1 Module 8 Reporting Results

2 Learning Objectives At the end of this session participants will:  Understand key points to effectively present results  Hands-on Experience in Developing a Program Evaluation Plan  Hands-on Experience in Presenting a Program Evaluation Plan

3 Presenting Results  Communication Basics  Writing Reports for the Public  Executive Summary  Charts and Tables  Oral Presentations

4 Communication Basics  Goal is to communicate, not to impress  Consider your presentation from your audience’s point of view  Communicate with your audience in mind

5 Discussion  Think of the best report that your have read.  What made it the best?

6 Writing Reports  Simple and clear  Place technical information in an appendix  State limitations of study  Report findings: simple, easy to follow  Organize around research questions or themes  Place major points up front  Never make recommendations without support Report

7 Writing Reports  Present the most important material  Leave time to revise, revise, revise  Have a cold reader review the draft  Have a knowledgeable reader review the draft. Report

8 Executive Summary  Essential for busy readers  Short: 1-4 pages  Bottom line focused: major findings and recommendations  Present in bullet format  Refer them to report or appendix for more detail

9 Executive Summary Format  Brief overview: background and purpose of the study  the “hook”  Brief Description of major questions, issues  Brief Description of research methods  Major Findings  Major Conclusions  Major Recommendations

10 The Report  Introduction  purpose, background  Methodology  brief in body of report  details can go in appendix  Findings  Present data so audience can understand  Present data selectively: what’s your point?

11 The Report  Conclusions  Tie back to your research questions  Recommendations, if any.  Make sure you have presented the evidence to support the recommendations.

12 Charts and Tables  Impact  Audience acceptance  Memory retention  Shows the big picture, message  Visually interesting

13 Charts and Tables One picture is worth a thousand words.

14 Charts and Tables should:  Present data simply and accurately  Make data coherent  Engage the audience  Purpose:  to describe  explore  tabulate  compare

15 Charts and Tables  Tables: Better for presenting data  Charts: Better for presenting the message.

16 Chart Options Line:trends over time

17 Pie Chart: parts of a whole Chart Options

18 Chart Options Bar chart: percent distribution

19 Chart Options Cluster bar chart: comparing several items

20 Chart Options Combination

21 Effective Charts  Easy to read  use upper and lower cases (not all caps)  only use a few type faces  appropriate for the delivery  Avoid busy patterns  Use white space  Keep the chart simple

22 Effective Charts  Keep scales honest  Use title to convey message  Provide sufficient data with the chart so the message is there.  Identify source of data  Put supporting data in an appendix

23 Effective Tables  Simple and accurate  Clearly label rows and columns  no abbreviations  Show percents  round to nearest whole numbers  Show total numbers  Identify the source of the data

24 Discussion  Think of the best presentation you have ever heard.  What was that presentation about?  What made it the best?

25 Oral Presentations  Prepare:  Who is your audience?  What do you want them to remember?  How much time will you have?  What’s the delivery resources available?  What few handouts, if any?  Rehearse, get feedback

26 Oral Presentations  Simple, clear, and audience focused  Avoid complex language, detailed data  Organize:  Tell them what you will tell them  Tell them  Tell them what you told them  If possible, keep interactive  Be prepared for questions

27 Group Presentations  This is not a competition  Each group will make their unique presentation  Do not compare your presentation to others  This is a learning experience  Each group will have 15 minutes  Someone at your site keep track and give you a 3 minute and 1 minute warning

28 Course Evaluations  Written Evaluations  Discussion:  Most useful or important learning?  What can you actually use? Thank You!