Breathing life into evaluation reports: the quest of independent communication units

Breathing life into evaluation reports: the quest of independent communication units

Within the context of a multilateral development organization, can a communication unit nested in an evaluation office add real, tangible value to the findings, conclusions and recommendations of reports? Unsurprisingly, it’s a question that I get asked quite a lot. As the senior coordinator of an independent communication unit, my answer could be slightly biased. Fortunately, though, results speak for themselves.

United Nations agencies, programmes and funds have centralized communication outfits that cater for the outreach needs of the entire organization. The same holds true for multilateral development banks and international financial institutions. This means that key departments, such as policy, operations, programming, strategy and planning –all of which produce important documents and reports –, have to ‘delegate’ their messaging needs to an institutionalized communication division. So, why should an evaluation office receive special treatment?

One might argue that in those instances in which an evaluation office has independent status, this calls for it to manage its outreach efforts autonomously. Case in point, I have discussed the benefits of communicating independently in two previous blog posts. In essence, there is no doubt that the credibility and transparency of an office greatly benefits from being able to manage its own outreach products, resources and channels. However, are credibility and transparency the only advantages that communicating independently can or should bring to evaluation? If they are, then the mere existence of a communication unit could, in of itself, be sufficient to get a tick in the box that says “yes, we communicate independently and thus are credible and transparent”.

The experience of the Independent Office of Evaluation of IFAD (IOE) proves that communicating independently is much more than a tick in the box. It proves that, in addition to reinforcing the credibility and transparency of an office, independent communication units can add intrinsic value to evaluation reports by helping to increase the value of their findings and conclusions and recommendations. To explain how this works, let’s break things down into three conceptual approaches.

The first thing we need to recognize is the need for a holistic approach. Presenting the importance of a report does not boil down to simply issuing a note that informs stakeholders that a given evaluation has been published. On the contrary, it calls for 360 degrees thought processes that look at the report in its entirety, with a view to discerning how best to package, distil, project and share its findings, through which channels, leveraging which tools, deploying which products, and using which resources. The variables are many, and the way in which they can be combined even more so.

Stemming from the complexity of embracing a holistic approach, the second aspect we need to appreciate is the need for a tailored approach. Quite simply, cookie cutter is not going to cut it. Each evaluation is different in its own unique way, with its own ‘selling points’, insights, background stories and assets. This means that each report warrants its own communication strategy, carefully crafted to allow the research to captivate the interest of stakeholders.

For all the above to take shape, there needs to be a collaborative approach. Successful communication campaigns result from collaborative thinking. Nobody knows the ins and outs of a report better than the evaluation team who wrote it. Therefore, sitting down together to brainstorm about how to make the most of the richness of the research is a sine qua non pre-requisite to get things right. In IOE, this happens at four key moments in the evaluative process (at a minimum).

First, at the research design and workplan stage, we discuss the timing of the various phases of the evaluation process to ensure optimal sequencing of the communication outputs, in order to avoid excessive highs and lows in the volume of products published. Second, at the research and field work stage, we liaise to ensure that necessary communication materials are collected by those travelling to the field, such as photos, videos and interview materials. In this regard, it is important to highlight that all IOE staff have benefited from dedicated trainings in the application of neuroscience communications tools that support their effective engagement throughout the evaluation process, and especially at the research stage. Third, at the finalization stage, we work closely to plan and execute learning workshops. This means producing a host dedicated graphic and print materials, in addition to providing back-end technical support. Fourth, at the dissemination stage, we coordinate the release of a full suite of communication and outreach products across all our channels to ensure optimal levels of sharing and cross-pollination. Fifth, at the review stage, we carefully analyse the findings of the IOE Communication Trends report. The report, which is produced twice a year, presents the latest data, statistics and trends relative to our core products. These include the IOE website, latest evaluation reports, Independent Magazine, and social media.

While valid in principle, maybe this all sounds a bit too abstract. After all, I started this piece by stating that ‘results speak for themselves’. So, let’s bring the evidence. Looking back over the past four years, there are countless stories that bear witness to the success that IOE has enjoyed by implementing the holistic, tailored and collaborative approaches in a combined fashion. For ease of reference, though, I will share one of the most recent examples.

On the 2nd of December of 2024, IOE published its corporate-level evaluation of knowledge management practices in IFAD (CLE KM). Within a matter of days, this evaluation became the most downloaded, red and cited report produced by IOE during the whole year. Its impact is already very much being felt at the institutional level, as major structural changes have and are taking place across the organization that directly relate to IFAD’s corporate KM function.

The substantive value of the report clearly speaks for itself. However, these results, with such a high level of interest and impact, were not left to chance. By strategizing closely with the team behind the CLE, in the six months leading up to the release of the report, we staggered the production and dissemination of: (a) ten field-based video interview case study stories with IFAD beneficiaries on-the-ground; (b) a mapping tool of IFAD signature solutions, which helps to understand how knowledge-specific approaches and innovations have moved through IFAD’s work; (c) a rubric that evaluates the immediacy, medium-term, and long-term outcomes of IFAD’s KM practices in terms of transformation on a country-by-country basis, through 20 case studies from across the planet; (d) two blog posts, each focusing on specific aspects of the CLE KM; and (e) a whole new section on IOE’s website entirely dedicated to a new KM Toolbox. And these were only the outputs that were produced exclusively for the CLE. Moreover, to complement these efforts, as per standard practice, we also delivered news items in our magazine and newsletter, crafted dedicated content on all our social media channels, and helped to pull together a learning event that garnered participation from over one hundred people across the world.

On the back of the momentum generated by this custom-made communication strategy and outreach campaign, which preceded the official publishing of the report, the interest surrounding the evaluation ended up being such that a dedicated pre-release session took place during the 15th European Evaluation Biennial Conference, which featured an opportunity for people to meet and discuss with the authors of the CLE KM.

This intricate ensemble of communication outputs was carefully crafted to ensure optimal complementary, with each product adding a different perspective, bringing a specific angle and telling a unique story. Unique, as the value of the report itself, which is helping to shape IFAD’s core structure and processes today, so that Fund may further strengthen its operations on the ground tomorrow.