KISS and tell

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Date Issued
2001
Language
en
Type
News Item
Accessibility
Open Access
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Citation
CTA. 2001. KISS and tell. Spore 96. CTA, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
Permanent link to cite or share this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10568/46356
External link to download this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10568/99599
Abstract/Description
A key motto for communicators is 'Keep It Simple, Stupid!' or KISS in short. Sometimes though, even information specialists cannot speak clearly, and they end up transmitting convoluted and confused messages. This is lazy, since it often takes a lot...
Notes
A key motto for communicators is 'Keep It Simple, Stupid!' or KISS in short. Sometimes though, even information specialists cannot speak clearly, and they end up transmitting convoluted and confused messages. This is lazy, since it often takes a lot of hard work to make a complex subject understandable in simple terms. Tough, but not impossible. One complex topic is measuring the impact information has on agriculture (or any other field). Take the article on marketing information services in this issue of Spore as an example. If it helps ten MISs in ten countries to become sustainable, and thus enables years of profitable growth in agricultural trade, how much is thanks to the article? Do we include the impact on farmers incomes, and what that means for their children s education? If so, how much? The people who invest in information, including donor agencies, would just love to know the answers and apply them to their publications, rural radio, uses of the Internet and training seminars. It is an inexact science, as a meeting on information impact assessment in October 2001 in Bonn, Germany, showed. Organised by CTA and the International Institute for Communication and Development with a range of specialised partners, this technical consultation made considerable progress at helping this new profession adopt common standards and evaluation frameworks. They have a lot to do still, in part in making their work understandable to outsiders, and especially to the people who invest in or contribute to it. Get to it, people. Elsewhere, the Drumbeat network, experts in clarity, exchanges experiences in impact assessment and other concerns of information professionals in development. Drumbeat the Communication Initiative 5148 Polson Terrace, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada V8Y 2C4 Fax: +1 250 658 1728 Email: wfeek@comminit.com Website: www.comminit.com
Subjects
INFORMATION MANAGEMENT;
Organizations Affiliated to the Authors
Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation
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