Preliminary Assessment of Taft Middle School Prevention Activities | Evaluation Report Outline | Developing a Presentation | Options for Sharing Information | Selecting Your Audience |

This document describes different options for sharing your evaluation findings. Please use it to identify the method of delivery best-suited to your intended audience.

Written Documents

• Technical reports. These are detailed reports on a single issue, such as a small study on one or two sample groups. They can be presented at a staff meeting or as part of a larger report.

  Best suited for funding agencies, program administrators, and advisory committees.

• Executive summaries. These are brief documents (no more than two or three pages) that outline a study's major findings and recommendations. They usually accompany a larger, more comprehensive report.

  Best suited for funding agencies, program administrators, board members and trustees, program staff, advisory committees, political bodies, program service providers, teachers, etc.

• Technical professional papers. These are detailed articles that summarize information for a scientific audience. Technical papers usually contain detailed descriptions of program activities, including how they were implemented, whether or not they were effective, and why.

  Best suited for program administrators, advisory committees, and organizations interested in program content.

• Popular articles. These are written with a magazine or journal's particular readership in mind. They tend to be general, focusing on no more than two or three points.

  Best suited for program administrators, board members and trustees, program staff, political bodies, community groups, current clients, potential clients, program service providers, and organizations interested in program content.

• Brochures/posters. These are brief and visually engaging printed materials that can be disseminated throughout the community.

  Best suited for potential clients.

• Memos. These are short letters circulated internally among program staff.

  Best suited for program administrators, and program staff, program service providers.
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Presentations

• Press conference. This is a gathering with the media, convened for the purpose of releasing specific information.

  Best suited for program administrators, the media, and wide distribution of simplified information.

• Public meeting. This is a gathering, open to the general public, where general evaluation findings are released in a clear, simple manner and discussion is encouraged.

  Best suited for community groups, current clients, and the media.

• Media appearance. This is more of a staged event than a press conference. It might, for example, involve a local author doing a public reading to heighten awareness of youth violence.

  Best suited for current clients, and the media.

• Staff workshop. This is an interactive, working presentation for your planning team or coalition's staff and volunteers.

  Best suited for program administrators, program staff, and program service providers.

• Personal discussion. This is a face-to-face discussion that encourages dialogue among participants.

  Best suited for funding agencies, program administrators, program staff, and program service providers.

Adapted from Hampton, C. (2002). Communicating information to funders for support and accountability. University of Kansas: Community Toolbox. Available online at http://ctb.lsi.ukans.edu/tools/EN/sub_section_main_1376.htm.