"Creative approaches to communicating research": Gillian Southgate's presentation offered a short introduction of how to use different creative media such as film, comedy, art, animation, comic strip and poetry to communicate key research messages to a wider audience than currently reached through peer reviewed journals.

1. Gillian Southgate
Sept 2014

2. NHS RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT NW
•The NHS R&D NW team run an experimental programme of work called the creative learning incubator.
•This is an opportunity for the team to explore a range of different creative ways of working in R&D
•The successes are developed and adapted to be used in our main programmes such as the visual minutes, comic strip, poetry and creative writing and then shared with the wider R&D community.
• Full details are available on our website www.researchnorthwest.nhs.uk
(Please note this is an interactive workshop, flex your creative thinking………………..)

3. CREATIVE WARM UP!

4. ACADEMIC PROCESS OF COMMUNICATING RESEARCH
Not forgetting paper and poster presentations as well!!

5. ADVANTAGES
•Peer-reviewed journals are publications in which scientific contributions have been vetted by experts in the relevant field.
•Peer-reviewed articles provide a trusted form of scientific communication.
•Peer-reviewed work isn't necessarily correct or conclusive, but it does meet the standards of science. (http://undsci.berkeley.edu/index.php)
•Poster and paper presentations can reach an audience that wont necessarily read a paper a journal.

6. DISADVANTAGES
•Time to write up
•Time from submission to publication
•Restricted audiencel
•Lack of real evidence that peer review actually works: „Editorial peer review, although widely used, is largely untested and its effects are uncertain (Journal of the American Medical Association 2002)
(It is important to understand that it is saying that the evidence to support peer review has not yet been produced, not that there is evidence that peer review does not work)

7. BEING CREATIVE CAN:-
•Help your research reach a wider audience
•Doesn‟t need to use jargon or scary language
•Can be quicker than waiting for your paper to be published
•Can have a more powerful impact
•Can simplify the key message
•Is fun to do
•Can be done as a team or as an individual
•Can be tailored according to available resource

8. EXAMPLES…………..
•Creative writing, poems, songs and music
•Pictures, photographs ,collages and comic strips
•Plays ,films and podcasts other digital media
•Animation, puppets, mime and dance
It can be:-
•Serious, sensible and informative
•Funny, slapstick, childlike
•Visual, auditory, tactile
•Hi tech, low tech,
•Clever, silly………………………………….

9. CREATIVE COMMUNICATION…………………..

10. USING CREATIVE TECHNIQUES
•Identify key message
•Think about your audience
Colleagues, patients, adults/children, medics, board members, international, national, etc
•Identify resources
 Time, finance and expertise
•Consider process of dissemination
E.g social media restrictions on NHS networks, YouTube, LinkedIn
News letters, patient infomercial, posters, pictures,
• Be creative, take a risk and have fun!

11. EGS. APPS AND WEBSITES
Websites:-
•MakeBeliefsComix.com
•MarvelKids.com's Create Your Own Comic
•Pixton
•ToonDoon
Apps:-
•Comic Life
•Perfect Captions
•Episode
•Voice

12. NIHR NEW MEDIA COMPETITION SEPT/MARCH
•Communicate the clinical/applied health/social care research that you are involved in
•Enthuse audiences about the research that you are involved in (the target audience may be for example patients, researchers, colleagues, your friends and family, children, the elderly, the general public)
•Get creative and use your media skills to get the NIHR message about research out.
•Win prizes
You should be either:
•a member of the NIHR Faculty
•have recently completed your NIHR funded research.
•a patient/member of the public involved in NIHR research
http://www.nihr.ac.uk/our-faculty/new-media-competition.htm

13. CHALLENGING THE STIGMA OF MENTAL HEALTH IN THE CHINESE COMMUNITY

14. QUICK CREATIVE CHALLENGE
•You have 15 minutes to work together in small groups of 3-5 and produce a poem, a collage, a sketch, a song or any other creative idea you may have to communicate “why you love research” to the group.
•Keep it simple e.g., research saves lives, research is fun, research helps people, saves money etc
•Be prepared to share it and /or perform it with the group at the end of the session!!

15. WHAT NEXT…………………
Have a go…………..
•NHS R&D NW would be delighted to see what you do, Please send us any photos, films songs poems etc. Don‟t forget to enter the NIHR media competition too!
•The NHS R&D NW Creative Workshop, a full day workshop on comic strip and animation to be held on 22nd January 2015, DLF, Manchester ( only £85!!)
•Contact :- joanne.simpson@researchnorthwest.nhs.uk to reserve a place.

16. Gillian Southgate
Assistant Director
NHS Research & Development North West
Contact:- Tues, Weds, Thurs, 9am-5pm ( Please note that I do not work Mon and Fri.)
Direct Dial Tel: 0161 242 1339
Mobile: 07825143562
Email: gillian.southgate@researchnorthwest.nhs.uk
Website: http://www.research.northwest.nhs.uk
Twitter: @NHSNWRD
Linkedin: NHS North West Research and Development
To know more about our programmes of work visit
http://www.youtube.com/user/NHSNorthRandD
A devolved regional NHS function hosted by Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust