Once Upon a Time: Telling the Story of an Evaluation

Abstract Information: When presenting the findings of an evaluation or learning exercise, there is often a lot that needs to be shared. There is the purpose, driving questions, methodology, findings, results, lessons learned, thoughts, further uses, case studies and more. This is further complicated by having to present to various audiences with different interests and, usually, in a very limited amount of time. The key challenge of these presentations is to communicate the findings of an evaluation or learning exercise in a short period, but in a way that engages the audience and sparks follow-on learning. This ignite presentation will help participants to rethink these presentations as opportunities to tell the story of the evaluation with engaging visuals that capture audience attention and interest. Visuals that not only explain and showcase data, but also help guide the audience through the script and communicate the mood or feeling of the story. This approach can make presentations less daunting and allow anyone, no matter their monitoring and evaluation technical skills, to confidently present on an evaluation or learning exercise.