IRRI holds communication seminars on effectively reaching target audience

IRRI conducted two communication seminars on effectively reaching target audiences featuring the Development Communication Team from the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) and Singapore-based Potato Productions on 11 and 12 September, respectively.

Karen Barroga, head of the PhilRice DevComm team, discussed the importance of communication research and how their development communication initiative helped Philrice effectively target their audience. “Communication research is a practice that helps communicators in understanding the dynamics among stakeholders of research,” Dr. Barroga said.

Potato Productions, headed by Jonan Loh, presented their strategy for reaching and engaging their target audience in Singapore using traditional print media and augmented reality. Augmented reality creates interactive print by linking videos, slideshows and other visuals on top of everyday print materials.

Another highlight of the seminar series was an inspirational talk given by Potato Productions' Emily Teng. Ms Teng (in photo) is also the founder of Blessings in a Bag, a non-profit organization in Singapore that delivers “blessings” to disadvantaged kids and poor rural communities in Southeast Asia.

"I've learned that the best way for me to grow as a person is to surround myself with people who are far more inspiring than me, who are heaps smarter, who have incredible stories to share and who are doing crazier things to shake up the world," she said about their group’s visit to IRRI. “We have been surrounded by scientists all day and it's incredible how their work is creating change in things we easily take for granted."

The IRRI Communications Seminar Series is an invitation-based forum where communication experts share their experience in their field.

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