It was (a pleasant) accident that I got in touch with Enrique Mendizabal, OTT’s Founder and Director. I joined my first think tank in 2013 as Head of Communication, Policy and Engagement and, being honest, at the time I knew little about think thanks.
The organisation I joined was part of the Think Tank Initiative (TTI), funded by the International Development Research Centre for which On Think Tanks was a learning partner. Curiosity made me look at the OTT platform more closely and I sent Enrique an email asking if we could talk.
I got a prompt response and have been a part of the OTT cohort ever since. I joined the first OTT conferences in London in 2017, and then again in 2018. And then again in Geneva in 2019 and online during the pandemic (2020-2022), and finally back in London in 2023. The OTT Conference 2024 in Barcelona was the first one I have not been able to attend. And it’s got me feeling nostalgic and reflecting on my career and relationship with OTT.
And so I would like to share here with you four ways that my relationship with OTT has helped me to develop professionally as a communicator and trainer in the think tank and public policy sector.
1. Understanding think tanks
Think tanks are diverse and understanding their work and world can be complex. However, OTT– and especially the conferences – has helped to quell my curiosity. At the conferences I cherish meeting thinktankers from around the world. I got to hear firsthand about the work they do, the impact they have and the challenges they face. Going to the OTT platform to access information for my learning, referencing, and research has been important and useful. As Enrique often says, On Think Tanks deals with the “how” of being a think tank, not the “what” of specific policy or geographical issues.
2. Networking
Networking is such an important component in the career of a communicator. I garnered the opportunity to meet interesting and important people throughout my career, and through OTT. As an Editor at Large for OTT, and when I was briefly a Radio Jockey for a Community Radio based in Bengaluru, I called on these contacts with like-minded people to produce and publish interviews with them, helping others to better understand the work they, and we, do. See for example my latest OTT series called Voices of Change in Asia.
3. Research communications
OTT has put me in touch with some excellent communicators, I follow their articles and learn from their experiences whenever I can. Learning is a part of my system. One of the most important lessons I learned from OTT resources was audience mapping. When it comes to disseminating information, the right information at the right place for the right audience is a mantra I have followed and continue to do so.
4. Training
I am passionate about training, it’s an activity that I enjoy greatly. In my professional career, I’ve developed and delivered training programmes on social accountability tools, the use of data in governance, and policy engagement and communication. OTT provided me with the platform to deliver some webinars. The platform has also provided me with a lot of information to use in my training programmes. OTT was often my “go-to” source (my think tank Wikipedia). In several of my training programmes, I have included a reference list based on OTT material for students interested in public policy.
I remember someone asking me when I joined a think tank, if it is a place where people sit in a tank and think? I was amused when I heard this. Today I say that think tanks provide a space where one thinks, researches and communicates information for the public good.