Policy Communication Workshop
The purpose of the Policy Communication workshop was to develop the capacities of GERIS Network members to bridge the gap between their community actions or research findings and the policy development process. While civil society activities or research often have profound practical implications, they must be communicated to a variety of non-technical audiences to influence policy and programmatic change. The Policy Communication workshop gave new skills to GERIS Network members to influence policy and practice through effective communication.
This workshop was delivered in hybrid format, in-person and online version. The in-person session took place in Atlanta on 6 and 7 December 2021, while the online sessions were held between 14 and 16 December 2021. Both sessions were held by our trainer Michelle Laurie.
Core training sessions covered the research to policy gap, communication strategies to link civil society practices and to policymaking, writing for policy and non-technical audiences, and effective content for and delivery of presentations. These skills will be used later in GERIS micro-projects aimed at policy communication and advocacy.
The workshop modules aimed to help individuals and the organisations they work for to scale up their activities on several levels through reaching policymakers, promoting awareness about their work, reaching a larger audience, and working more collaboratively with others across faiths and boundaries. Both the in-person and the online workshops used mixed methods, comprising of theory, practical tasks, interactive/ participatory engagement, and discussions.
