Multi-format Dissemination Posted on January 16, 2008 We should think of dissemination as an ongoing sharing process, claims Darrell P. Wheeler (bio).

The dissemination has to take multiple forms. The written format is appropriate. It adds a certain longevity to it. I mean the written document is there; it can be shared. Video documents are gaining resources, especially with the Internet because people can send those and link people to them across the country.

But I think there's something to be said for face-to-face time with people to give people think time, pause time, to experience what you've said, to sit with it, and to ask you critical questions about it, and then to come back and ask you questions that emerge from the first tier of questions.

Because learning is not this one-shot deal that happens: I give you some information, I tap you on the head, and now you're dubbed an expert in an area. You may ponder it. You may try it. You need to come back and try to rework it.

And so I think we have to think about dissemination as an ongoing sharing process. And I have to listen as much as I speak. And we have to build in times for dissemination where the researchers can listen to the community. And we've developed that time a lot during our project in our core consulting group, where they're giving us valuable feedback and guidance and direction on next steps. Because without that, we may go a pathway that really is not consistent with intervention development that would truly be useful in the community.

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