This section is based on an article in the Work Group Evaluation Handbook: Evaluating and Supporting Community Initiatives for Health and Development by Stephen B. Fawcett, Adrienne Paine-Andrews, Vincent T. Francisco, Jerry Schultz, Kimber P. Richter, R.K. Lewis, E.L. Williams, K.J. Harris, Jannette Berkley, Jacqueline L. Fisher, and Christine M. Lopez of the Work Group on Health Promotion and Community Development, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas.
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Why inform people about your evaluation findings?
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What are some key audiences for the data?
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How do you communicate evaluation findings?
Why inform people about your evaluation findings?
There are many reasons to inform people about your evaluation findings. Sharing findings can help community members understand the purpose of your coalition or initiative, the work you've been doing with and alongside the community, and what the evaluation has shown. Positive findings can demonstrate progress and accomplishments. Findings that are mixed or identify areas for improvement can help your group learn, adapt its strategies, and make the case for additional support or resources. Sharing evaluation findings can also encourage public interest, reflection, and discussion about the issues your initiative is addressing. The main reasons for making evaluation findings publicly available are to increase understanding of the issue, promote transparency and accountability, and support informed community action.
There are three main levels at which you can share evaluation findings with the public: local, regional/state, and national. Some reasons for sharing your evaluation results at each of these levels include:
Reasons for informing the public at the local level
- To help raise awareness about the issue
- To help attract volunteers, funding, and in-kind resources from community members and local organizations
- To promote awareness of the efforts of volunteers and collaborators
- To help advocate for local ordinances, policies, or program changes that address issues of concern
- To provide accountability to the community, trustees, and funders
Reasons for informing the public at the state level
- To increase recognition of your initiative across the state, which may strengthen opportunities for collaboration and access to resources
- To help establish a statewide network of people and organizations with similar goals
- To help advocate for legislative or policy changes that address issues of concern
- To help the initiative gain recognition and resources from across the state and region
Reasons for informing the public at the national level
- To increase recognition of the initiative nationally, which may strengthen opportunities to seek resources from state or federal agencies or large private foundations
- To help connect with nationwide networks of people and organizations with similar goals and diverse expertise
- To help the initiative gain recognition and resources from across the country
- To encourage community partnerships and collaborative action related to the issue
Three tips for making sure your findings aren't ignored
- Share your information with the people and organizations who can use it.
- Address issues that are relevant and meaningful to those audiences.
- Present the information in time for it to be useful and in a clear, accessible format.
What are some key audiences for the data?
Who should you share this data with? Staff, volunteers, community partners and supporters, and funders are among the groups that should be kept up to date on your initiative's efforts, accomplishments, and areas for continued improvement. You should also share evaluation findings with community members most directly affected by the issue or involved in the initiative. For example, if you work with a heart disease prevention program and your evaluation identifies a higher risk factor among members of a particular ethnic or cultural community, share those findings in a clear and respectful way with members of that community and, when possible, involve them in interpreting the findings and identifying appropriate next steps. Community members should have access to information about what the findings mean and how changes in programs, practices, environments, policies, or individual behaviors may support health. Finally, the broader public should be kept informed when the findings are relevant to community awareness or action.
Key groups to share your evaluation findings with
Local
- Civic organizations
- Business groups
- Grassroots and community-based organizations
- School boards
- Parent-teacher groups
- Faith-based organizations
- Local media
- Health organizations
- Elected and appointed local government officials
- Grantmakers
State/regional
- State and regional professional conferences
- Regional professional training workshops
- Grassroots and advocacy organizations
- Faith-based conferences and networks
- Grantmakers
National
- Professional conferences
- Professional training workshops
- Grassroots and advocacy organizations
- Faith-based conferences and networks
- Grantmakers
What about difficult audiences?
- Anticipate their questions, concerns, and objections. Think ahead about the concerns or perspectives a particular audience may have about your findings, and prepare calm, clear, evidence-informed responses. If possible, consult someone who understands the audience well to get feedback on questions they may raise and how your responses may be received. During the presentation, this preparation can help you respond thoughtfully rather than becoming defensive.
- Have a knowledgeable spokesperson or initiative leader present the findings. Someone who understands both the evaluation and the initiative can clearly explain the findings, answer questions, and provide appropriate context.
- Consider who is best positioned to communicate the information. With an audience that may be skeptical of or unfamiliar with the issue, or one your initiative does not normally have access to, it may be helpful to involve a trusted person from that audience or community in sharing or discussing the evaluation findings.
- Reinforce key findings consistently
- Stay calm and professional
Presenting evaluation results to the press
- Be honest with reporters. It is essential for any spokesperson for your coalition or group to maintain credibility with the media. Answer questions clearly and candidly, and if you cannot answer a question, explain why or indicate how you will follow up when appropriate.
- Write your own press releases. Give reporters a clear, concise release with the most important information and appropriate contact details in advance when possible. This can reduce misunderstandings and help reporters prepare for your presentation or announcement.
- Help reporters understand the data. If your evaluation findings include complex statistical or technical information, consider offering an informational session or one-on-one briefing for interested reporters. These sessions should be accurate, balanced, and broad enough that reporters can apply what they learn when covering similar issues. Topics might include:
- What do percentile scores mean?
- What are some common methods of gathering evaluation data?
- What are community-level indicators?
How do you communicate evaluation findings?
