This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at freshspectrum.com. Time for another report design mindset change. At the most basic level successful communication requires a sender, a message, and a receiver. You, as the report designer, are the sender. The report carries the message. So who is the receiver? For a lot […]
Stop Creating Spork Reports
This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at freshspectrum.com. What is a spork report? I want you to imagine visiting a nice little cafe for a light lunch. You decide to order a simple salad and a cup of soup. When the meal shows up, what utensils will you use to eat […]
How long does it take to read a report?
This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at freshspectrum.com. Page count is a somewhat useless measure. When I was young, every once and awhile a teacher would allow us to bring in a “cheat sheet” to use when taking a test. I would write in tiny script so that I could fit […]
The 5 Stages of Wasted Data
This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at freshspectrum.com. So how do you waste data? I’ve decided to start the year by really digging into my own report design process. My hope is to eventually create a set of tools that can be used to help guide the review of an organization’s […]
Because Evidence Matters
This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at freshspectrum.com. I spent a large portion of yesterday writing a blog post that I don’t think I will ever publish. It started with a chat about creative burnout and then kind of went off the rails a bit. Truth is, I’ve been feeling really […]
What is adult learning, and its role in evaluation?
This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at freshspectrum.com. This week’s post was written by Chantal Hoff. Chantal is an epidemiologist by training, who works as an evaluator and Senior Consultant at Data+Soul Research. You can learn more about Chantal on LinkedIn and about Data+Soul Research on their website. How it started: […]
It’s not enough to know.
This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at freshspectrum.com. Evaluation is a systematic process to determine merit, worth, value or significance… But then what? Let’s say you followed a systematic process and came to some conclusions about the value of a program. Your evidence shows that this particular program *doesn’t work so […]
Attending a conference? Do this.
This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at freshspectrum.com. I’m writing this at the start of the American Evaluation Association’s national conference. Unfortunately it’s another year that I won’t be attending. But I want to pass some advice to all of you who attend conferences like this one with hopes of building […]
Formstorming Charts, Graphs, and Illustrations
This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at freshspectrum.com. You want to know the secret to improving the quality of your charts, graphs, and illustrations? It’s simple. Create more than one chart, graph, or illustration. Then pick the best one. Or, in other words, formstorm it. Stop taking the easy way out. […]
Is your report too wordy? Don’t do this.
This is an Eval Central archive copy, find the original at freshspectrum.com. Have you been told your report is too wordy? Or maybe you received input that your report was “too long” or “not reader friendly.” And then perhaps you were given the advice, “make it shorter.” STOP! Don’t follow that advice. In this post […]