidance for project participants demonstrate how serious this issue has been taken by the EU. In addition, almost all EU projects I’ve come across, include a Communication Working Package. This issue - or better this challenge - needs at least two ingredients to be properly tackled: a good Communication Plan the know how and technical tools which are, in the end, the substance of the communication itself. They include all the technical tools (e.g. teleconferencing tools) and best practices which must be used to carry on an effective communication based on the communication plan. In this post I’ll deal with the second aspect, reporting the experience we had in the context of the EPOS european project and providing some thoughts, guidelines and - most importantly - our experience about the creation of all the tools we needed to set up an efficient communication. We called it Communication & Management Toolkit. HEADER IMAGE by Sceptre (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons ...