Institutional Research and Communications: From Obstacle to Opportunity

Session Abstract: Institutional researchers, accustomed to complexity and nuance, have often lamented their sometimes fraught relationship with institutional communications. Reading the latest glossy report from Comms, we turn to the page with the data and charts… and exclaim in dismay: “Why did they remove those critical caveats?” “Where are the sources?” “Oh No! Please not another donut chart!” If this sounds familiar, you are not alone. But help is here! This talk will review the challenges of combining IR and Comms and highlight an initiative at the University of Toronto that brought the two parties together. We collaborated on a website of branding guidelines and resources, including PowerPoint templates and style guides with chart and graph templates, as well as data visualization standards and best practices. We will discuss the process and share the branding guides and templates. Participants will be invited to explore how to approach similar collaborations at their own institutions.

Keywords: data visualization, data literacy, communication, collaboration