How to communicate an intervention

Communication can involve a wide variety of people, including the public, implementation teams, practitioners, champions, managers, policymakers and anyone else relevant to the implementation process.

Challenges in communicating about interventions are normal. Achieving success requires significant effort. Investing in this effort is worthwhile because:

• Communicating a vision for change helps to motivate staff and overcome resistance to change
• Communication provides an important mechanism for obtaining feedback
• Open communication helps to build trust and teamwork between those impacted by implementation.

Both formal and informal communication are useful. For example, mass media broadcasts and other impersonal methods are often used to build awareness. Simpler ways of communicating, like networking and ‘water cooler’ conversations, are also key to changing behaviour. Communication activities should be developed to nurture good relationships. This is more effective than a commanding and authoritarian approach.

Dissemination is a targeted and facilitated process of distributing information. It involves convincing stakeholders in target groups to adopt an intervention. Key activities include planning the delivery of information and tailoring the message for specific audiences (Greenhalgh et al., 2004).

Knowledge Translation aims to bridge the gap between research/knowledge and practice. It involves activities such as synthesising and applying complex information to make it easier to understand and digest. (Straus et al., 2009). Plain language summaries are one example of knowledge translation approaches. The Knowledge Mobilisation Toolkit (Ontario Centre of Excellence for Child and Youth Mental Health, 2014) is a useful online toolkit, designed to inform and equip users with the knowledge and tools needed to mobilise knowledge, to improve outcomes for children, young people and families.

Knowledge broker organisations perform strategic functions which generate knowledge and support it to be applied in decision making and practice (OECD). The OECD has mapped over 70 knowledge broker organisation across the OECD countries, which take different forms in different parts of the system.

Tips for effective communication and dissemination

The following points are useful in developing and practising good communications:

• The motivation of the target audience (e.g. staff) is important. The role and motivation of the organisation and system is more influential in generating buy in.
• Emphasise the benefits. Clearly describe how the intervention is new and different, and how it is compatible with organisational values and current ways of working.
• State clearly why the intervention is better than before and how it will improve the work and outcomes.
• Filter the information to what is most valid and essential; this is an art as well as a science.
• Begin with the use of mass media (emails, internal advertising and videos) to build initial knowledge and awareness. Then move towards interpersonal channels to tackle any confusion, misinterpretation or resistance.
• Opinion leaders within the system can act as effective sources of information to communicate and disseminate information about a new idea or way of working.