Before the evaluation begins, determine the audience(s) that is (are) to be reached and develop a plan for communicating the results of the evaluation to it (them). There may be many different audiences that will require different methods of communication.

For example, the primary audience may be whoever requested the evaluation, such as a national agency, co-management leader, or donor. Keep in mind that there may be others who would find the results useful and who might benefit the co-management effort. Special attention should be given to ensuring that primary stakeholders and resource users, and others whose livelihoods depends on the managed resources, are reached. This may require communicating in local languages and using illustrations rather than text.

Using the results of the stakeholder analysis carried out in Task 3 will help to identify the target audience(s) and how to communicate with it (them). Answering the following questions may also help: 

Prioritize primary audiences based on the need to reach them, how they will use the results and the types of actions they can take, and develop a communication plan that includes specific considerations for each of the audience groups.

A communications plan will contain the following elements: 

Develop a strategy for how and where results will be delivered by identifying whether one-way or two-way presentation formats will be used with each target audience. Include in the strategy the approach and style of delivery to be taken. A results delivery strategy outlines exactly how to conduct the presentation formats assigned to target audiences. Consider how to make the presentation formats most meaningful and thought provoking for each target audience and include this in the results delivery strategy. For example, what language, tone, style of text, and voice (i.e. passive or active) will most resonate with the target audience? The results delivery strategy should include the messages and formats that will be used to communicate with different target audiences. Use the audience analysis matrix to identify outreach opportunities.

A set of key messages with illustratated examples and stories that explain the results will help to focus the attention of particular target audiences. Messaging allows the evaluation team and co-managers to keep in mind the critical pieces of information that target audiences will be looking for during the evaluation and as results are generated.

Develop a timeline of when messages and presentation formats are to be released and delivered to target audiences. The timeline will depend on the type of formats and the style in which results are delivered.

The communication and presentation methods identified will also be useful for the validation process. A validation of the early results of the evaluation should be carried out before final conclusions and recommendations are agreed to. An appropriate way of communicating during the validation process will need to be thought through (see Task 3.5).