Step 1: Identify audiences and develop a dissemination plan

Early in the evaluation planning process, it is important to identify the audiences and key partners that will be interested in the evaluation results. Identifying both internal and external audiences will inform the reporting styles, messages, and format for sharing the key evaluation findings. Internal audiences can include internal agency partners, intervention implementers, or community members. External audiences can include political decision makers, funders, or advocacy groups. It is important to understand how your audiences prefer to receive evaluation findings so that you can deliver them in formats that are engaging, comprehensible, and digestible.

A well-written dissemination plan should outline specific strategies used to communicate pedestrian safety evaluation findings to various audiences. It is important to map out how you and your evaluation partners plan to share your findings to ensure you’re sending information to the appropriate audience in their preferred format. Below is a summary of the dissemination plan components.

• Audience: Who is going to receive evaluation report?
• Key Messages: What are the main highlights that you plan to present and how should the messages be framed?
• Product: What kinds of information will be presented (See Step 2: Selecting reporting styles to share evaluation findings)?
• Delivery: How will the information will be delivered (e.g., print, electronic, verbal, visual-aids)?
• Release Date: When will this information be disseminated?
• Person Responsible: Who is responsible for developing and releasing this information?
• Budget: How much will it cost to implement the dissemination plan?
• Follow-up Activities: Notes and tools to track the progress of each product being disseminated

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Next: Continue to Step 2