Ravi, Rohu and Vidhu Thank you for being who you are
I never ever thought that documentation is an important activity and that writing is the key to accomplish it. I have always been wanting to write but never knew how and where to start. Of course as a doctoral student I did a lot of writing for my thewrite a piece. I submitted my piece to my then boss and felt so proud of my achievement and dreamt that my boss would call me and say “Wow what a wonderful piece you have written”. She called me to her cabin and literally threw my article at me and said “what is this? Is this all you can do?” I ran out of her room and sobbed and the feedback). After a day or two I looked at my article and was appalled at what I had written. Even I could not understand half the things that I had written. This was way back in 1989. So what did I want to write? I started identifying areas where I would have wanted erals and helping young team mates to present information based on the needs of the audience) and in policy engagement. in my tasks. I found some but not too many. I learnt the ropes by doing and trying and this book now replicates “doing and showing”. a lot of youngsters from a Policy Engagement and Communication genre would
Achieving anything in life is never done alone with this book. There have been a lot of people who have silently worked backstage and most important encouraged me. I thank each one of the person who have the way has not ended). I will continanecdotes and thoughts-this book will remain a live “document”. In no particular order I would like to place on record my sincere thanks to Prof. Amita Verma ) who was self-pity stance. I would like to thank Enrique Mendzibal who accepted my initial articles and published it On Think Tanks since). I also would like to thank Erika Perez-Leon and Andrea Baertl Louise Ball, and Syranno Baines. Thank you to Vanessa Weyrauch and Leandro Etch who were instrumental in publishing my articles in Politics and IdePurpose and Ideas). My thank you also goes to Megan Lloyd-Laney, Kimberly Clarke and Isobel Fisher who always from welcomrd my articles. Last but not the least thank you Andrea Ordóñez and Gabriela Keseberg Dávalos . from I also would like to place on record my sincere thanks to Shri Gurucharan G IAS (Retd) who was my sounding board for several of my articles. Thank you Sheeba Das for putting together and maintaining a record of all my articles regularly. Thanks to Neeta Krishna who brought some systematic approach to the book by pocketing it into various sections. The look and feel not have been the visual effects Daftari. Esha is of this book would complete without provided by Esha known to me for colleague and continues to be a person who is “dedicated, committed and creative complains put together this book for me.
I am delighted that Annapoorna Ravichander has brought out this book of articles titled Musings, Anecdotes and Experiences. It was long awaited. As a policy engagement and communications professional, Annapoorna has been part of diverse public affairs initiatives and thus brings to bear considerable experience and expertise. What you will find in this book is not text book theory but expression of hands-on experience and reflections on how it might have been done better. The realm of public affairs deals with identifying and addressing the drivers of social problems. Public policy research generates evidence that helps us better understand the society in which we live, the causes of social problems, and their consequences. The beauty of public policy research is that the conversation does not end with the analysis. It is but the beginning. The greater part of politics and policy making is mostly a matter of the art of persuasion. Decide, choose, legislate as they will, policy makers must carry people with them, if their decisions are to have the full force. This book of short essays is about Policy engagement and communication by Annapoorna Ravichander, an expert in the field, serves as a communication toolkit for all those engaged in public affairs. With a wide array of subjects, it tells us how to create engaged citizens, how to raise awareness, undertake informed advocacy,
practice of public policy-making largely a matter of persuasion. So too is the discipline of studying policy affairs aptly described as itself being a ‘persuasion.’ Among the several policy engagement and communication professionals I have had the opportunity to work with, Annapoorna Ravichander ranks high. She is creative, enthusiastic, and focused. But what sets her apart is her discipline, methodological rigour, and her striving for best practices. Not all policy professionals strive to establish standards and processes, as Annapoorna does. This is a book for practitioners in public affairs. Rather than provide a theoretical framework, the book focuses on actionable knowledge. The author does well in making every article an actionable exercise that sets out step by step how to achieve that particular objective. From something as simple as how to compile an annual report to more complex functions like how to structure data management. It is a public affairs toolkit, if you will, that gives you the ‘How to do it’ of several aspects of public policy. Precisely because it is based on experiential learning, it has immense practical use. I congratulate Annapoorna on this elegantly written book that documents best practices in the art of persuasion. The short pieces contained in this volume, some of which I have had the privilege of reading in the context in which she wrote them, are of substantive use for scholars, students, researchers, and public officials. In more ways than one, this book advances the knowledge base in policy research and its practice. Gurucharan G IAS Director School of Social Sciences
I’m thrilled to recommend Annapoorna Ravichander’s latest work. Drawing from her hands-on experience in policy engagement and communications, and her prolific contributions to the On Think Tanks blog over the years, this book offers rich practical insights. Annapoorna’s contribution is rooted in real-world experiences, reflecting her passion for practice. Annapoorna captures this essence of this field brilliantly, highlighting the art of persuasion and the science of technical master vital to effective policy communication. Each short article serves as a practical guide, from annual reports to complex data structuring. Annapoorna’s commitment to actionable knowledge and her pursuit of establishing standards and processes make her stand out in her field. The book is also a testament of Annapoorna’s personal mission to nurture the next generation of research communication practitioners. A mission we have been lucky to support. This book is a must-read for anyone immersed in research communication. Congratulations to Annapoorna on this exceptional contribution to the world of policy research and practice. Enrique Mendizabal
Setting up a Communications Team for a Think Tank 1 Editing in a Think Tank: A Challenge and a Way Out 4 13 Tips To Make A Field Visit Interesting 7 A Proposed Recipe For A Robust Research Programme 9 Awareness- Advocacy-Action: The PAC research strategy 11 My Experience As A Community Radio Jockey 14 Does Paying Attention To Framing Your Research Results Help You To Communicate Them Better? 16 How To Use Case Studies In Training Programmes 18 Communicating Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 21 Does Research Methodology Matter To A Communicator? 24 What A Research Project Taught Us About Swachh Bharat Mission 26 Proposed Recipe for a Robust Research Programme 29 Recipe for Writing a Winning Funding Proposal 32 Policy Impact : A Think Tank’s Perspective 34 Responding to COVID-19 and it’s Spill Over Effects 36 How Can We Improve Feedback? 38 Management Skills for a Researcher in a Think Tank 42 What Does An Audience Want From A Research Organisation/ Project? 45
What are Data Analytics to a Communicator? 49 Using Dashboard as a Communication Tool 52 Creativity in Data Science 55 Data Science in Governance 57 Tools for Communication Press Release and Press Note: Powerful Communications Tools 61 Community Engagement: Choosing the Right Tools 63 How do You Measure the Impact of a Policy? 67 Communicating Using Social Media and Media Platforms for Effective Governance 70 72 Proof of Concept: A Marketing Tool for Research Projects Research Case Study-A Powerful Communications Tool 75 Using Digital Knowledge Management Platforms For Effective Communication 77 81 Stakeholder Engagement a Tool to Measure Public Policy Using Questionnaires as a Research Tool 83 Annual Report : A Powerful Communicating Tool 85 Standards & Guidelines: An Effective Tool for Researchers and Think Tanks 88 Theatre, A Strategy to Raise Awareness About Public Policy Challenges 90 Interpreting Data: A Compelling Communication Tool 92
94 Researchers and Policy Implementation 96 Structuring Data Management 99 Interviews Changemakers in Asia 103 Interviews with EDs of Think Tanks 115 Radio “Talk it Over” 182
Fleepit Digital © 2021