Every day, organizations like BC Housing conduct critical research that has the potential to shape decisions and our world. But finding ways to share, promote and activate the knowledge produced can seem almost impossible in a world filled with noise and fake news. And if no one knows about your work, they can't use or support it.
Recognizing this, Karen Hemmingson, former Chief Research Officer, Research and Corporate Planning at BC Housing, decided to try something different. Inspired by an adventure storytelling event called FEAT, she and her colleagues invested in using stories to mobilize their research on Community Housing for Resilient Communities.
As expected, their story-driven communications work was successful at engaging both existing and new audiences. But what they didn't expect was that they'd generate rich new insights through the process of shaping the stories - insights they likely would have missed through a more traditional approach.
In this episode, Karen walks us through the project, explaining how things unfolded, the challenges they faced, and why - from a leadership perspective - she chose a story-based approach. She also speaks to the reluctance of some researchers to use stories to share their work, highlighting the fact that communication doesn't have to be only data or only stories. And she shares tips for those considering using stories to advance their own research impact.
Read more of her insights on the project here.
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