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Module You can still reach out to broader audiences to inform and engage them in the report findings. Impact
3 in this context may be an aggregate of actions that individuals may take in response to the report. But

there may be little that they can do on a personal level. The impact strategy will help you work towards
leveraging real policy change on a key issue.

9-12 December, 2013 EXERCISE

1. How you would like to see your assessment used?

2. Describe a situation (a government policy or practice) that could be improved as a result

of your assessment.

3.2.2 Step 2: Relationship management

Too often, people move immediately to the information gathering stages of the assessment, without
due consideration of Step 2. Careful thought should be given to who will be in a position to take the
findings of the assessment and use them effectively. Information by itself doesn’t leverage change, but

relationships do, and this involves people communicating ideas, analysis and data to other people.
This step involves identifying the individuals and groups you most want to reach. Consider how these
decision-makers acquire information, who do they trust, what information source do they trust and

how do they make decisions? How can you get to those people? If you cannot reach them directly,
who are the people they do listen to, and can you reach them instead?

This step is designed to identify those who are in positions to make the decision or effect the changes

including those who can influence the decision-makers directly. These include intermediaries, the people
who lean in to whisper advice into the ears of the decision-makers, those in civil society who can
bring pressure to bear on decision-makers, those who can support, reinforce and strengthen your
recommendations, in particular the academic community and other research institutes, and those in

22 Developing an Impact Strategy for your IEA