Institutions learn to communicate better

Directors of agricultural research have to communicate regularly with various audiences: farmers, consumers and other economic operators, decision makers and donor agencies, and, last but not least, the media. The strategic role of communication - informing, making aware and persuading - in modern institutional management was the major focus of a workshop organised in Dakar, Senegal, 21 - 25 September 1998 by the Conference of Directors of Agricultural Research in West and Central Africa (CORAF) and CTA, with technical support from the Institut Supérieur des Sciences de l'Information et de la Communication (ISSIC). Participants were directors of agricultural research institutions in West and Central Africa. They were made aware of the importance of communication in the development of their organisations, learned verbal communication techniques, and appeared on mass media (radio and television). The workshop emphasised techniques of encouraging target groups to take up and use innovations. It also revealed the keys to successful verbal communication, whether in promoting the image of an institution, or arguing for policy change with a decision-making organisation. Part of CTA's role is to work with the leadership of research bodies in developing their communication strategies skills to improve the visibility and image of their institution, and to develop partnerships. A similar workshop is being co-organised by CTA, the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa (ASARECA), and the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry (ICRAF) in December 1998 for the directors of member institutions of ASARECA.The strategic role of communication in modern institutional management was the major focus of a workshop organised in Dakar, Senegal, 21 - 25 September 1998 by the Conference of Directors of Agricultural Research in West and Central Africa (CORAF) and CT