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 »

How to Avoid Annoying PowerPoint Habits: Interview with Dave Paradi, Microsoft MVP

Dave Paradi is one of my favorite people in the presentation design world. He is a Microsoft MVP, has been a professional speaker since 1999, and has authored 9 books and over 100 articles on PowerPoint. His focus is on helping business professionals create clear visuals of financial data. ​I interviewed Dave about his current work, what it’s like to be a Microsoft MVP, and his presentation tips.
More »

How to Design Reports that Actually Inform Decisions

When you hear the term “Dusty Shelf Report,” what comes to mind? Even if you haven’t heard that term before, you’ve seen one. Maybe you’ve received one. Maybe you’re written one (or, dozens). It’s the document we pour our blood, sweat, and tears into… that doesn’t affect anything. No real-world changes. No improvements to policies, programs, budgeting, or staffing decisions. I was trained to write technical reports with statistical jargon that sat around and gathered dust. Now, I write reports that people actually want to read. Fewer paragraphs. More graphs. My audience can understand the information, so the data actually gets used. Our brand new full-length course, Report Redesign is open for registration until Friday, August 21st.
More »

Can Your Dataviz Have an Influence on School Reopening Plans?

Our organizations collect all this data—through surveys, assessments, interviews, and so on—and then what? The default: The data just sits there inside a Dusty Shelf Report. But what if your data could actually inform real-life decisions? I recently sat down with Vivian Jefferson from Loudoun County Public Schools, a growing district in the Washington, D.C. metro area who shared that her graphs had been featured on the news (!!!).
More »