INSIGHTFUL Global Research Festival Webinars

"To achieve development and social justice, and ensure no one is left behind, we need to understand the complexities of people's lives. Research to build this understanding is more critical than ever, especially in diverse and disordered information landscapes where knowledge, norms and behaviours are shifting fast."

This set of four webinars, produced by BBC Media Action as part of the INSIGHTFUL research festival (February 27 - March 2 2023), offers an exploration of developments in research methodology and insights with a view to maximising project impact. Areas covered include the role of research in reaching diverse audiences, in conflict and crisis situations, in supporting public interest media, and in working in digital.

In particular, the INSIGHTFUL webinars sought to explore:

• How research is shaped by behavioural insights, digital developments, and deep understanding of context;
• What research is most helpful in understanding how to engage people and accelerate positive change; and
• How research can be used to support the design of impactful programmes.

The following four webinars (each about 1.5 hours long) were conducted to explore these issues:

1. Leaving no one behind: Understanding audiences for effective programming - This online panel event featured speakers from across BBC Media Action in Africa, sharing insights on using research to understand diverse audiences to inform the development of audience-centred media and communication strategies. Moderated by Emebet Wuhib-Mutungi, Senior Health Advisor, BBC Media Action, the webinar spotlighted projects focused on inclusivity - including young girls who have been marginalised and people living with disabilities - in Tanzania, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and South Sudan.
2. The art of understanding: Effective communication with audiences in conflict and crisis - This webinar sought to answer the question: How do we do research in conflict- and crisis-affected settings, and why is it so important? The panel discussion, facilitated by Rachel Maher, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA)'s Advisor on Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP), explored how audience insights from BBC Media Action research teams in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Kenya, and Somalia help shape effective media programming and help humanitarian partners communicate better with people they are trying to serve.
3. Elevating public interest media: The power of understanding our audience - This session (moderated by Nick Chasimpha, Research Manager, BBC Media Action Zambia, and Tania Nikitina, Senior Research Manager, BBC Media Action Eastern Europe and Central Asia) explored how audience research can be used to support media organisations in challenging times. By hearing from the experiences of partners, the webinar examined the opportunities and difficulties that are fast emerging for these businesses, explored how crucial audience research can be to drive strategy, and shared how flexible approaches to audience research can help resilience. It included examples of research used in Ethiopia, Ukraine, Zambia, Myanmar, and the Solomon Islands.
4. DigiTalk: Segmenting and measuring digital audiences - Moderated by Varinder Gambhir, Director of Research, BBC Media Action India, this webinar covered the latest digital trends from South and South East Asia and explored how BBC Media Action has understood their social media audiences and evaluated their digital work. The presentation was followed by a panel discussion with experts from the sector, sharing their experience of working in the digital space. The webinar included case studies from Cambodia, India, Indonesia, and Myanmar.