Once Upon a Time Evaluation Reports That Get Attention Cynthia Olney NN/LM Outreach Evaluation Research Center February 21, 2013

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Hoped-for response

Typical response Written evaluation reports are nearly as varied as those who write them, but the great majority share a common characteristic: They make tedious and tiresome reading. -- Fitzpatrick, Sanders, and Worthen, 2011, p. 43

Most people get evaluation reports that look like this.

People respond better to this

The solution: Don’t let data get in the way of a good story

The solution: Don’t let data get in the way of a good story. Write your story, then weave the data into it.

The Process: 5 steps to report writing

Step 1 Data analysis: graphs, charts, tables, statistics

Q2: How often do you use MedlinePlus or MedlinePlus en español? Key findings: Seventy-seven percent of ___ are using MedlinePlus, with more than one-third saying they use it monthly.

Step 2 Collect all the important findings

Step 3 Organize and condense You don’t have to tell everything you know -- my grandma

Step 4 Write a short narrative (a story )

Descriptive words for amounts

Step 5: Choose statistics, charts, pictures to illustrate or reinforce key points

Organizing your findings: Program reports using story book structure

Where is your data?

The story book structure

Example: Cinderella

Weaving in data

Nancy Duarte’s Sparkline: Advocating for a great idea

Duarte’s Sparkline: Comparing “What is” to “What could be”

Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address

Vision: Train health care providers to address patients’ health information needs

MAKING YOUR STORY MEMORABLE

Images

Call outs Report available at

Provocative Headers Report available at

No publishing software needed!

Have a memorable ending Transformation: How the characters move forward Call to action: What needs to be done to move toward the vision

Bottom line: Don‘t let data get in the way of a good story

References 1. Developing Evaluation Reports that are Useful, User-friendly, and Used. Tamara Walser (AEA coffee break seminar CBD039, February 10, 2011) (available to members of AEA only) 2. Resonate. Nancy Duarte (2010, Wiley) 3. The Secret Structure of Great Talks. Nancy Duarte (TEDtalks, February 2012) e_of_great_talks.html e_of_great_talks.html

NN/LM Outreach Evaluation Resource Center Web Address: Contact Information Susan Barnes, Assistant Director Cindy Olney, Evaluation Specialist