Thank you for the very interesting and important discussion. I appreciate the opportunity to contribute and look forward to hearing diverse perspectives and further ideas. Here are some thoughts that I have on this topic:
Effective communication is critical for a successful evaluation. Communication should help to go beyond disseminating papers. Communication strategies should serve as a dynamic tool to actively promote learning, engagement, and use of evaluation results throughout the process.
1. Planning Communication from the Start .
It is highly important to develop a clear communication plan of action early in the evaluation process. For example, the plan could envisage the engagement with stakeholders by providing briefs on what they should expect, or the use of visual tools in agreeing on the key results with the project team. Interactive communication tools help foster dialogue and engagement, especially with technical experts, who may not be familiar with the evaluation. or specialized audiences.
2. Engaging Stakeholders Throughout the Process.
Involving stakeholders proactively via workshops, focus groups, or other special events facilitates the sense of ownership. For example, involving beneficiaries’ voices or using participatory methods during data collection and reporting can build trust and enhance the credibility of findings.
3. Using Innovative and Multi-channel Tools.
Innovative communication tools such as podcasts, photo-stories, social media postings or interactive web pages can target different audiences and contexts, ensuring that messages are vivid, attractive and accessible. For instance, short videos or infographics can make findings compelling and shareable, especially on social media platforms, broadening reach and impact.
Key Challenges in Integrating Communication into Evaluation:
1. Timing One of the primary challenges is integrating communication activities seamlessly across the evaluation timeline. Communication should not be an afterthought but embedded from the planning stage through to dissemination. But very often, evaluations are not planned in advance, and have to be conducted within limited timeframes.
2. Resource and Capacity Constraints Effective communication demands adequate time, skills, and resources. Many evaluators and organizations lack dedicated communication specialists or training in strategic communication. As a result, communication efforts may be either too weak or inconsistent, reducing their effectiveness.
3. Diversity of Stakeholder needs Different audiences have varying needs and levels of engagement. For example, senior decision makers may prefer executive (concise) summaries, while field-based project staff and beneficiaries would be interested in more detailed reports. Balancing these needs and managing expectations can be difficult.
4. Communicating Sensitive Findings Communicating not so positive results requires diplomacy and tact. Building trust through early stakeholder involvement in reviewing the findings. Potentially sensitive or negative findings need to be framed in a constructive manner, focusing on areas of improvement, rather than on criticisms and highlights of previous mistakes.
RE: Beyond the final report: What does it take to communicate evaluation well?
Italy
Serdar Bayryyev
Senior Evaluation Officer
FAO
Posted on 28/10/2025
Thank you for the very interesting and important discussion. I appreciate the opportunity to contribute and look forward to hearing diverse perspectives and further ideas. Here are some thoughts that I have on this topic:
Effective communication is critical for a successful evaluation. Communication should help to go beyond disseminating papers. Communication strategies should serve as a dynamic tool to actively promote learning, engagement, and use of evaluation results throughout the process.
1. Planning Communication from the Start .
It is highly important to develop a clear communication plan of action early in the evaluation process. For example, the plan could envisage the engagement with stakeholders by providing briefs on what they should expect, or the use of visual tools in agreeing on the key results with the project team. Interactive communication tools help foster dialogue and engagement, especially with technical experts, who may not be familiar with the evaluation. or specialized audiences.
2. Engaging Stakeholders Throughout the Process.
Involving stakeholders proactively via workshops, focus groups, or other special events facilitates the sense of ownership. For example, involving beneficiaries’ voices or using participatory methods during data collection and reporting can build trust and enhance the credibility of findings.
3. Using Innovative and Multi-channel Tools.
Innovative communication tools such as podcasts, photo-stories, social media postings or interactive web pages can target different audiences and contexts, ensuring that messages are vivid, attractive and accessible. For instance, short videos or infographics can make findings compelling and shareable, especially on social media platforms, broadening reach and impact.
Key Challenges in Integrating Communication into Evaluation:
1. Timing
One of the primary challenges is integrating communication activities seamlessly across the evaluation timeline. Communication should not be an afterthought but embedded from the planning stage through to dissemination. But very often, evaluations are not planned in advance, and have to be conducted within limited timeframes.
2. Resource and Capacity Constraints
Effective communication demands adequate time, skills, and resources. Many evaluators and organizations lack dedicated communication specialists or training in strategic communication. As a result, communication efforts may be either too weak or inconsistent, reducing their effectiveness.
3. Diversity of Stakeholder needs
Different audiences have varying needs and levels of engagement. For example, senior decision makers may prefer executive (concise) summaries, while field-based project staff and beneficiaries would be interested in more detailed reports. Balancing these needs and managing expectations can be difficult.
4. Communicating Sensitive Findings
Communicating not so positive results requires diplomacy and tact. Building trust through early stakeholder involvement in reviewing the findings. Potentially sensitive or negative findings need to be framed in a constructive manner, focusing on areas of improvement, rather than on criticisms and highlights of previous mistakes.