Research on research institute
THE CHALLENGE
The Research on Research Institute (RoRI) generates data and analysis to improve how research is funded, practised, evaluated and communicated in order to realise its full potential.
First Create The Media acted as RoRI’s comms team during their pilot phase, clarifying their story and messaging to help the Institute secure funding and launch into their second phase.
Ready to bring their communications in-house, RoRI recruited a seasoned comms manager who knew the ropes of content creation, channel management and social media. However, RoRI’s leadership recognised that they needed more ‘big picture’ support to deliver strategic communications.
RoRI asked us to provide detailed onboarding and upskilling so their new hire could settle into their role fast and take a strategic comms approach from the get go
OUR APPROACH
Over six weeks, we delivered five hour-long one-on-one mentoring sessions between RoRI’s new comms manager and our Director of Strategy and Content, Philippa Shelton. Each session was tailored and covered a predetermined topic but also allowed time for discussion and questions to be answered.
With a focus on strategic communications, we covered how to:
- Take a strategic approach to both internal and external communications
- Bring niche research topcis to life, including tips on tone, clear language and storytelling
- Encourage projects teams to value comms and think about it from the start
- Build a culture of impact reporting
- Build a brilliant blog, including how to edit rough copy into sparkling content
- Grow RoRI’s audiences over their next funding cycle
In a matter of weeks, RoRI’s new recruit came away with exactly what they needed to get up to speed with the Institute’s comms goals, audiences and messaging. Having previously led on RoRI’s comms, we we also able to provide additional knowledge, insights and advice for how to take their activities forward in the future.
KEY RESULTS
Efficiency and expertise
One-on-one mentoring from an experienced,
Director-level comms professional
Provided valuable perspective and capacity that wasn’t available in-house
New team member up to speed in weeks rather than months
Long lasting training and resources
Responsive, tailored sessions that addressed changing needs
Provided session recordings and shared resources for easy revision
Strategy and continuity
New comms manager taking the long-term view from the outset
RoRI’s messaging remained aligned with their existing strategy
RoRI’s approach to communications stayed strategic and proactive, not slipping into ad-hoc reactive mode
WHAT THEY SAID
“Philippa’s handover was invaluable in getting me up to speed with RoRI’s communications work. Her sessions were comprehensive, well planned, and expertly tailored to our needs. They ensured I settled into my role quickly and was ready to go with new projects and campaigns!”
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