Here at TCEC, we often get questions about writing up results in reports. And most of these questions center around that pesky word: Requirements.

What am I required to do?

What are we required to include?

And of course this makes sense, as we all have deliverables we are bound to submit. (For more guidance on reporting requirements, see TCEC's page on Reporting Results.)

But as Heather Krause of We All Count points out in her article "The Two Report Strategy," if we are focusing on just our requirements during our report writing, we may be doing a disservice to the very people we care most about:

I see a lot of cases where a project team claims to be prioritizing the community they are engaging with, but when it comes down to it, if they only make one report with only one goal, it’s usually designed and written to be best appreciated by people above them in the power structure, not below them.

If we're truly trying to make our work accessible and equitable, only sharing our results with one specialized audience isn't going to get us there.

The solution? Just write two reports! 

My work plan says one report and you’re telling me I should write two???

Maybe. Probably. 

The thing is, a lot of us spend time and effort to make our evaluation work community-centered, to create data that is meaningful for our community, but then write a technical FER (Final Evaluation Report), and call it a day. Krause suggests planning ahead of time to write two reports, budgeting the time in advance and having a game plan that is focused on whoever your project really prioritizes. 

One type of communication will never be equally effective across different people, cultures, perspectives, languages, etc. The academic might want precise, highly technical language and an interactive data repository that they can dig into. Perhaps the community members want a clear narrative with a tone, medium, and design that respects how they understand the world and isn’t dull to boot.

Here are a few tips for the Two Report Strategy from Krause:

• Make them different as possible: This allows your communications to cover more ground.
• Plan ahead: Budget time and have a plan so you don’t just default to the FER.
• Test with target audiences: It always helps to check with your intended demographic!

Provide both versions to both audiences: Don’t assume you know which type of report an audience member would like to read!

Yes, the two report strategy is a little more work, but it’s more than worth it when you consider the fact that this little extra work can increase the reach of your audience, letting you highlight and share years of your hard work with the people it impacts most. 

And, as always, if you need a little extra support, TCEC is here to help! Our evaluation associates can answer your questions about report writing, data visualization, and more! Email us anytime at tcecTA@phmail.ucdavis.edu.