Elevate the Debate

Learn how to make data-driven research accessible to decision makers, policymakers, and the general public

Many researchers, scholars, and analysts fail to develop communication strategies that work in today’s crowded landscape of content, research, and data. To be successful, modern researchersneed to share their insights with the wider audience that lies beyond academia. Elevate the Debate helps researchers of all types more effectively communicate their work in any number of areas, from traditional news outlets to the new media platforms of the digital age. After reading this book, you will be inspired and equipped to use traditional and digital media environments to your advantage. This real-world guide helps you present your data-driven research with greater clarity, coherence, and impact.

An array of practical strategies and proven techniques enables you to make your research accessible to diverse audiences, form engaging narratives, and design and implement meaningful outreach plans. Each chapter examines a specific communications strategy, such as data visualization, presentation skills, social media, blog writing, and reporter interactions. Written by expert members of the Urban Institute’s Communication department, and edited by Jonathan Schwabish, a Senior Fellow at Urban, Elevate the Debate guides you on how to use the media environment to your advantage and make a difference through policy insights and policy solutions.

This valuable book teaches you how to:

• Develop and apply data-driven and story-focused communication
• Use the “Pyramid Philosophy” of rooting accessible, engaging communications products in sophisticated research.
• Solve problems with your research by defining goals and recommending conclusions-based actions
• Identify the researchers, organizations, funders, influencers, and policymakers who are most important to your goals and precisely target their information needs
• Employ communication styles and strategies to get your work in the hands of people who can use it and act upon it.

Elevate the Debate: A Multi-layered Approach to Communicating Your Research is a must-have resource for academic researches, policy researchers, and all analysts of data-driven research.

Jonathan Schwabish is a senior fellow in the Income and Benefits Policy Center at the Urban Institute. He also specializes in data visualization and presentation design as a member of the communications team. His research agenda includes earnings and income inequality, immigration, disability insurance, retirement security, data measurement, and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Schwabish is considered a leader in the data visualization field and is a leading voice for clarity and accessibility in research. He has written on various aspects of how to best visualize data, including technical aspects of creation, design best practices, and how to communicate social science research in more accessible ways. He was named a "visualization thought leader" by AllAnalytics in 2013 and speaks frequently on data visualization, open data, and data use in organizations. Schwabish teaches data visualization and presentation skills at Georgetown University, American University, and the Maryland Institute College of Art. He is also founder of PolicyViz, a small consulting firm that helps clients improve how they work with and communicate data and analysis. He also hosts the PolicyViz Podcast, which focuses on data, open data, and data visualization.