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College of Agricultural Sciences strategic intent conversation Communications September 11, 2013 11:30-1:30, ALS 3005, lunch provided Communication is more than just talk. It cuts across almost everything we do in the College of Agricultural Sciences. This is an opportunity to consider communications within the College and how it affects research, teaching, Extension, and building relationships within and beyond OSU. What new directions should we take for a more strategic approach to communications? To focus our conversation, I’ve included some initial thoughts at the end of this note and the following three questions to guide our conversation: Questions 1. If our goal is to increase the public understanding of CAS science and its relevance to people’s lives and livelihoods, what strategies and technologies should we consider? Why is this important? Should this be a priority? 2. If our goal is to report the broader impacts of CAS accomplishments to decision makers (both internal and external to OSU), what strategies and technologies should we consider? Why is this important? Should this be a priority? 3. If our goal is to teach communication skills to CAS students that are required for successful professional careers, what strategies and technologies should we consider? Why is this important? Should this be a priority? For those participating in the face-to-face conversation, please be ready to speak up with your thoughts and ideas. For all others, you may email your responses to me by September 16, at [email protected] CAS strategic intent conversation: Communications Thoughts to stimulate the conversation, and one clarification… Communication cuts across almost everything we do in the College of Agricultural Sciences: • Communication is a core requirement for all contemporary, large, integrated projects emanating from USDA/NIFA, NIH, and NSF. Successful grants require effective communication, and the current large, multi-disciplinary federal grants have the explicit requirement of outreach communications. • Communication is an essential competency that we require of all our graduates, but currently we do not teach it. The ability to communicate clearly and credibly will prepare our students to articulate the importance of their work as scientists, managers, and decision-makers of the future. • Communication skills are in demand by CAS faculty who find that their scientific training has not prepared them for situations that call for engaging with non-scientific audiences. Clear communications can help faculty explain the relevance of their work to the public who pays for it and whose lives are affected by scientific advances. • Effective communication is essential in building partnerships across campus and across the globe. Colleagues from different disciplines may have difficulty identifying opportunities for collaboration if each speaks in his own specialized language. Poor conversation skills can lead to misunderstandings, missed opportunities, and, possibly, damaged relationships. • Science literacy is required of a democratic society where people are asked to make choices about global issues (such as climate change and biotechnology) and local issues (such as water quality and food supply). Effective science communication helps people understand the consequences of their choices regarding a host of issues that face us in the 21st century. • With newspapers reducing their staffs and expert science journalists being cut from mass media, the responsibility for in-depth, credible science communication is left to public research universities. Science communication, created to increase the public understanding of science, is education—not marketing. And so we make this distinction between communications and marketing: Communication translates the important discoveries and contributions made by research, teaching, and outreach; Marketing repurposes that communication to increase awareness and participation among specific groups. If you do a good job at communications, then marketing will be much easier. Therefore, we have planned two strategic intent conversations. They each will be attended by different groups of people with different questions to consider. Not all the topics listed in the following table will be covered in each strategic conversation, but outlining the differences will help focus each conversation. Communication strategies and skills, September 11 Marketing and brand identity, September 25 • Develop strategies to increase the public understanding of CAS science • Build relationships with critical stakeholders and markets • Develop strategies for reporting broader impacts of CAS accomplishments • Develop a meaningful brand identity and apply it across programs, departments, and stations • Develop science communications courses, internships, and degree options • Develop effective student recruitment materials • Identify the needs and interests of critical audiences, both internal and external • Repurpose news and accountability reporting as marketing messages • Provide communication training for CAS scientists, educators, and administrators • Engage students to describe the student experience and opportunities • Continue to hone skills for more effective meetings and conversations • Develop a statewide strategy for social media in marketing • Increase the use of new media and emerging technologies in communications • Integrate CAS brand identity with OSU marketing • Integrate departments and branch station voices into CAS identity • Provide marketing tools for departments, programs, and branch stations • Integrate CAS stories into OSU communications • Apply new media and technologies in marketing