The Faculty of Mechanical and Chemical Engineering and The Brew-Hammond Energy Centre hold Seminar on Research Communications
On the 13th of January 2022, experts from Multimedia group, Mr. Kwesi Debra and Mr. Kofi Adu Domfeh spoke to senior members of the university community on effective ways to communicate research findings. We reckon that scientists and researchers in most African countries, including Ghana, are faced with the challenge of communicating their findings for public consumption. As such, the Research Communications seminar is aimed at building the capacity of researchers to better communicate their findings to the public. On the 13th of January 2022, experts from Multimedia group, Mr. Kwesi Debra and Mr. Kofi Adu Domfeh spoke to senior members of the university community on effective ways to communicate research findings. We reckon that scientists and researchers in most African countries, including Ghana, are faced with the challenge of communicating their findings for public consumption. As such, the Research Communications seminar is aimed at building the capacity of researchers to better communicate their findings to the public. Project Communication Officer.
During his presentation, Mr. Kwesi Debra highlighted on the importance of the media in disseminating research information. “Every facet of the major organisation needs the media for three basic things; to educate, entertain and inform. The media shapes the perception of people on issues. It is the interest of the media on a matter that gets the publics’ attention.” Mr. Debra said. He indicated that “The use of too many technical words or jargons prevent the media from pushing research information”.
Mr. Kofi Domfeh talked about two main thematic areas; Researchers working with Journalists and Interviews. On the topic of Researchers working with Journalists, he highlighted that getting the media’s attention is always about content not about cost. The media houses want news that will catch the public eye so once the research is substantial and beneficial, they are willing to pick it up. It is important to note that the media shapes the perception of people on issues and the media is interested in matters that get the attention of the public. When talking on the topic of interviews, Mr. Domfeh acknowledged that the media are also to blame for researchers losing trust in them because of misinformation on the side of the media in their quest to get a headline from their interaction with researchers. He expanded on how to grant interviews to media persons and was keen on the importance of talking less and letting questions pass if one was unwilling to answer. Further, he advised that all interview questions be predetermined to prevent being caught off guard.
In addition, the Dean of the Faculty of Mechanical and Chemical Engineering Prof George Yaw Obeng was present to grace the occasion. He charged the academicians present to work hard to make sure the results of their works get the much needed attention it deserves. He said “Do ordinary Ghanaians benefit from our research findings? Are our students well trained for interviews? Are our researches visible and accessible to Ghanaians? Sadly, we are not sure our answer is simply yes or no”
