Designing an Evaluation Reporting and Communication - Assignment Example

What were the primary purposes for communicating and reporting the evaluation findings? Communicating and reporting the evaluation findings allows citizens to exchange information through any of the several methods available. There are hearing methods, such as singing or words, and material, nonverbal methods, for example sign language, body language, paralanguage, eye contact etc. The primary purpose of communicating and reporting the evaluation findings is, to ask, inform, persuade as well as to build up goodwill. As a course, communication and reporting the evaluation findings has synonyms, for example, expressing viewpoint, conversing, and corresponding, verbal communication, and writing, exchanging and listening and so on. People communicate to fulfill their wants both in their work and non-work related spheres of life. They desire to be heard, to be valued and to be wanted. They also wish to finish tasks and accomplish their goals. For true communication and reporting the evaluation findings, there must be a broadcast of view, feelings and thoughts from one mind to the other. 2) To whom (what audiences) did you communicate the findings to? The audiences to whom the findings are communicated should be the Potential Users. A good strategy for communicating more efficiently is to assist audience to listen more efficiently. Study shows that communicators who identify their audience are more successful in attaining their communication goals. Optimizing communication will require identifying not only who the audience is, but also what they require from the communication task. “Effective communication is about getting your message across. Specifically, it involves capturing the audience's attention, ensuring that audience understands the idea that is being conveyed, and encouraging audience to do something with that information, such as remember it, apply it, or provide feedback” (Effective Communication, 2013, 1). Effective communication, therefore, is centered on the audience. It is audience-friendly, just as effectual software is user-friendly. It shows respect to audience by keeping away from undue informality and by proofreading and crafting text thoroughly, but not speaking or writing in a special method to ‘sound scientific.’ 3) Was timing of the communication and evaluation reports considered? Please explain. From the very beginning, reporting is seen as a fundamental part of evaluation, and it permits to: Communicate what one does; Examine and track development; Show impact; Document lessons learned; And be answerable and translucent to donors, benefiting communities and partners. Reporting timelines frequently present a chief constraint on the evaluation program. Particularly, the need to report findings in time in order to inform decisions of the funding for the next stage of a program often means that reports are required previous to impacts being observed. In these circumstances, it will be essential to report on interim results, and to present any evidence of the research that demonstrates how these are significant pre-requisites or predictors to the final impacts. With the primary intended users, their needs of learning, and their timelines in mind, building up a communication plan to show the process of evaluation reporting is essential. 4. Please describe the format your organization used to communicate the evaluation findings. An evaluation represents a huge savings in time and funds, yet organizations frequently report that evaluation reports are not read, and in various cases, a report’s recommendations are unused. There are mainly four steps used to communicate the evaluation findings. Step 1: Identify Reporting and Communication Challenges: In theory, resistance and anxiety must be lessened by the participatory, “utilization focused evaluation approach and mitigated by a focus on evaluation as dialogue and learning, rather than on judgment and accountability” (Stetson, 2008, 2). Step 2: Describes the Communication Purpose: The communication purpose is to allow the exchange of ideas, information, concepts, thoughts, emotions and opinions. It is done with purpose of socialization in addition to development. Step 3: Choose Communication processes: Communication could best be summed up as the transmission of a communication from a sender to a receiver in a comprehensible manner. Step 4: Develop a reporting and communication strategy: Communication strategies are policies for communicating data connected to an exact event, issue and audience. 5. In retrospect, would you take a different course of action for communicating the findings of the evaluation report? The findings of the evaluation report take different course of action for communicating. These courses of action include oral communication, written communication and body language. Oral communication can be said to be the commonly used method of communication. Writing is used when one has to present detailed data, for example, facts and figures, even while giving a presentation. It is normally used to send files and other significant material to stakeholders that can then be stored for later use as it can be referred to whenever required. Other vital documents such as memos, minutes and contracts of meetings are also used for the purpose of communication. Even though the most general course of action of communication is carried out in writing or orally, when it comes to the techniques of management, the power of non-verbal communication is never to be undervalued. Smile, gestures and various other body actions send out certain communication, which cannot be expressed through words. 6. In your opinion, did the evaluation findings make a difference in the culture? If, so, please explain. The evaluation findings create a difference in the culture. Culture is fluid, dynamic and reciprocal. Moreover, culture forms the worldviews and behaviors of its associates and, in turn, culture is formed by the attitudes, behavior and worldview of its associates. Essentials of culture are passed on from generation to generation, and furthermore, culture also transforms from one age group to the next. Culture not only affects members of groups, it also defines limitations and influences patterns of communication between them. Evaluators regularly work across these limitations, as evaluations can never be culture free. Those who engage in assessment do so from perspectives, which reflect their principles, their methods of screening the world, and their culture. “Culture shapes the ways in which evaluation questions are conceptualized, which in turn influence what data are collected, how the data will be collected and analyzed, and how data are interpreted” (The Role of Culture and Cultural Competence in Quality Evaluation, 2011, 1). Some impacts of services, programs and products might be culturally specific and not clear to peoples unfamiliar with the circumstance. References 2013. Effective Communication Nature Education, p.1. Retrieved November 12, 2013, from Stetson, V. 2008. Guidelines on Designing an Evaluation Reporting and Communication Strategy. Short Cuts, pp. 1-13. Retrieved November 12, 2013, from 2011. The Role of Culture and Cultural Competence in Quality Evaluation. Washington, D. C.: American Evaluation Association, p.1. Retrieved November 12, 2013, from Read More