Documenting the “So What?” of Evidence-Based Programs: Communicating Results to Stakeholders with Research-Based Visual Tools

As part of developing the University of Arizona Cooperative Extension 4-H Common Measures system, we created resources for communicating results to stakeholders with research-based visual tools. We outline the creation of two tools that may be useful to CE personnel to use evaluation findings to better “tell their story” to a variety of stakeholders. Effectively telling this story often means addressing the question “so what?”. These tools, 1) Outcome Linkages and 2) Infographics can translate the program’s “so what?” in easily interpretable and visually engaging ways. Step by step processes are reviewed to guide creation and use of both tools.