Dissemination,
Mass Communication,
and Public Relations
SPREAD THE WORD
Gerry Cherry, MA, CRA
Grant Facilitator
College of Education and Professional Studies
University of Central Oklahoma
BUILDING A CATHEDRAL
Laying Brick: Research,
initiation, Implementation
Building a Wall: Results, Culmination,
Continuation
Building a Cathedral: Evaluation,
Dissemination, Communication
When do we Spread the word?
1.
2.
3.
Something to report
Progress toward our goals
Setbacks
Success isn't permanent, and failure isn't fatal.
Mike Ditka (1939 - )
1.
2.
3.
4.
Changes in procedures
Changes in timeline
Changes in personnel
When mandated by funder (minimum 1 yr)
Throughout the Project
Include dissemination strategies and
activities from the very beginning
Link the dissemination activities to:
Project description,
Program implementation,
Evaluation, and
Budget--Consider the cost of
publications, photos, reports, articles, etc.
Who do we tell?
Explain your progress to everyone who has a
stake or interest in the project
Cohort—Everyone working on the project may
only be aware of his/her part.
Participants—Makes them feel part of something
successful, or at least ongoing.
Colleagues—Department, College, at home and
wherever
Funders—Brag of successes—report setbacks
Administration—More opportunities result from
keeping the administration in the loop. They
don’t want to be blind-sided.
Where Do We Spread the Word?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
On-Campus
Off-Campus
Professional Newsletter
Website
Publications—newspaper articles, peerreviewed publications
Presentations—Seminars, Advisory
Council/Board, Lectures, Videoconferences
Why Do We Disseminate?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Model for others to follow
Share experiences to prevent “reinventing
the wheel”
Add to the Body of Knowledge
Provide a new answer to an old question
Provide a new question to an old answer
Part of the agreement with the funder
Answer the So What? question
Mass Communications
Mass communication occurs when a small
number of people send messages to a large,
anonymous, heterogeneous audience
through the use of specialized media.
www.uky.edu/~drlane/capstone/mass
“Think like a wise man but
communicate in the language of
the people.”
William Butler Yeats (1865 - 1939)
Communicate more effectively
1. Have I used unnecessary words or
sentences?
2. Is my average paragraph about 50 words?
3. Do I use headings or subheads in the text?
4. Can any information be presented in a
bulleted, chart, or table format?
5. Will the use of bold print or other highlights
enhance key points?
6. Is my work mechanically excellent?
OneNet
www.onenet.net
Oklahoma’s video-conference,
information exchange, research
partner, unique-in-the-nation,
champion.
Every school, college, university, technical
school in Oklahoma is tied in to the OneNet
system.
Use this source to communicate, disseminate,
cogitate, proliferate, and relate.
http://www.onenet.net/general/category1/
sub2/hubsite.htm
1-888-566-3638
ONE NET WWW.INTERNET2.EDU
Internet2 States
OneNet can connect to sites in these states
RESEARCH EXAMPLE… WEATHER
Oklahoma
Is a world leader
in weather research,
education, operations,
and training
We have developed
high-value
technologies
in weather that are
in demand today
Oklahoma is pioneering next-generation technology
with support of OneNet and the National Lambda
Rail.
International Connectivity
How Can OneNet Help?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
A unique resource for information
sharing that doesn’t add expenses to a
grant proposal.
Shows how OneNet can connect
collaborators economically.
Connect schools, other institutions, other
countries.
Virtual field trips for students and
researchers
Video seminars, conferences, meetings
Public Relations
"Public Relations is a management function
that focuses on two-way communication and
fostering of mutually beneficial relationships
between an organization and its publics.”
(Robert L. Heath, Encyclopedia of Public
Relations).
What does public relations have to do with
grants and dissemination?
Working with the media
You
must “translate” your work for the
audience you are trying to reach
Involve
and seek help from your PR
department (whatever the name)
Include
photos for interest
FURTHER THE CAUSE OF YOUR PROJECT
Use Public Relations to Talk About Your
Project to:
 Community (local paper, campus news)
Government (local, state, regional)
 Internally (WebCT, Website, Newsletter)
 Media (Outreach with pictures and articles)
 Publicity (Furthering your organization's
interest through target-media coverage of
strategic messages and events.)
THE CONDUIT
Plan
Goals
Research
Objectives
Procedures
Project
Implementation
Evaluation
Dissemination
Body of
Knowledge
Success
Failure
Funding
THE END
Thanks to Linda Mason and Bill Johnson for
letting me borrow some of their slides.

Bill Johnson, now retired, was the OneNet
expert and guru. For questions contact
James Deaton at 405-225-9414 or
jdeaton@osrhe.edu.
Linda Mason, lmason@osrhe.edu