A Short Primer on Innovative Evaluation Reporting

by Kylie S. Hutchinson

How engaging is your evaluation report? Do busy stakeholders actually read it and act on your findings? Evaluators everywhere struggle with these questions. Unfortunately, many still use a lengthy, one-size fits all approach for reporting that doesn’t meet the needs of diverse evaluation audiences. A Short Primer on Innovative Evaluation Reporting highlights why the traditional evaluation report isn’t working and what you can do about it. Discover four principles for communicating your results effectively and ways to make your key messages stickier. Learn simple tricks to make your final report more appealing to readers. Explore exciting alternatives that not only capture the attention of stakeholders, but inspire them to action.

116 pages, Paperback

Published November 1, 2017

Reviews

[Lori Palen · Rating 4 out of 5]

There’s a lot to like about this book! Kylie presents a ton of alternatives to long-form written reports, and she provides many concrete tools and examples. Similar to Stephanie Evergreen’s Presenting Data Visually, this is a general overview, but Kylie points you in the direction of resources to do a deeper dive on specific formats.

[Chelsea Hetherington · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book for researchers and evaluators alike - anyone who needs tips and tricks on communicating data effectively to an audience. This book is short (it's right there in the name!). To me this is a huge asset since that makes it manageable to get through in a short amount of time. As a visual learner, I so appreciate all of the many graphics, comics, and visual examples. Whether you're new to the idea of reporting data outside of a 50 page report, or if you're seasoned with experience in data parties and other innovative reporting techniques, you'll learn something new in this book. Break out of the traditional, long (boring!) report format and get your data into the hands of people who can do something about it!

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hutchinson's book is excellent - lots of concrete examples. I would have rated it higher if I'd read it many years ago.