COMMUNICATION EXPERIENCE

Communication Experience

Communication Experience

Introduction

Communication with others is the means through which evaluation occurs—through which it is designed and carried out and through which findings are reported. Communications that initiate and conclude an evaluation (its design and reporting of findings) tend to be more formal, involve a wider range of audiences, and may be more interactive than communications necessary to conduct the evaluation. Reporting of findings is the primary objective of most evaluations and is addressed in the separate entry on reporting. This entry discusses communications about evaluation activities that take place prior to reporting.

Necessity of Communications

I do think that Communications necessary to carry out an evaluation include those undertaken as a very first step to identify stakeholders' concerns and conceptualise the evaluation problem. Further communications among stakeholders and evaluators usually take place when decisions are made about data collection methods and other evaluation activities, and then finally when data are collected. Evaluations that are explicitly designated as collaborative or participatory will involve more communication during the evaluation than other evaluation approaches. Communications during an evaluation usually involve its most immediate stakeholders—those for whom the evaluation is being conducted and those most directly involved in the program or entity being evaluated. Evaluation communications typically take place via meetings or working sessions, individual discussions (formally planned or impromptu), letters, memos, postcards, e-mail, written plans, and other documents that describe aspects of the evaluation.

Communication Methods & Designs

Meetings and working sessions between evaluators and stakeholders during the evaluation are often the most productive forms of communication, during which significant input and decision making about evaluation questions, design, methods, and implementation can take place. Planned and impromptu discussions can also inform any of these topics and may take place when individuals are not available to participate in a meeting (whether it can be held in person, via teleconference, or via videoconference).

Once an evaluation's design and methods are established, the evaluators and key stakeholders are familiar with each other, and other stakeholders are identified, communications tend to take place on an as-needed and less formal basis. Formats for shorter, more informal communications include telephone conversations, individual meetings, or memos sent via e-mail, fax, or postcard.

Short communications are vital tools for establishing and maintaining ongoing contact among evaluators, clients, and other stakeholders. Brief, sometimes frequent communications about the evaluation are useful for reaching a wide group of stakeholders. Short communications can be used during all phases of the evaluation for quick and timely communication that keeps pace with evolving evaluation processes. Further, if written, short communications provide a record of events, activities, and decisions about a program, evaluation, or both. The focused content of short communications makes for easy reading and assimilation of information. Flexible formats can heighten visual attraction and attention through the use of color and interesting layouts with varied headings and graphics. Information clearly and succinctly presented in these ways is more likely to be remembered (De Janasz, 2002).

Initial meetings and subsequent short communications often lead to the development of longer, more formal documents that ...