Re-envisioning a University’s Monthly Report: Two Reports with Two Different Purposes

“How can I show my audience that 24,000 is a big number??” an evaluator asked me. She’s right; this is challenging. A single number on its own doesn’t tell us anything. Have you heard those (un)professional recommendations like, “Just type the 24,000 in large font so it grabs attention!” or “Add an icon next to the 24,000 to bring it to life!” Sigh. Want to bring numbers to life? We need to compare numbers to something. Here are two suggestions.
More »

Customizing Reports for the Audience with Deven Wisner

When we should follow APA format? When should we not? Earlier this year I sat down with my good friend Deven Wisner about customizing reports for the audience. During this six-minute conversation, we talked about Deven’s current work (he’s a managing partner, professor and student himself!) as well as the advice he gives to his own students.
More »

What’s Missing from Your Organization’s Social Media Posts?

Guest blogger Amelia Kohm shares what’s missing from your social media posts. She shares that she sees a lot of grainy, low resolution photos that are oddly cropped, stock images or worst of all- no image. Amelia walks you through four data visualizations to start including in your social media posts to help them stand out and get noticed.
More »

Solopreneurship on the EvaluLand Podcast

In 2016, I met evaluator extraordinaire Dana Wanzer at a national conference. In addition to her career as an evaluator, and her busy teaching schedule as a professor, Dana recently launched the EvaluLand podcast. On her podcast, we talked about my unexpected shift from being an evaluator to a data visualization designer, along with my tips getting started working for yourself or teaching online.
More »

Public Speaking Tips for Researchers and Evaluators from Isaac Castillo

Isaac Castillo is the Director of Outcomes, Assessment and Learning at Venture Philanthropy Partners. He has 20+ years of experience with research, evaluation and measurement. Although Isaac has spent two decades working in research and evaluation, he started his career as a competitive debater and public speaking coach. I asked Isaac for his #1 piece of public speaking advice. Isaac advised us to prepare half as much content as we think we need. Here’s why.
More »