Develop a general presentation format that can be lengthened or shortened depending on the amount of time available, including compelling descriptions and visuals of:
- The issue(s) of concern
- The initiative's goals, strategies, and methods for reaching those goals
- Data on activities (e.g., services provided or engagement activities)
- Data on accomplishments (e.g., community or organizational changes)
- Data on outcomes (e.g., behavioral measures, community-level indicators, and other relevant measures)
Keep your visuals simple and accessible to reduce confusion when interpreting data. The first and last visuals should reinforce your main message or primary findings—whatever you most want your audience to remember afterward.
Identify different avenues for sharing your evaluation results, such as:
- Word of mouth and community networks
- Presentations and community meetings
- Newspapers, newsletters, and other publications
- Radio, including public service announcements, local news, and call-in programs
- Television and video coverage
- Professional journals
- Websites, email, social media, and other digital communication channels
Why might you use different formats for presenting your evaluation results?
Different types of reports and communication formats work well for different audiences. Some audiences may not need detailed statistical information but may still want to understand the main findings and what they mean. Funders, grantmakers, advisory boards, program staff, and other partners may need more detailed information. Consider what information each audience needs, how they are most likely to access it, and how you can present the findings in a clear and accessible way.
Here are some ideas for matching types of reports and communication formats with different audiences:
- Technical reports: A detailed report on a specific issue or study. It can be shared at a staff meeting or included as part of a larger report.
- Best for: Funding agencies, program administrators, advisory committees
- Executive summary: A brief section, usually at the beginning of a longer report or provided as a stand-alone document, that summarizes a study's major findings and recommendations.
- Best for: Funding agencies, program administrators, board members and trustees, program staff, advisory committees, policymakers, service providers, and practitioners
- Technical professional paper: A detailed article that summarizes information for a scientific or technical audience. It usually describes what was done, how it was done, what worked and did not work, and why.
- Best for: Program administrators, advisory committees, researchers, and organizations interested in program content
- General-audience article: An article written with the intended audience of the publication or platform in mind. It typically provides more information than a press release while focusing on a few central findings or messages.
- Best for: Program administrators, board members and trustees, program staff, policymakers, community groups, current and prospective participants, service providers, and organizations interested in program content
- News release and/or press conference: A written announcement or gathering with the media for the purpose of releasing specific information.
- Best for: Program administrators, the media, and broad distribution of concise information
- Public meeting: A gathering open to community members where evaluation findings are shared in a clear, accessible manner, with opportunities for questions, discussion, and feedback.
- Best for: Community groups, program participants, community members, and the media
- Media appearance: A media interview, public event, or other appearance used to draw attention to evaluation findings—for example, a local author participating in a public reading connected to a study on adult literacy.
- Best for: Program participants, community members, and the media
- Staff workshop: A more interactive working session for your group or coalition's staff, volunteers, and partners.
- Best for: Program administrators, program staff, volunteers, partners, and service providers
- Brochures, posters, flyers, and infographics: Brief, clearly written print or digital materials that can be distributed through community organizations, events, websites, email, or social media. These formats usually work best when they focus on a small number of key messages.
- Best for: Current and prospective participants, community members, and the broader public
- Memo: A short written communication circulated internally among program staff or partners.
- Best for: Program administrators, program staff, and service providers
- Personal discussion: Meeting in person or virtually with an individual or small group to discuss evaluation findings.
- Best for: Funding agencies, program administrators, program staff, partners, and service providers
Possible goals of your presentation
What do you hope the group you're presenting to will understand, contribute, or do after hearing the evaluation findings? How can you present the information in a way that supports those goals while encouraging informed discussion and participation?
A few things you might be hoping to gain from your audience include:
- Funding and in-kind resources for your initiative
- Volunteers or other forms of participation in project activities
- Support for changes in programs, policies, systems, or practices
- Input on how to make the initiative more responsive to community priorities and needs
- Greater understanding of concerns, questions, or resistance related to the initiative
- Ideas for making the initiative more effective and equitable
Steps in developing your presentation
- Understand your primary users and audiences. What information do they need, why do they need it, and how are they most likely to use it? Consider the audience's perspective, preferred communication methods, and accessibility needs, and share the report in time for it to be useful.
- Review the results of your evaluation with program staff, community partners, and other relevant participants before you finalize the evaluation report. This provides an opportunity to gather different perspectives on the meaning of the findings and discuss any ambiguous or unexpected data.
- Brief relevant policymakers, agency leaders, and other key partners before releasing your report publicly when the findings may have implications for policies, programs, or funding. This gives them an opportunity to understand the findings and prepare an appropriate response. For example, if an evaluation shows that a recreation program for families of children with developmental disabilities is effective but underfunded, local human service agencies may use the findings to consider whether additional funding or other support should be included in a future budget.
- Your final report can be a concise document summarizing the evaluation findings, with a technical appendix or links to additional information for people who want more detail.
- If you decide to give an oral presentation, use a manageable number of charts, tables, or other visuals that illustrate the most important findings. Prepare them in a format that works well for the presentation, such as digital slides or printed displays, and provide accessible copies or digital materials that audience members can refer to afterward. You may also wish to prepare a one-page summary of the overall results.
- Your report should begin with the reasons the evaluation was conducted, what questions were asked, and why those questions were chosen. Explain what your group, coalition, and community partners wanted to learn from the evaluation and what methods were used to conduct it.
- Depending on your audience, you may want to highlight the main results or provide greater detail about what you found. Explain what the findings may mean for your group, initiative, partners, and community. If the evaluation findings suggest changes to future strategies or activities, discuss those possibilities and, when appropriate, invite feedback from people affected by those decisions.