067: Mobilizing Knowledge, Connecting People with Dr. Dawn Henwood
How can knowledge mobilization transform research into action?
In this episode of The People Teaching People Podcast, we explore the insightful world of knowledge mobilization with Dr. Dawn Henwood.
Dawn is a former English professor who understands both the arcane delights of research and the challenges of translating complex concepts into language and visuals that resonate with lay readers. Through her company Clarity Connect, she helps researchers develop the communication skills they need to influence partners, policy makers, and funders so their ideas can drive change. Dawn offers practical, business-oriented training that helps bridge the gap between theory and practice. She also produces knowledge translation products, such as impact stories, impact reports, white papers, video scripts, and training materials.
Listen in as we talk about:
01:00 Meet Dr. Dawn Henwood
02:55 Mobilizing knowledge, mobilizing people
05:30 From teaching to translating impact
12:18 From classroom to Clarity Connect
17:45 Misunderstandings about knowledge mobilization
20:48 Getting unstuck and starting small
22:58 Making space for creativity
27:37 Using AI with intention
33:12 Connecting people through knowledge mobilization
36:10 The teachers who shape us
38:47 A turning point in clarity
41:00 Learning from courage
43:03 The fun in learning
Connect with Dawn:
- Website: https://www.clarityconnect.ca/
- LinkedIn: Dawn Henwood
Connect with Tiana:
- Website: https://tianafech.com
- LinkedIn: Tiana Fech
- Instagram: @tianafech
- Facebook: @tianafech
- Book: Online Course Creation 101: A step-by-step guide to creating your first online course
Dawn describes knowledge mobilization as the process of moving research beyond academic circles and into communities where it can lead to meaningful, measurable change. While many terms have been used to describe this, like knowledge translation, research dissemination, and knowledge brokering, she explains that knowledge mobilization best captures the complexity of the process. It’s not just about translating findings into simpler language or sharing them widely. It’s about connecting people across systems and disciplines so that research can actually be used and applied. As Dawn puts it, we’re not really mobilizing knowledge. We’re mobilizing people. When those people connect and act on what’s been learned, research truly comes to life.
FROM TEACHING TO TRANSLATING IMPACT
Dawn shares how her approach to knowledge mobilization is deeply shaped by learning theory and her background as an educator. She challenges the old “deficit” or “banking” model of education which is the idea that people are empty vessels waiting to be filled with inf
