How to do it

Strategic communications of research is not rocket science. There are a number of basic elements which you need to take care of - not dissimilar to the steps taken in robust, participative research - and you should address all of them to a greater or lesser degree. They are:

Setting objectives What are your communications objectives? You need to be very clear about what it is you are trying to achieve with the knowledge that you are generating through the research programme. Who are you trying to reach in order to do get them to do what? Your communications objectives should be related to the research objectives and captured in your logframe.
Know your audience Who is your research aimed at? Who needs to be involved in your research in order to compile an evidence base that is convincing? How do you engage target audiences at the beginning of your research etc?
Scoping study What has already been done in your area of research that can be used, built upon, referenced etc? This will also unearth collaborators and audiences in the findings of your research
Monitoring and Evaluation You need to think about how you will show that you have made progress in meeting your communications objectives from the very beginning of the research programme. This will require that you know where you are starting from (i.e. do a communications baseline for example what do the media say about your research topic etc.), where you are going, and develop indicators to help you show that you are making progress along the way. You also need a system to collect the data and space to analyse it to ask the 'so what?' question.

Monitoring and Evaluation Techniques
1. Guide to Monitoring and Evaluating Health Information Products and Services
  This guide describes a standardized way to evaluate whether print or electronic products and services meet the requirements needed to make them effective, used, and adapted by health care practitioners and policymakers in the field. The 29 indicators in the Guide measure the reach, usefulness, and use, as well as the collaboration, and capacity building engendered through information products and services. The innovative "Conceptual Framework for Monitoring and Evaluating Health Information Products and Services" shows how they contribute to the initial, intermediate, and long-term outcomes of health development efforts.
2. The "Most Significant Change" (MSC) Technique: A Guide to Its Use
  This publication is aimed at organisations, community groups, students and academics who wish to use MSC to help monitor and evaluate their social change programs and projects, or to learn more about how it can be used. The technique is applicable in many different sectors, including agriculture, education and health, and especially in development programs.

Working with the media
Building communications skills/capacity development