Practice: Take action in response to evaluation results

Key Action: Discuss your findings with different stakeholders

TOOL: How Do I Communicate My Results to Various Audiences?

Purpose: This tool helps you think through what type of

evaluation results will be most valuable to each of your
different audiences. Using it will help you identify
communication strategies that make your results
accessible and useful to a variety of stakeholders.

Instructions: Use the instructions on the first page of this tool to complete
each of the corresponding sections on the worksheet that
follows.

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 Practice: Take action in response to evaluation results
Key Action: Discuss your findings with different stakeholders

How Do I Communicate My Results to Various Audiences?

REQUIREMENTS
First, figure out what you are required to report on. MSAP grants come with formal evaluation requirements that
specify the types of reports that must be submitted and their deadlines. Treat them as your chance to tell the
granting agency about your program’s successes, or about the challenges that must be addressed to make it
successful (for example, more time or more resources).

AUDIENCE
Next, identify your various audiences for evaluation reports. Make a list of (1) those to whom you are required to
communicate your results, and (2) others to whom you would like to communicate your results.
Type here
To tailor your communications for each audience you identify, ask yourself these questions:

• What background do they have in the subject or regarding the program?

• What will they want to know?
• How much time and/or interest will they have?

In general, if you are given guidelines for reporting evaluation findings, stick to them as closely as you can. If you
aren’t given guidelines, then make your best guess about focus, length, and level of detail. These are some tips to
keep in mind:

• If the audience already has background information on the program, stick as closely as possible to
providing only specific evaluation findings. If not, you may have to provide them relevant background
information.
• Identify and address each audience’s reasons for wanting the evaluation, and the findings that will be
of particular interest to them.
• If an audience wants a report immediately, write a short memo summarizing major findings first, and
then follow it up with a longer report.
• Don’t be afraid to recommend possible areas of program change. If you want to make changes, you’ll
have to talk about it sooner or later; presenting it in a report is a way to start the conversation.

THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO COMMUNICATE

Long reports—or even short reports—are not the only way to communicate evaluation results. Other options
(some may be required, some not) include:

• A memo or letter
• A phone call
• A presentation before a board or committee
• An article in a journal, newspaper, or magazine
• A workshop for teachers
• A webpage

Adapted from An Educator’s Guide to Evaluating the Use of Technology in Schools and Classrooms (1998, pp. 39, 41). A
complete copy of the original guide can be downloaded at www.ed.gov/pubs/EdTechGuide/index.html (last accessed on
December 16, 2008).

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 Practice: Take action in response to evaluation results
Key Action: Discuss your findings with different stakeholders

HOW DO I COMMUNICATE MY RESULTS – WORKSHEET

What reports of evaluation results are required?

To whom do you want to communicate findings?

Name Type of Information

What reports or memos will you write and to whom would they go?

Report or Memo Recipient

What presentations will you do?

Presentation Recipient

Is there anyone you should contact before sending them the reports or presentations (e.g., via e-mail)?

Adapted from An Educator’s Guide to Evaluating the Use of Technology in Schools and Classrooms (1998, pp. 39, 41). A
complete copy of the original guide can be downloaded at www.ed.gov/pubs/EdTechGuide/index.html (last accessed on
December 16, 2008).